Type 93 Liquor License: The California Estate Tasting Event Permit Explained
California wineries got a new tool in 2026. The Type 93 Estate Tasting Event Permit lets licensed winegrowers pour and sell their wine at events held away from the tasting room, out in the vineyard or on adjacent property they own or control.
For a small or mid-sized producer, that is a real opportunity. You can bring customers into the vineyard, host a wine-paired dinner between the rows, and sell bottles on the spot. But the permit comes with a specific structure, hard caps, and a two-layer approval process that trips people up.
This guide walks through who qualifies, where you can hold events, how the 36-event cap works, the exact forms and fees, and why a state permit alone does not clear you to host.
What Is a Type 93 Liquor License?
The Type 93 permit is an add-on to an existing California winegrower license. It is not a standalone liquor license and it is not available to restaurants, bars, or retailers. It exists for one purpose: to let a winery exercise its tasting room privileges at approved locations that are not its bonded premises.
The permit came out of Assembly Bill 720, signed into law in October 2025. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control began accepting applications on January 1, 2026. The privilege is codified in the California Business and Professions Code.
Here is the core idea. A licensed winegrower already has the right to pour and sell its own wine at its licensed tasting room. Before the Type 93 permit, that right stopped at the edge of the licensed premises. The vineyard down the road, or even the open field next to the winery building, was not licensed for alcohol sales and consumption. The Type 93 permit extends those existing tasting room privileges to those spaces, one authorized event at a time.
At an approved event, the permit holder can conduct tastings, sell wine for on-site consumption, and sell bottles to go. All of it applies only to wine manufactured by or for the winegrower.
Who Qualifies for a Type 93 Permit?
Eligibility is narrow and specific. To obtain a Type 93 Estate Tasting Event Permit, you must already hold a Type 02 winegrower license issued by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
That is the gate. No Type 02 license, no Type 93 permit. The permit derives its privileges directly from the underlying winegrower license, which is why it is only available to Type 02 holders and not to any other license class.
A few eligibility points worth pinning down:
- You may apply for only one event permit per licensed location.
- The permit is tied to your existing license and renews on the same schedule.
- At approved events, you may only sell your own winery’s wine. If you run a restaurant at your winery that lets you sell other wineries’ products, that privilege does not carry over to your Type 93 events.
Where Can You Hold Estate Tasting Events?
The Type 93 permit authorizes events at two types of locations, and both share one non-negotiable requirement: the property must be owned by or under the control of the licensee.
Adjacent Property
The first option is property adjacent to your licensed winery premises that you own or control. This is the open land, patio area, or field next to your winery building that was never part of your licensed footprint. The permit lets you hold events there without permanently expanding your license.
Non-Adjacent Vineyards
The second option is a non-adjacent vineyard that you own or control. This vineyard can sit in a completely different location from your winery. As long as it qualifies as owned or controlled by the licensee, you can host authorized estate tasting events on it.
That “owned by or under control of” language matters. You cannot borrow a friend’s vineyard for a weekend event. You cannot rent a scenic parcel for a one-off. The control requirement is what keeps this permit tied to genuine estate properties rather than turning it into a roving event license.
The 36-Event Cap and How It Works
The Type 93 permit does not give you open-ended authority to hold events. It is capped, and the cap is firm.
A permit holder may receive no more than 36 event authorizations per licensee, per calendar year. That works out to an average of one event every 10 days across the year, though you can cluster them however your calendar and local rules allow.
The word “authorization” is where people get confused. Holding the permit is step one. It does not by itself let you host anything. Before each individual event, you have to apply for and receive a separate event authorization from ABC. Each authorization covers one event, and the 36-event ceiling counts total event days per licensee per calendar year.
So the structure is:
- Get the Type 93 permit once (annual).
- Apply for an event authorization before each event (per event).
- Stop at 36 event days for the calendar year.
How to Apply: Forms, Steps, and Fees
The application runs in two distinct stages. The first sets up the permit. The second authorizes each event.
Step One: Apply for the Permit
To obtain the Type 93 Estate Tasting Event Permit, submit a completed Additional License/Permit Application (Form ABC-239) to your nearest ABC office, along with the annual fee payment.
This is an annual permit. It must be renewed each year at the same time as your master winegrower license.
Step Two: Apply for Each Event Authorization
Once ABC issues your permit, you can apply for individual event authorizations. For each event, submit:
- Form ABC-215-ETE (Estate Tasting Event Authorization Application)
- Form ABC-253 (Supplemental Diagram) clearly identifying where the event will be held
- Payment for the event authorization
Timing is strict. Each event authorization application must reach your nearest ABC office at least 3 days before the event, but no more than 90 days before the event. Applications submitted outside that window may not be processed. ABC must pre-approve every event, and incomplete applications can be denied.
Fee Summary
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Annual Type 93 permit fee | $200 (subject to CCPI increases) |
| Statutory surcharge | $10 (per B&P Code § 23320.5) |
| Per-event authorization fee | $100 |
| Renewal | Annual, with winegrower license |
One caution on the per-event fee. It pays for processing the application, and it is non-refundable. If your local jurisdiction denies the local approval you need, ABC’s authorization becomes void, and you do not get that fee back.
Why the State Permit Is Only Half the Job: Local Approval
This is the single biggest source of friction with the Type 93 permit, and it is where wineries lose time and money if they move too fast.
An ABC event authorization does not override local land use authority. Local governments have broad power over special events, zoning, and agricultural land. ABC says it plainly: an event authorization does not supersede or relieve the winegrower from obtaining any approvals required by the local jurisdiction. Getting the state permit does not guarantee local approval.
Counties have responded to AB 720 with their own rules, and they vary widely:
- Napa County launched a pilot program capping attendance at 49 people (including staff), limiting events to daylight hours, and holding vehicle trips below 40 per day to preserve agricultural road classifications.
- San Luis Obispo County set up a similar pilot program with its own fire and life-safety acknowledgement requirements and daylight-only conditions.
- Sonoma County issued guidance clarifying how Type 93 permits may be used on parcels within its primary agricultural zoning districts and when additional land use approvals kick in.
Depending on your county, local requirements can include an aerial site map showing emergency access routes, a fire and life-safety acknowledgement form, attendance and traffic limits, and sign-off from the county fire marshal or planning department.
The practical takeaway: contact your local county planning or fire office before you build an event calendar or spend money on authorizations. Confirm what they require, whether your parcel’s zoning allows events, and what limits they impose. Then work backward to your ABC applications.
Rules That Apply at Every Type 93 Event
Getting the permit and the authorization does not suspend the standard rules that govern tasting operations. At every Type 93 event, the following still apply:
- All standard ABC tasting room regulations remain in force, including rules on service, licensed space control, and staff oversight.
- Any server of alcoholic beverages must have completed Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training.
- You may sell and pour only wine manufactured by or for your winery.
- The event must operate within the location and conditions ABC approved in your authorization.
Putting the Type 93 Permit to Work
The Type 93 Estate Tasting Event Permit is a genuine direct-to-consumer opening for California wineries, especially small producers who need every channel they can get. Standing in the vineyard where the wine is grown does something no ad campaign can match, and this permit finally makes that legal.
But it rewards preparation. The permit is Type 02-only, capped at 36 event days a year, structured as permit-then-authorization, and layered under local land use control that ABC does not touch. Move through it in the right order, confirm your local approvals early, and budget for the per-event fees, and it becomes a repeatable revenue and brand-building tool.
If you hold a Type 02 winegrower license and want help securing a Type 93 permit, filing event authorizations, or coordinating the local approvals that go with them, contact GGS Licensing to talk through your situation.
