Apply for a ferment on premises licence

The AGCO licences and regulates how ferment on premises facilities operate in Ontario. These are places that allow customers to make their own beer or wine onsite for personal use.
 

These places can’t exchange or give alcohol on the premises. They also can’t:

• sell wine or beer
• offer to sell keep (store) wine or beer with the intent to sell
• produce wine or beer to sell

The AGCO must receive your application fee before we can process your application.

In certain situations, such as not renewing your licence on time, the Registrar might require you to submit a new application.

For renewing or transferring a licence, read the section on managing your licence.

You’ll need to submit these things:

• Entity disclosure
  Provide the names of anyone or any business that holds 10% or more of the outstanding shares or a class of shares. For complete information, please refer to the personal and entity disclosure requirements guide: liquor licences
• Personal disclosure
  Provide personal disclosures from all the following people (where it applies):
  • Sole proprietors
  • All officers and/or directors
  • All partners
  • Any shareholder holding 10% or more of the outstanding shares or a class of shares
  • Onsite manager (where this applies)
• Signature form
  Complete this form and have the following people sign it:
  • You, the applicant, or the person authorized to sign if the applicant is a corporation
  • Partners (for partnership or limited partnership)
  • An agent authorized to sign (if the application is submitted on behalf of the person applying for the licence)
• Tax Compliance Verification number and attestation
  You must: 
  • Complete the tax compliance verification process and obtain their tax compliance verification number through the Ministry of Finance’s Tax Compliance Verification portal
  • Attest to your tax compliance status  

For details, see information bulletin: new tax compliance verification requirements for liquor licensees come into effect July 1, 2023.  

• Business name registration
  You must register with the Retail Sales Tax office (Ministry of Finance), in the same name you use to apply for a ferment on premises licence. You may need to register the name of the business you’ll be operating under. You may need to register under the business names act. For information about registering your business name, please call toll free 1-800-361-3223 or visit www.ontario.ca/welcome-serviceontario.

To get a ferment on premises licence, create an account on the iAGCO portal. Once you’ve set up your iAGCO account, you can apply your licence.

Apply for a licence now

We try to process applications promptly. There may be delays if there are complexities with the application or if we need more information from you.

Pre-licensing inspection

We’ll inspect your location before issuing you a ferment on premises licence. We will let you know the name and contact information for your local AGCO Inspector. The AGCO Inspector will make sure that all proposed areas qualify for licensing. The Inspector will also do a walk through to see if there are any other concerns.

Retail sales tax

You must resolve any retail sales tax owing with the Ministry of Finance before the AGCO can issue a licence.

Your responsibilities as a licensee

As a licensee, there are rules you need to follow:

• Before the end of a customer’s first visit to your ferment on premises facility, you’ll need to transfer ownership of the ingredients the customer purchases. You need to prepare an invoice that shows whether the person making the beer or wine is you, a customer or one of your employees.
• The licensee or the licensee’s employees or agents can:
  • Add finings or stabilizing agents to the customer’s other ingredients
  • Operate equipment to filter and add carbonation to the customer’s ingredients
  • Rack the customer’s beer or wine
• You must make sure that the licenced premises are clearly defined and are kept separate from other areas that are used for different purposes.
• If you, or an employee, suspects that someone is under 19 years of age, you need to ask that person for government issued photo ID.
• Every ferment on premises facility must display a “Sandy’s Law” warning. The warning explains to women who are pregnant that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is the cause of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The sign must be prominently displayed in all locations where people make beer or wine.
• A customer may be given a sample of their own beer or wine after fermentation, carbonation or filtration has occurred. The sample must be no larger than 170 milliliters. The customer must drink it on the licensed premises.
• You or an employee can carry the customer’s beer or wine out of the licensed premises to a waiting vehicle. Neither you nor your staff can deliver a customer’s beer or wine.
• You can’t store for a customer any beer or wine that has been placed in containers.
• Each carboy (jug in which the wine is fermented) must have a tag attached to it with the number of the invoice provided to the person whose ingredients have been placed in the carboy. It also needs to have, where applicable, the date on which enzymes or yeast were added to beer wort, wine juice, wine juice concentrate or other juice or juice concentrate in the carboy.

Customer responsibilities

The customer must start the fermentation process at the facility and carry out certain steps to produce the beer or wine. Customers must be the one to:

• Add the yeast or enzymes needed to begin the fermentation process to the beer wort, wine juice, wine juice concentrate or other raw material of beer or wine
• Place his or her beer or wine in containers
• Label, cork, cap, shrink wrap or package their beer or wine
• Remove their beer or wine from the licensed premises immediately after it has been placed in containers

A customer may designate a person, other than your or your employee or agent, to complete these steps at the premises on the customer’s behalf.

Advertising

Any advertising you do needs to follow the regulations. Please read the Registrar’s interim standards and requirements for liquor for more information.