Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

A Farmer Winery license allows the holder to produce wine and sell it at retail or at wholesale.
Once an application is submitted via our eLicensing system, the typical turnaround time is 4 – 6 weeks.

Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission

The Details   of Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

What you need   for Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

To apply for for a Farmer Winery license pursuant to M.G.L. c. 138, § 19B you will need electronic copies of the documents listed below.

Required Documents for ALL new Farmer Winery licenses:

In addition

    If entity applying is a Business:

  • Vote of the Corporate Board or LLC is required authorizing any transaction you are applying for.
  • Business Structure Documents: Articles of Organization, Partnership Agreement, Bankruptcy Documents, Estate Documents, Trust Documents or Business Certificate, are required depending on your corporate structure.

    If Pledging license/stock/beneficial interest/inventory, the following is required:

    If applying for a transportation permit with your license:

  • Vehicle Registration for each vehicle being permitted.

Fees   for Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

Name Fee Unit
Less than 5,000 gallons $22 each
5,000 > 20,000 gallons $44 each
20,000 > 100,000 gallons $82 each
100,000 > 1000,000 gallons $110 each
First 1,000,000 gallons $110 each
Each additional 1,000,000 gallons $111 each

How to apply   Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

To apply for this license, please create an account on our eLicensing and ePermitting Portal.

Please review the information below:

Technical Requirements:

Below is the list of supported browser versions that provide the best user experience for the online application:

  • Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 10

  • Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 11

  • Firefox 29

  • Safari 6

  • Google Chrome 34

  • Opera 21

Although you may find that your current version also works, it may not support all functions.

To use the system you must first create a user name and password. User guides on this topic and other helpful information about the eLicensing and ePermitting Portal can be found here.

For technical assistance:
Please call the ePLACE Help Desk Team at (844) 733-7522 between the hours of 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM Monday-Friday, with the exception of all Commonwealth and Federal observed holidays.

Next steps   for Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

Processing Time

Please allow 4-6 weeks for the application to be processed. If there is any information missing, a licensing staff member or investigator will reach out to you directly.

If you would like to check on the status of your application, please contact a licensing staff member.

More info   for Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

  • The Farmer Winery License is issued by the state and not the Local Licensing Authority.
  • If you wish to produce cider, the Farmer Winery license is the license you would need.
  • A Farmer Winery Licensee may serve samples on their premises as long as the Local Licensing Authority permits it.
  • Farmer Wineries may get a permit from the Local Licensing Authority to sell wine at Farmer's Market. The form to apply for this can be found at the bottom of this page. This license allows a winery to provide samples of their wines to consumers and sell by the bottle/case their product for off-premises consumption.
  • To serve alcohol by the glass on the premises, the Farmer Winery license holder must obtain a Farmer Series Pouring Permit. This application is submitted through the Local Licensing Authority.
  • A Farmer Winery licensee can sell directly to licensed Massachusetts retailers. They can also sell directly to licensed Massachusetts wholesalers.
  • A Farmer Winery licensee can apply for a Direct Wine Shipment license which allows them to ship directly to Massachusetts consumers.
  • If you would like to have a Farmer Brewery, a Farmer Distillery, and a Farmer Winery at the same location, each business must be on separate and distinct parts of the property. In other words, each license would list a different portion of the property as being only for a brewery, distillery, or winery. The premises for each license cannot overlap.

To generate a list of the most current on-premises and off-premises licensees (retailers) or wholesalers, please use our General Search Function provided on our eLicensing and ePermitting portal.

Downloads   for Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

Contact   for Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Farmer Winery License (ABCC)

Address
95 Fourth Street, Suite 3 , Chelsea, MA 02150-2358
Online
Find Your ABCC Representative ABCC Staff Directory 

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