Apply for a convenience store or grocery store licence

There are two types of alcohol retail licences for convenience and grocery stores.

• Convenience Store Licence: This licence allows you to sell beer, wine (including cider), and ready-to-drink alcohol products in a retail store that meets certain eligibility requirements and has 4,000 square feet or less of retail floor space. 
• Grocery Store Licence: This licence allows you to sell beer, wine (including cider), and ready-to-drink alcohol products in a retail store that meets certain eligibility requirements and has more than 4,000 square feet of retail floor space. 
   

Who is eligible

You may be eligible for a licence if your business meets these legal requirements. Please see the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA) and its regulations for full details.

For full eligibility requirements, see the Convenience Store Licence Obligation Guide and/or the Grocery Store Licence Obligation Guide.

Who is not eligible

You are not eligible for a licence if, for example:

• Your store is primarily identified to the public as a pharmacy as defined under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act. 
• The retail floor space isn’t fully enclosed by walls (such as kiosks, stands or stalls).
• You do not meet the food product requirements.
• Your store is located within a First Nations community that has decided not to allow alcohol retail stores. 
   

Additional eligibility information

How to calculate the retail floor space

You can find out the retail floor space by measuring the length and width of the space and multiplying these values (area = length x width).

Example: 

30 feet long x 60 feet wide = 1800 square feet

Spaces where products or services aren’t offered to the public, such as storage rooms or washrooms, should be removed from the calculation. You can do this by measuring the non-usable space(s) and subtracting it from the total. 

Example: 

Main sales area: 30 feet long x 60 feet wide = 1800 square feet
Storage room: 5 feet long x 5 feet wide = 25 square feet
Net retail floor space: 1800 square feet - 25 square feet = 1775 square feet

You can calculate spaces with irregular shapes by breaking up the area into smaller boxes, calculating the area of each box, and adding up all the areas. 

The image below is an example of how to calculate retail floor space.

First Nations

A First Nation has the authority to decide whether retail stores are allowed within their community. If a First Nation decides that alcohol retail stores should not be allowed, the Band Council may pass a resolution and send it to the AGCO. We will not issue any licences within these communities.

If your store is located within a First Nations community, follow these steps before you apply:

1. First, check the list of First Nations communities that have decided not to allow alcohol retail stores. Please do not apply if your store is located within one of the First Nations communities on the list. We cannot process applications for store located within these communities.
2. Next, obtain a resolution from your Band Council indicating their approval for your store to be licensed.

Once you have applied, an Eligibility Officer will reach out to you to ensure we have all the required information to process your application.

Please refer to Regulation 746/21 under the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA) for full details.

Learn more about alcohol retail stores within First Nations communities. 

The fees are subject to annual inflationary adjustments starting on April 1, 2025 tied to Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI).
* A rebate program for eligible small grocery stores will be available as of July 15, 2024. More information will follow. 

Before you apply, you’ll need to:

Consider how long it takes

Think about when you should apply. You’ll need enough time to:

• Get your licence from the AGCO (a few days / 3-6 weeks)
  If you hold another, active AGCO licence or registration (e.g. a lottery retailer registration) most will see their retail licence issued within a matter of days. Others can expect the AGCO’s eligibility review of their convenience or grocery store application to take 3-6 weeks.​
• Buy product from the LCBO (about 6-8 weeks)
  The LCBO will reach out to guide you through this process. You’ll need time to get access to their sales portal (about 2 days), order and receive your products (about 6 to 8 weeks). 
• Train your staff (timing varies)
  Any person involved in the sale, sampling, delivery, or taking orders for the sale of alcohol must hold a valid certificate that demonstrates the successful completion of a responsible liquor sale and delivery training program approved by the AGCO Board. The only training program currently approved by the AGCO Board is Smart Serve, which is available on the Smart Serve® website. The training takes about 4 hours to complete. Learners can start and stop their training, as they learn. They must complete the training and final test within 30-days.

The AGCO has launched an open call for liquor retail training programs. Any new AGCO Board approved training programs will be announced as they become available.

Prepare your grocery store to participate in the Ontario Deposit Return Program (ODRP)

Licensed grocery stores must accept empty alcohol containers and provide refunds for the deposits to the consumer starting October 31, 2024. The LCBO will reimburse grocery stores for the deposits they refund to customers. Grocery stores that are within 5km of an existing Beer Store location will be required to participate in the ODRP starting in 2026. These grocery stores and convenience stores are however, required to post the closest place or places where containers can be returned.

Documents you’ll need

You may be asked to provide the following information and documents to support your application:

1. Franchisor legal name
   If you are a franchisee, please have the legal name of the franchisor on hand.
2. Signature forms
   Sign and upload the form that is applicable to you:
   • Corporation
     This person(s) has binding authority to submit the application on behalf of their corporation. 
   • Agent or representative 
     This agent or representative is signing on behalf of the applicant.
   • Partners
   • For all partners in a Partnership/Limited Partnership.

An Eligibility Officer may contact you if additional information is required once we start processing your application. In addition to the above documents, you may be asked for this information: 

• Licence or Endorsement Number: if you hold either a Liquor Sales License or By-the-Glass Endorsement. 
• Seller Registration Number: if you hold a Seller (OLG Lottery/BOT/e-raffle Sales) Registration at the same premises.
• Band Council Approval (for First Nations): If your store is located within a First Nations Community, you will be asked to provide a resolution from your Band Council indicating their approval for your store to be licensed. You can submit your application without this, but we will ask for it once we start processing your application.

• Log-in to your existing iAGCO account.
  • Don’t have an account? Create a new one. 
    • Can’t remember if you have an iAGCO account? Use the password reset feature to check if there is an account associated with your e-mail address.
• Complete the application questions, upload all required documents, and pay the fee to submit the application.
• You’ll receive an e-mail confirmation and receipt.

Apply for a convenience store licence now

Apply for a grocery store licence now

Processing your application

We try to process all applications promptly. An Eligibility Officer may reach out to you if we require additional information to process your application. There may be delays if there are complexities with the application or if we need to request more information from you. 

Important: We cannot process your application in a timely manner until we receive all the required information from you.

Receiving your licence

We’ll notify you as soon as your application is processed, whether it is approved or not. If your application is approved, you’ll get an e-mail with a copy of your licence attached. 

Checking the status of your application

You can check the status of your application from your iAGCO account main page. All submitted applications are displayed under a section called “My Applications Under Review”. There you will find a list of applications that have been submitted and are being processed.  
 

Once you have a licence there are a few more things you’ll need to do before you can start selling. 

Buy alcohol through the LCBO

You are only allowed to sell alcohol products in your store that have been purchased through your business account with the LCBO. You will need to work with the LCBO to arrange for the purchase of products linked to your licence. When we issue a new licence, we notify the LCBO and share your contact information with them. The LCBO will reach out to you to guide you through the process of ordering products. 

Visit LCBO’s website to learn more about working with the LCBO.

You should be aware of display requirements before you order your product. A certain amount of the products you display needs to be produced by small breweries, small cideries, small distilleries or small wineries.

Train your staff

By law, only staff that are 18 years or older are allowed to handle alcohol products. Staff who are involved in the sale, sampling, delivery or taking orders for the sale of alcohol must have a valid certification demonstrating completion of an AGCO Board approved training program.

Currently, Smart Serve® is the only AGCO Board approved sales and service training program in the province of Ontario. 

Storing and displaying alcohol products

You must store your inventory of alcohol products that is not on display in a secure storage area that is not accessible to the public. 

You’ll also need to get your retail space ready to display alcohol products. You must display alcohol products together in one aisle or area of the store (see the contiguous display requirements). This means alcohol cannot be displayed in multiple locations throughout the store. 

Inducements or incentives  

You are not allowed to directly or indirectly request, demand, or receive any financial or non-financial benefit from a liquor manufacturer. This includes accepting coolers, fridges, or shelving to promote an alcohol product over another.  

For full details on these inducements, please ensure to read the Convenience Store Licence Obligation Guide.  

By law, you cannot start selling alcohol before the applicable selling dates. You also need to ensure that you have received your licence, purchased your products from LCBO, and prepared your staff and store.

Inspections

The AGCO may inspect your location at any time. If we find anything of concern, an AGCO inspector may work with you to help you solve the issue. You are required to let AGCO inspectors access your business and conduct their inspections. 

The AGCO is committed to regulating the expanded liquor retail marketplace in a way that promotes the safe and responsible sale of alcohol. Repeated or any serious instances of non-compliance with your obligations may result in you receiving a warning, monetary penalty, suspension or revocation of your licence.

Do not sell alcohol to minors or intoxicated customers.

The legal drinking age in the province of Ontario is 19 years of age. You may not sell alcohol to people who are under 19 years of age. By law, you are required to check a person’s ID if they appear to be under 19 years of age. If you or your employee doubt the legitimacy of an individual’s ID, you may consider requesting a second piece of ID.

You may not sell alcohol to a person who is, or appears to be, intoxicated. A customer exhibiting signs of intoxication must be refused the sale of alcohol.

Selling alcohol to a minor or an intoxicated person could result in a penalty of up to $20,000 or the suspension or revocation of your licence. Learn more about monetary penalties.

Learn more about acceptable forms of ID and recognizing intoxication.

Hours of sale

You may sell alcohol between 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week. If your store is allowed to be open on a holiday, you may sell alcohol. You may only sell, allow in-store pickup, and perform deliveries within these hours, even if your store is open for longer (e.g. 24 hours). The AGCO may place conditions on some licences that further limit the hours during which alcohol may be sold.

Selling alcohol outside approved hours could result in a penalty up to $15,000 or the suspension or revocation of your licence. Learn more about monetary penalties.

Learn about all of your responsibilities

As a licence holder you are responsible for following all the requirements and obligations that apply to you. Read these resources to learn more about your responsibilities.

• Alcohol responsibilities and resources
• Convenience Store Obligation Guide
• Grocery Store Obligation Guide 
• Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019
• Licensing Regulation (746/21): Sets out the rules and conditions for licences, licence classes, and endorsements.
• General Regulation (745/21): Sets out other requirements such as warning signs regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and the Ontario Deposit Return Program.
• Minimum Pricing of Liquor and Other Pricing Matters Regulation (750/21): Sets out the minimum retail pricing and loyalty program requirements.