Alcohol licence fees

Find out what fees you need to pay when applying for an on-licence, off-licence or club licence.

What you need to pay

You need to pay an application fee and an annual fee for an on-licence, off-licence and club licence. The amount you pay depends on the type of business you run and the risk involved.

You pay an application fee when you apply for a new licence, or renew or make a change to an existing licence. The application fee is calculated based on:

  • the type of business you have (for example, a restaurant, tavern or hotel)
  • your operating hours
  • the number of enforcements you've had in the past 18 months.

The annual fee has to be paid:

  • before a new licence is issued
  • each year by the anniversary of the licence issue date.

A portion of these fees is paid to the Alcohol Regulatory & Licensing Authority (ARLA).

Please note: The Council’s Pandemic Response Plan fee changes between March 2022 to February 2023 has ended.

If you would like to get in touch with someone from our team, please contact alcoholfees@wcc.govt.nz

Working out what you pay

Calculate your alcohol licence fees

Use our calculator to work out your risk category and what you will need to pay when you apply for an on-licence, off-licence or club licence.

Risk category Application fee (including GST) Annual fee (including GST) Total
Very low $486.00 $213.00
$699.00
Low $805.00 $516.00
$1,321.00
Medium $1078.00 $835.00
$1,913.00
High $2,351.00 $2,366.00
$4,717.00
Very high $3,594.00 $3,898.00
$7,492.00

Special licence and temporary authority fees

The fees for special licences and temporary authorities are different.

Applying for a special alcohol licence for an event

Taking over an alcohol licence (temporary authority)

Need help?

You can meet with an alcohol licensing inspector for free. They're available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Alcohol Licensing
Phone: 04 801 3760
Email: AlcoholApplications@wcc.govt.nz

Meet with an alcohol licensing inspector