Tennessee retail liquor license bonds.
$100 flat.
Tennessee conditions a retail package store (retail liquor) license on a $1,000 bond filed with the Alcoholic Beverage Commission under Title 57, Chapter 3. Our premium is $100, issued instantly — set by our carrier's rate book for this bond, not a percentage of the $1,000 figure.
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How much does a Tennessee retail liquor license bond cost?
$100 at the $1,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here is the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. No financials, no credit check on a bond this size.
Pay & e-sign
Small fixed-amount license bonds issue right after purchase in most cases.
File with the ABC
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your Alcoholic Beverage Commission license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Tennessee licenses retail liquor stores — retail package stores — through the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) under Title 57, Chapter 3. The license is conditioned on a $1,000 surety bond, which is a compliance guarantee backing your obligation to operate within Tennessee's alcoholic beverage laws and to pay amounts owed to the state.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Tennessee (the obligee). If a licensee violates the liquor law in a way that causes loss the bond covers, the state can recover against it — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety.
Don't confuse this with the liquor-by-the-drink tax bond. That separate Department of Revenue bond was changed in 2024 to a $10,000 minimum. This $1,000 bond is the ABC retail package store license bond — a different filing for a different purpose. If you sell by the drink as well, you may need both.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $1,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the ABC. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your Alcoholic Beverage Commission license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $1,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Tennessee bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your ABC license checklist today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.