The Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2023 lays out how your liquor licence fees are calculated. Some licences have an additional risk fee to pay based on the number of patrons allowed within the red line plan. As part of determining this risk fee, it was considered that some businesses with a lot of patrons may still pose a lower risk. These businesses have been outlined in the regulations as prescribed venue types.
If you have a liquor licence with a patron capacity of 801 patrons or more, you may want to consider whether your business is a prescribed venue type.
Eligible licence types
Eligible licence categories have a maximum patron capacity and are:
- Full club licence
- Restricted club licence
- General licence
- On-premises licence
- Late night licence (including general and on-premises)
- Restaurant and cafe licence
Prescribed venue types
My business does not meet one of the prescribed venue types
If your business does not meet one of the prescribed venue types, you must notify us that this is not applicable to you. You can do so via the below instructions.
Notify LCV of your prescribed venue type
There are two ways to notify us of your prescribed venue type. For this information to change your renewal fee, you must tell us no later than 31 December.
During the application for your new liquor licence
When you apply for a new liquor licence, we will ask you whether supplying liquor is the main activity of your business, or if it is ancillary to your main activity. This question is to ask you about prescribed venue types, and if you meet any of the criteria.
Ancillary supply of liquor means that being able to drink liquor is secondary to your main business activity. For example, if you go to an aquarium, you are attending the aquarium for the attraction of the sea life. But you may also be able to buy a drink while you walk around. This would be ancillary supply, as you are not at the venue to specifically buy liquor.
A list of all the prescribed venue types, with some guidance, is above to help you.
Online via the Liquor Portal
If your business changes or you have an existing liquor licence, you can tell us if you are a prescribed venue type. You can do by logging into your Liquor Portal account and following the below steps
- Log into your Liquor Portal account with your email and password
- Click on eLicence on the left side menu
- Check that the licence you want to update is in the list (if it does not appear, see our step-by-step guide registration guide below)
- Click on the ‘Actions’ right side of the licence you want to update
- Select ‘Notification obligations’
- Review the information under heading ‘Notification of Prescribed Venue Type’
- Select your prescribed venue type from the drop down (if this section does not have a drop down and states a prescribed venue type already, you will need to contact us at contact@liquor.vic.gov.au to change it).
- Press ‘Submit’ in the bottom right corner.
If you do not have an account or your licence is not associated, you can follow our step by step registration guide.
What is this information used for?
LCV uses this information to calculate your annual liquor licence renewal fees. For more information how prescribed venue types affect your renewal fees, see our page on calculating your renewal fee.
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