Having a license in Iowa is a personal privilege. The individual, partnership, or corporation receiving the income from the alcoholic beverages sold must have a license.
Local authorities (city councils or county boards of supervisors) and the Division must be notified of any changes in the licensed premises or ownership. The following describes the options available for amending your license. These amendments can be submitted at any time during the course of your license term. In addition many of the changes to your licensed premises can be communicated to the IDR during the license renewal process.
List items for Amend Your License
Premises Update Amendment Application is to be used when a licensee is needing to inform the Department of a CHANGE in the current premises address, or physical structure.
Update Premises Address Location Example: Adding Suite / Floor #, Expanding or Downsizing Location
Change in Square Footage of retail space.
**If you are moving to a different location within the same jurisdiction, you will need to submit a Premises Transfer.
You can do a permanent or temporary Premises update.
Temporary Premises Transfer:
A Temporary Premises Transfer application is to be used when a licensee is wanting to temporarily transfer their active license to another location. Please see the requirements below for the temporary premises transfer applications:
Only applies to 12 month, on- or off-premises retail licenses
Can be transferred for a minimum of 24 hours to a maximum of 7 days (Anything longer than 7 days is considered a permanent premises transfer)
MUST have control of the property you are transferring to
The new location must be within the same jurisdiction of the local authority (city or county) that initially approved the license/permit.
MUST stop operating at the current premises address while operating at the temporary premises address
If there is an active license/permit that is currently at the "temporary location" the active license holder MUST submit an Amendment application to Unlicense that premises address to allow for the Temporary Transfer to come in and use the premises address
License/permit may NOT be transferred from one person to another
Permanent Premises Transfer:
A Permanent Premise Transfer application is to be used when a licensee is wanting to permanently transfer their active license to another location. Please see the requirements below for the permanent premise transfer applications:
Only applies to 12 month license/permit
MUST have control of the property you are transferring to
If you are transferring an on- or off-premises license, then the new location must be within the same jurisdiction of the local authority (city or county) that initially approved the license/permit
MUST stop operating at the current premise address once the new permanent premise address has been approved by Iowa Department of Revenue
License/permit may NOT be transferred from one person to another
Alcohol License Contact Information Update Application is to be used when a licensee is needing to inform the Department of a CHANGE in the current contact information or a mailing address.
Update Mailing Address
Update Contact Information
You can do a permanent or temporary update to your contact information.
The Update Your Dramshop Policy application will allow licensees to update their Dram Shop provider at any time due to a change in dramshop insurance information or a change with the dramshop provider. If the change is mid-term, it does NOT have to go to the local authority. This change for the dram insurance that is submitted by the license holder will then be sent to the dram insurance company for endorsement and then to IDR for review.
The Modify Your Privileges application can be used to Add or Remove a Privilege to the existing license or permit. Additional privileges include Permanent Outdoor Service, Living Quarters and Catering.
A Temporary outdoor service application is used when needing to add a Temporary Outdoor area to the license or permit. The outdoor service area must be contiguous to the licensed premise address. Keep in mind that designated outdoor service areas are extensions of the licensed premises and are regulated as such.
This application is to be used when a license holder is needing to temporarily unlicense their licensed premises which would allow another licensee the use of the designated location at the premises address.
This application is to be used when a licensed native winery (Class “A” Wine Permit (Native)(WAN) wants to sell products for off-premises consumption only, at a location other than at their winery. If you have multiple events, you may submit them all on one additional location application and you will be required to attach the invitation for each event.
An ownership update application is used to Add, Remove, or change any information related to the ownership of the license or permit. Examples: Percentage, DOB, Name Change, Position, Company information or Trust.
When an ownership update application is submitted, the ownership and criminal history questions must be completed for each owner. This gives the local authority and the Division the information necessary to determine if the applicants qualify for a license under Iowa code.
You can request to cancel your license at any time. If you cancel your license in the middle of a license term you may request a refund for any unused quarters of a 12-month license. You will not automatically receive a refund. All seasonal and special event licenses are not eligible for refunds if canceled.
