Apply to Sell Alcohol in Hillsborough County
Florida AB&T issues the beverage license; the local land-use authority may also require wet zoning, a special-use or conditional-use approval, notice, or a hearing. Determine the correct state license type and parcel authority before signing a lease or submitting applications. County and city approval processes differ.
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Who needs this
A business planning to sell beer, wine, or liquor in Hillsborough County, whether for on-premises consumption or packaged sales. State license class, local zoning approval, and notice requirements depend on products, service model, parcel, and local code.
Steps
- 1
Choose the state beverage-license category
Identify whether sales are on-premises or package-only and whether the products include beer, wine, or liquor. Use DBPR AB&T's license descriptions and current application checklist; quota and non-quota licenses have different paths.
www2.myfloridalicense.com/abt/rules_statutes/license_types.p - 2
Confirm the parcel's local government and zoning path
Verify whether the address is unincorporated Hillsborough, Tampa, Plant City, or Temple Terrace. DBPR's checklist calls for zoning approval when applicable; the state license alone does not establish local land-use permission.
hcfl.gov/businesses/hillsgovhub - 3
For unincorporated Hillsborough, check wet zoning
The County says a Special Use Alcoholic Beverage Permit is needed to sell alcoholic beverages at restaurants, bars, or other businesses. Use the no-waiver application if the location meets all Land Development Code Section 6.11.11 distance requirements. If it does not, contact County Zoning for direction; the page does not specify a separate alcohol-permit waiver path.
hcfl.gov/businesses/zoning/zoning-administrative-and-other-a - 4
For Tampa, complete the applicable AB-2 local review
Use Tampa's applicable alcoholic-beverage application and the current AB-2 fee schedule. Applications outside the Business Operating Permit must be submitted through Accela; the owner/agent authorization form must be uploaded or the application cannot be processed. The City says applications requiring notice to be completed after March 2, 2024 have an additional $16 charge per sign.
tampa.gov/development-coordination/applications - 5
For Plant City, submit the local alcoholic-beverage zoning application
Plant City lists an Alcoholic Beverage Zoning Application in its Planning & Zoning application center. Confirm the current review path, completeness items, and fee with City Planning & Zoning.
plantcitygov.com/departments/development/planning_zoning/app - 6
For Temple Terrace, confirm current alcohol land-use approval
Review the City Planning and Development Applications directory with Community Development to identify whether a conditional use, special approval, or other zoning review is required for this business and parcel. Application availability and current fee are not verified; do not assume another jurisdiction’s procedure applies.
templeterrace.gov/321/Applications - 7
Submit the DBPR AB&T application with local approvals
Use the DBPR online application or printable forms for the chosen license. The checklist may require local zoning approval, premises sketch, tax clearance, business/entity information, fingerprints, occupancy or contract records, depending on the license and applicant.
myfloridalicense.com/ - 8
Obtain County and applicable city business-tax receipts
The County local business-tax receipt is separate from state beverage licensing. Review the local tax workflow and each city tax office for any additional receipt or renewal requirement.
hillstaxfl.gov/taxes/business-tax-services/new-regulated-bus
Requirements
- Obtain the DBPR AB&T license category that matches beverage type and on-premises or package-only sales.
- Secure local zoning or wet-zoning approval where the local jurisdiction requires it.
- County and city review paths are separate; apply to the government that has land-use authority over the parcel.
- Local business-tax receipts and the state beverage license are separate requirements.
Documents
- DBPR application and premises sketch for the selected beverage-license type
- Local zoning approval when applicable
- Business/entity and tax-clearance information required by DBPR
- Fingerprints, occupancy/lease, contracts, and applicant/owner information when the selected license checklist requires them
- Local applications, notices, affidavits, and site materials required for County or municipal wet zoning
Fees
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Florida AB&T beverage license | Varies by license type, county population, and temporary/permanent status; check DBPR's current fee chart. | |
| Unincorporated County Alcoholic Beverage Permit | Use current County Zoning Fees; notice and waiver requirements depend on the property and application path. | |
| Tampa AB-2 local application | Use the City's final 2026–2027 AB-2 schedule. Applications requiring notice to be completed after March 2, 2024 have an additional $16 per sign, in addition to the standard application fee. | |
| Plant City Alcoholic Beverage Zoning review | Confirm the current application fee and process with Planning & Zoning; use the City's application center. | |
| Temple Terrace Alcohol License Review | Current City alcohol/land-use review fee not verified. Confirm whether review is required and obtain the current schedule from Temple Terrace Community Development. |
Good to know
County 'wet zoning' review is not a substitute for the DBPR beverage license. DBPR requests zoning approval when applicable.Plant City's official P&Z form center lists an Alcoholic Beverage Zoning Application; the fee link returned a 404 during this review, so no Plant City amount is asserted here.The earlier Temple Terrace conditional-use URL is no longer accessible from the StartFL VPS. The City lists a separate Planning and Development Applications directory. Confirm which approval applies to alcohol sales and the current fee with Community Development; no historical dollar amount is approved as a current quote.Tampa's AB-2 schedule is for fiscal year 2026–2027 and should be rechecked if the filing date falls outside that period.