The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) is the regulating body for businesses which sell or serve alcohol in the state of Texas. When you are applying for a TABC permit or license, in order to sell alcoholic beverages, there are many stages to the application. One that may cause some confusion is the need for a 60-Day Sign to be posted in your business. Below, we’ll dive into what the signs are, who needs them, and how you can acquire one if you need one.

What Are 60-Day Signs?

60-Day signs are TABC-signs which are posted outside of businesses prior to the issuance of their TABC permit. The sign states: “Notice: An application to sell and consume alcoholic beverages is proposed for this location.”  It then has information about the type of permit applied for, the name of the applicant, and the address of the applicant. Below that is information for someone to complain about the proposal, as well as the date the sign was posted.

These signs essentially allow surrounding businesses or residents to make formal complaints if they do not wish for a business that sells alcohol to operate near them.

Posting a 60-day sign is often a requirement of applying for a TABC license or permit. In most cases, if a sign is not posted for a full 60 days then the permit or license will not be given.

Do You Need a 60-Day Sign for Your Texas Business?

The easy answer is that: likely, yes, if you are applying for a new TABC permit, you will. However, there are some circumstances where you may not. Here are the case where you need a sign:

  • Any business applying for a permit in a location where no permit has been recently held

What does that mean? Basically, that means that if you are applying for a permit and your business is located at the same location as a previous bar, then you may not need a permit.

The cases where you don’t need to post the 60-Day Sign are:

  • If you are in a location where alcohol was sold, with a permit, within the last 24 months

How Do You Acquire a 60-Day Sign?

Once you know that you need a 60-Day sign and you have begun the TABC application process, your first step should be downloading and printing a copy of the sign from the TABC website. Please note that you can print it in two different versions: the large printer version prints as one large document, but requires a much larger printer. To print with a standard printer, you will need to tape the sign together once it is printed out. You can also visit your local TABC office to ask for a sign.

Note that the sign must be at least 24 by 36 inches, with letters (including the handwritten ones) that are at least 2 inches tall.

Once you have printed it, fill out the applicable information: which permit is being applied for, the name of the applicant, the applicant’s address, the phone number of your local TABC office, and the date you will post the sign.

Next you must post the sign where it is highly visible, such as in a front window. You should take time-stamped photographs of the posted sign, as well. The sign must remain posted and visible for at least a 60-day period. The TABC may conduct a drive-by inspection to ensure that the sign is being properly displayed during the time frame that was stated.

Once, you have posted the sign and kept it up for 60-days, you are one step closer to acquiring your permit/license for your business!

For help with your license or permit, please reach out to us at (713) 881-9009 for a free consultation or through our Contact Form.