New York Liquor License Publication and Posting Requirements

For a covered new on-premises license application, arrange newspaper publication promptly after filing: the first notice ordinarily must appear within 10 days after submission, and the notice must run once a week for two successive weeks. Separately, certain liquor-license applicants must post the SLA’s notice at the premises within 10 days after filing and keep it posted while the application is pending. The applicable rule depends on the license class, county, and transaction; newspaper publication, entrance posting, and community-board notification are separate obligations. [1][2][3]

This guide explains how a New York restaurant, bar, or store can identify its notice requirements, choose the correct newspaper and sign, preserve proof, and address a missed step. It also distinguishes the application-stage publication rule from the separate statutory notice of license issuance.

In this article Applicability · Newspapers · Proof · Posting · Hearing · Corrections

Identify each notice before setting the calendar

Start with the actual license class and the nature of the filing. An original application, renewal, purchase of an existing business, and application at previously unlicensed premises can have different consequences.

Notice	Governing requirement	Timing to track
Newspaper notice of a covered original on-premises application	ABC Law § 110-a and 9 NYCRR § 104.1	First publication ordinarily within 10 days after submission; weekly publication for two successive weeks.
Entrance notice for covered new or renewal on-premises liquor applications	ABC Law § 100(9)(a)	Post within 10 days after filing; maintain while pending.
Entrance notice for a new § 63 liquor store at premises without a previous retail liquor license	ABC Law § 100(8)	Post within 10 days after filing; maintain while pending.
Notice of a covered SLA hearing	ABC Law § 100(9)(b)	Post within 10 days after receiving written hearing notice; maintain until the specified hearing or public meeting.
Notice to the municipality or NYC community board	ABC Law § 110-b	Serve before filing, within the statutory 270-day window; the statute restricts approval during the 30-day notice period.
Newspaper notice of original license issuance	ABC Law § 107	First publication within 15 days after issuance; weekly publication for two successive weeks.

These are separate calendar entries. A newspaper invoice does not establish entrance posting, and a community board’s acknowledgment does not establish newspaper publication. [1][2][3][4][5]

Determine whether application publication applies

ABC Law § 110-a(1) identifies licenses under §§ 51(4), 55, 64, 64-a, 64-c, 81, and 81-a. The implementing regulation uses the same list. It covers familiar on-premises beer, wine, and liquor applications, including restaurant and tavern applications; the duty is not limited to businesses serving distilled spirits. Section 110-a(4) limits this publication requirement to the application for the original license issued to the licensee for the premises. [1][2]

The SLA’s current Notice of Publication form broadly instructs on-premises applicants to publish. Use the precise statutory license classification to resolve applicability rather than treating the everyday phrase “liquor license” as one uniform category. A specialty license or transaction should be checked against its governing section and application instructions. [1][6]

An ordinary renewal is not a new original-license application under § 110-a. However, that does not eliminate the renewal posting rule for covered on-premises liquor licenses, or applicable municipal notice. Likewise, a buyer applying for its own original license should not assume that the seller’s old advertisement satisfies the buyer’s obligation. The statute refers to the original license issued to the licensee for the premises. [1][3][4]

Select newspapers by county and place of publication

For application publication under § 110-a, the statute requires newspapers designated by the county clerk. Confirm the designation for this notice and the newspaper’s place of publication before paying for the advertisement. A newspaper’s circulation in a neighborhood is not the same thing as publication in the locality required by the statute. [1]

Premises location	Required newspaper arrangement
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx	One daily newspaper and one weekly newspaper published in the relevant county; publish once a week for two successive weeks in each.
Staten Island and every county outside those four	One daily or weekly newspaper published in the city, town, or village where the premises are located; if none is published there, use a qualifying newspaper published in the county. Publish once a week for two successive weeks.

Manhattan is New York County, Brooklyn is Kings County, and Staten Island is Richmond County. The two-newspaper rule names four counties; it does not cover all five NYC boroughs. The geographic distinction appears in both the application-publication statute and the license-issuance statute. [1][5]

Ask the publisher to confirm the two insertion dates, the text deadline, the full price, and when the original affidavits will be available. A daily newspaper does not mean that the notice must run daily for 14 days. The required frequency is once a week for two successive weeks. Arrange the placements before filing when possible, with publication coordinated to the actual submission. [1][2]

Use the application notice and the correct identifying information

Use the SLA’s linked Notice of Publication instructions as the starting format. The advertisement is in English and identifies the applicant, its trade name, the beverages covered, establishment type, premises address and locality, and the on-premises nature of the proposed sales. The current form calls for the Application ID provided on the application receipt. [6]

Proofread against the submitted application, not a business card or lease cover sheet. An LLC’s legal name and its restaurant name can be different; both must be handled correctly. Check the street number, county, and license privileges. A restaurant seeking beer and wine should not advertise an application for privileges it has not requested.

The wording must reflect the transaction: an application notice describes a license applied for, while the § 107 issuance notice describes a license issued. Do not use an advertisement saying that a pending license has already been issued. [1][5]

If the Application ID has not arrived, address that issue promptly with the SLA or the person handling the filing. Do not substitute the seller’s license number or let the publication deadline pass unnoticed while waiting for a receipt. Keep the inquiry and any written instruction with the filing record. The current form requests the Application ID; an older sample found online may use different terminology. [6]

Publication expenses are third-party costs. Obtain a quote for the correct newspaper arrangement and affidavit service; do not assume they are included in the SLA application fee or a representative’s fee.

Obtain the affidavits and submit the required original

For covered application publication, § 110-a(5) requires two original copies of proof. Submit one original to the SLA within 15 days after receipt of the original proofs, and retain the other. The law provides a good-cause qualification but otherwise prohibits issuance if the proof is not submitted within that period. [1]

The affidavit is completed by a representative of the publishing newspaper and identifies the newspaper, place of publication, attached notice, and publication for the required two successive weeks. When two newspapers are required, secure proof for each. The SLA’s current form supplies the affidavit format. [6]

Preserve a digital scan as well as the required original. Record when the originals arrived, the submission deadline, how the proof was sent, and the delivery confirmation. Follow the submission instructions for the particular application, identifying the applicant, premises, and Application ID. Do not assume that a paid invoice, an emailed ad proof, or a screenshot replaces the sworn publication evidence.

The two deadlines run from different events: the first insertion relates to application submission; submission of the original proof relates to receipt of that proof. Keep both dates visible. Ask the publisher about delayed affidavits before they become an opening problem.

Post the correct notice at the entrance

On-premises liquor applications and renewals

ABC Law § 100(9)(a) covers new and renewal applications under §§ 64, 64-a, 64-b, 64-c, 64-d, and 64-e. Within 10 days after filing, post the prescribed notice conspicuously at the entrance, where passers-by can easily read it. It must be printed or highlighted in neon, luminous, or fluorescent pink. Make reasonable efforts to keep it posted throughout the pending application. [3]

The notice must state the application date, license type, an identifying number if available when posted, and how the public can contact the SLA about the application. Use the appropriate new-application or renewal form. The agency’s instructions identify the mailing date as the filing date for the paper application described in those forms. [3][7][8]

The pink posting rule and the newspaper rule have different statutory lists. Do not infer that every beer-and-wine application requires this particular pink notice merely because it requires newspaper publication. Conversely, a covered liquor-license renewal can require the pink sign even though § 110-a publication is limited to original licenses. [1][3]

Off-premises liquor stores

Section 100(8) requires an entrance notice within 10 days after filing a new § 63 retail liquor application where no retail liquor license has previously been granted for the proposed premises. It expressly excludes a proposed sale of an existing retail liquor business. The statute requires reasonable efforts to maintain the notice throughout the pending application. [3]

Use the SLA’s off-premises package-store notice. The pink requirement appears in the separate on-premises provision; the off-premises form does not impose that color requirement. Do not treat the existing-business exception as an exemption from all other application or issuance requirements. [3][9]

Keep the notice visible during construction

Place the sign where someone outside the entrance can actually read it. A notice inside a locked vestibule, behind opaque paper, or covered by a contractor’s signage may fail its purpose. As a practical recordkeeping measure, take one photograph showing the entrance and another showing the readable notice, with the posting date recorded.

Assign someone to check the sign while renovations continue. Replace a damaged or removed notice promptly and preserve a dated record of the replacement. Section 100(9) also requires reposting within 10 days after receipt of a written SLA request. A photograph from the first day does not establish that reasonable efforts were made to keep the sign posted later. [3]

Add the hearing notice when one is required

Section 100(9)(b) requires posting within 10 days after receipt of written notice of a hearing scheduled under §§ 64, 64-a, or 64-c. The posted notice must include the establishment’s use and capacity and remain until the hearing or public-meeting date. The SLA provides a separate 500 Foot Hearing Notice form. Keep the application notice in place while the application remains pending. [3][10]

The statute measures this hearing-posting period from receipt of the written notice. The agency’s instruction sheet also refers parenthetically to the date of the hearing notice. Prompt posting upon receipt avoids making that wording difference an unnecessary dispute; preserve the notice and evidence of when it arrived. Use the actual hearing instructions for any changed date or procedure. [3][10]

Understand why the notice record matters

In Matter of Eldridge St. Block Assn. v New York State Liquor Authority, 2022 NY Slip Op 34206(U), *7-8 (Sup Ct, NY County Dec. 12, 2022), neighbors challenged approval of a Lower East Side bar. The court rejected their insufficient-notice argument, noting notice to the community board and applicant, physical posting at the premises, and the opportunity for opponents’ written and oral submissions to reach the decision makers. The petition was denied and the proceeding dismissed. [11]

The practical lesson is to preserve the notice and participation record. This trial-court decision describes that particular record; it does not excuse a late advertisement, create a universal cure for defective notice, or guarantee approval whenever a sign is posted. The current statutory requirements above supply the compliance rules.

Keep community-board service and issuance publication separate

Municipal notice under § 110-b goes to the appropriate village, town, or city clerk; in NYC, it goes to the community board with jurisdiction over the premises. For covered applications, the current statute requires notice before filing and no more than 270 days before filing, with proof provided at application. It generally prevents SLA approval until 30 days after notification. This is distinct from a universal requirement to wait 30 days before submitting the application. [4]

A board may also have its own meeting-notice and submission procedures. A state entrance sign does not establish compliance with those procedures. Keep the municipal service evidence, any local meeting notice, the state entrance notice, and newspaper affidavits as separately identified records.

ABC Law § 107 separately addresses publication of original license issuance. Its text covers manufacturers, wholesalers, and retail licensees, specifies the appropriate issuance wording, requires the first publication within 15 days after issuance, and requires retention of proof during the license year. Its county-based newspaper pattern is described above. An off-premises applicant should not read the absence of a § 110-a on-premises application duty as an exemption from § 107. [5]

For an on-premises applicant, the earlier application notice and the later issuance notice describe different events. Section 110-a does not state that publishing an application notice repeals or automatically satisfies § 107. Build issuance publication into the compliance calendar rather than treating the agency’s application checklist as the whole statutory framework. [1][5]

Finally, displaying the issued license is another duty. Section 114(6) requires the license to be framed and conspicuously displayed before conducting the licensed business. An application sign gives notice of a filing; it is not operating authority and does not substitute for the issued license. [12]

Correct mistakes promptly and document what happened

If the first publication is late, a newspaper is wrong, an affidavit is missing, or a sign was never posted, first establish the actual facts and dates. Obtain the published text, insertion dates, invoices, photographs, correspondence, and filing proof. Identify whether the problem affects the newspaper, the content, the timing, or the evidence supplied to the SLA.

For a publication defect, contact the publisher about a corrected notice and the SLA about the required cure. Section 110-a’s good-cause language permits a request supported by the circumstances; it does not create an automatic extension or guarantee acceptance. Explain the chronology accurately, attach available proof, and preserve the written response. Never backdate a notice or sign an affidavit describing publication or posting that did not occur. [1]

If an examiner issues a deficiency letter, answer each request within the stated deadline. Supply the evidence that addresses the defect, not simply a statement that advertising was paid for. If more time is needed, request it before the deadline and track whether the request was granted. The SLA’s retailer guidance explains that deficiencies can delay review or lead to disapproval. [13]

A practical notice checklist

Identify the exact license class, applicant, premises, county, and transaction.
Determine separately which application publication, entrance posting, hearing notice, municipal service, and issuance publication rules apply.
Obtain the county clerk’s newspaper designation for § 110-a publication and confirm the insertion schedule.
Proofread the notice against the filed application and use the current SLA form.
Record the filing date, first publication date, both weekly insertions, and entrance posting date.
Obtain original affidavits for every required newspaper; track receipt and submission of the required original.
Keep the entrance notice readable, retain photographs, and replace it promptly if damaged or removed.
Add a hearing notice and any reposting requirement when triggered.
On issuance, complete the applicable § 107 publication steps and display the issued license properly.

Rodriguez Law can help coordinate the notices with the application, address a documented deficiency, and assess the effect of a missed requirement on the proposed opening. For case-specific assistance, bring the submitted application, the agency correspondence, and the complete notice record.

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