License Explorer

Types of liquor licenses in Florida

Pick the wrong one and you find out after you have paid the state, waited, and been turned down. Five types of liquor licenses in Florida cover almost every bar, restaurant and shop in the state, and the difference between them is the difference between opening in weeks and waiting a year for a drawing.

Below is what each one lets you sell, what the state charges for it a year, and the kind of business it was written for. Every fee and rule links to the statute or the DBPR page it came from. No account, no email, no form in the way.

1APS

Beer only, package sales

What it allows: Beer only, to-go/package sales only.
Annual state fee: $28 to $140 per year, depending on county population
Who it's for: Businesses selling sealed beer to take away, with no drinking on site.

Set by Fla. Stat. 563.02.

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2APS

Beer and wine, package sales

What it allows: Beer and wine, package sales only.
Annual state fee: $84 to $196 per year, by county population
Who it's for: Businesses selling sealed beer and wine to take away, with no drinking on site.

Set by Fla. Stat. 564.02.

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2COP

Beer and wine, on or off premises

What it allows: Beer and wine, by the drink or package, on or off premises.
Annual state fee: $168 to $392 per year, by county population$392 in counties over 100,000 like Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, Hillsborough, Duval, Pinellas.
Who it's for: Places serving beer and wine to drink on site, to take away, or both.

Set by Fla. Stat. 564.02. Read the full 2COP guide.

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4COP-SFS

Restaurant full bar

What it allows

Beer, wine, and liquor for a bona fide restaurant.

Annual state fee

$624 to $1,820 per year, by county population

Requirements

At least 2,000 sq ft of service area
Seating and capacity to serve 120 people at one time
At least 51% of revenue from food and nonalcoholic drinks

Who it's for

Restaurants that meet all three requirements above and want a full bar.

No quota needed.

The requirements were reduced in 2023 and a 2026 bill to cut them further died in committee, so older and newer articles both get this wrong.

Set by Fla. Stat. 561.20(2)(a)4. Read the full 4COP-SFS guide.

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4COP quota

Full bar, quota license

What it allows: Full bar without the restaurant requirements.
Annual state fee: Not a fixed state fee. See the notes below.
Who it's for: Bars and other full-bar businesses that don't meet the restaurant requirements.

Limited per county, at one license for every 7,500 residents. New ones come from an annual state lottery; existing ones sell on the open market.

If this is your path, you'll be working with a license broker. That is a different business than ours and we don't sell those.

We do prepare the yearly drawing entry form for $99, one entry in one county. Read how the quota drawing works before you buy it.

Set by Fla. Stat. 565.02.

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Fees and requirements above are from Fla. Stat. 563.02, 564.02, 565.02, and 561.20(2)(a)4. State fees vary by county population.

Which liquor license do I need in Florida?

We are not allowed to answer that, and neither is anybody else without a Florida law license. Choosing a license type for you is legal advice. Anyone selling you a "we will tell you which license" service without a law license is breaking the law.

What we can do is lay out the published facts so you can decide. Three questions usually settle it:

Do you want to sell liquor, or only beer and wine? Beer and wine licenses have no cap on how many the state issues. Liquor licenses mostly do.
Is it a restaurant? A restaurant that meets the size, seating and food revenue tests can hold a full bar with no quota at all. That is the 4COP-SFS restaurant liquor license, and for most people opening a restaurant it is the answer.
Do people drink on the premises, or carry it out? The APS types are package sales only. The COP types allow consumption on premises.

If those three do not settle it, that is a question for a Florida licensed attorney, not for us.

What is the difference between 2COP and 4COP?

One letter, and the entire difficulty of getting the license.

A 2COP license covers beer and wine, on or off the premises. Florida does not cap how many exist, so if you qualify you apply and you get one. The annual state fee runs $168 to $392 depending on your county.

A 4COP adds liquor. Florida caps those at one for every 7,500 residents of a county, which is why they trade privately for six figures and why the state runs a yearly quota license drawing to hand out new ones. The annual fee is $624 to $1,820.

The exception is the restaurant license. A 4COP-SFS is a full liquor license that sits outside the quota entirely, which is why the the 4COP-SFS restaurant license requirements are worth reading before you assume liquor is out of reach.

Where can I read more about each Florida license type?

Each guide below is written from official Florida sources, with every fee and rule linked to where it comes from.

The 2COP license: beer and wine, on or off premises
The 4COP-SFS restaurant license: a full bar without a quota
Did Florida lower the SFS requirements in 2026? : no, and here is what happened
How much a Florida liquor license costs: every fee, by county
How to get a liquor license in Florida: the whole process in order
How long a Florida liquor license takes: and why nobody official will give you a number
The Florida temporary liquor license: selling while you wait for the permanent one
The quota license lottery: the annual drawing and this year's entry window
Criminal history and the application: what the form asks and who decides

Every license, in plain English. The pick is yours. That is how it works here.