Griffith & Hughes PLLC, TABC Licensing and Alcohol Law
A Texas law firm focused exclusively on TABC licensing and alcohol law. At a Glance Firm Griffith & Hughes PLLC (formerly Griffith Firm) Focus Texas Alcoholic…
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80 articlesWhat Documents and Disclosures a TABC Application Requires
An original TABC application asks for four things: who the applicant is and who stands behind it, the history of those people, who owns and controls…
How do local option elections change the wet or dry status of a precinct or city?
A local option election changes wet or dry status when voters in a county, justice precinct, or city approve or reject a specific ballot issue. The…
From a Wrongful Local Refusal to a Lawsuit That Seeks to Compel Certification
A business refused a local certification has a statutory first step before any lawsuit. Since September 1, 2019, Section 11.37(d) of the Alcoholic Beverage Code has…
What It Costs to Obtain a TABC License, and Where Hidden Delays Add Expense
A TABC license costs its state fee plus several items outside it. For the common retail licenses, TABC's two-year fees, effective September 1, 2021, run from…
What is a Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) and which permits can it attach to?
A Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) is a certificate TABC issues to a licensed location that has permanent food service facilities and qualifies either as a…
How Is a Mixed Beverage Audit Assessment Formally Challenged or Appealed?
The formal challenge is a petition for redetermination filed with the Texas Comptroller with a written statement of grounds. Under Tax Code Section 111.009, the petition…
How does an FB certificate enable to-go and delivery alcohol sales alongside food?
For a restaurant or bar holding a Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), the Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) is the condition that unlocks to-go and delivery alcohol.…
How Criminal History Affects TABC Permit Eligibility for Owners and Officers
Criminal history affects a TABC application under more than one standard, and the permit or license decides which. For most permits, such as a Mixed Beverage…
How L-Cert Signing Requirements Differ Across Major Texas Jurisdictions, Such as Dallas County Versus Tarrant County
The legal test behind an L-Cert signature is the same in every Texas county: the county clerk certifies whether the location is in a wet area…
How Are Six-Figure Mixed Beverage Audit Assessments Negotiated Down?
When a large mixed beverage assessment comes from a depletion estimate, it comes down mainly one way: by replacing the estimate's assumptions with the business's own…
How does a business confirm a specific address is wet for its intended permit type before signing a lease?
Ask the local clerks, in writing, before signing. TABC states that only the city or county clerk's office can officially declare a location wet or dry.…
What Hours-of-Sale Rules, Including Sunday Sales, Govern Different Permit Types?
Texas sale hours depend on what is being sold and under which permit. Bars and restaurants serving mixed drinks may sell from 7 a.m. to midnight…
What Happens to an Application When Local Certification Stalls, and How the Sequence Is Unblocked
An application waiting on a city, county, or Comptroller certification does not move toward a permit. TABC treats the Required Certifications (L-CERT) as part of a…
What Permits a Caterer Needs to Serve Alcohol at Off-Site Events
A Texas caterer serves alcohol at an off-site event under the temporary-location authority that comes with its on-premise retail permit. A Mixed Beverage Permit, a Wine…
How can an FB certificate remove the 51% firearms sign-posting requirement depending on the alcohol sales ratio?
A Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) removes the 51% sign requirement outright. The statute that requires the sign, Section 411.204 of the Texas Government Code, says…
How Sales-to-Intoxicated-Person Violations Arise, and How They Are Contested
Selling alcohol to an intoxicated person is a crime under Section 101.63 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code when the seller acts with criminal negligence, and the…
How Ownership of an Already-Licensed Alcohol Business Is Transferred or Changed
A TABC license or permit cannot be sold or transferred to a new owner. When a business changes hands, TABC requires the buyer to apply for…
How Consumable Hemp Product Regulations Intersect With TABC Enforcement at Licensed Premises
As of September 26, 2026, TABC enforces three rules on consumable hemp products (CHPs) against businesses that hold a TABC license or permit: no CHP sales…
What Is the Mixed Beverage Gross Receipts Tax, and How Does It Differ from the Mixed Beverage Sales Tax?
Texas taxes drinks sold under a mixed beverage permit twice. The mixed beverage gross receipts tax is 6.7 percent of the permittee's receipts from alcoholic drinks…
How Are Hotels and Lodging Properties Licensed to Serve Alcohol Across Bars, Room Service, and Event Space?
A hotel that serves spirits can run its bars, room service, and event space from a Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), because the Alcoholic Beverage Code gives…
Why is a Tied House violation often permanent, and how is tier compliance verified before applying?
A Tied House violation is not permanent in the literal sense, but its consequences are mandatory and hard to reverse. When TABC finds a violation of…
How Do Mixed Beverage Taxes Affect Menu Pricing, and What Disclosure Rules Apply on the Customer Check?
The two mixed beverage taxes land on the menu differently. The gross receipts tax is the permittee's own tax and has to be built into the…
Which Permits Do Bars and Nightclubs Need, and How Do Conduct and Late-Night Rules Shape the Decision?
A bar or nightclub that pours liquor needs a Mixed Beverage Permit (MB); a bar that serves only beer and wine can run on a Wine…
How a Mobile or Food-Truck Concept Handles Alcohol Service and Permitting
A food truck cannot get a TABC permit for the truck itself. TABC's answer to the question of which license a mobile bar or food truck…