Applying for an alcohol license in Santa Cruz?
In the last 12 months ABC issued 16 new retail alcohol licenses in Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz County), and 48 applications are pending today. Every one needs an ABC-251 listing schools, churches, hospitals, playgrounds and youth facilities within 600 feet — and an ABC-247 listing homes within 100 feet. Check your premises free.
No address handy? Try 5500 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
New retail licenses in Santa Cruz, last 12 months
| License type | New licenses |
|---|---|
| Type 41 — On-sale beer & wine, eating place (restaurants) | 6 |
| Type 20 — Off-sale beer & wine (markets, convenience stores) | 4 |
| Type 47 — On-sale general, eating place (restaurants with full bar) | 4 |
| Type 48 — On-sale general, public premises (bars, nightclubs) | 1 |
| Type 70 — On-sale general, restrictive service (hotels) | 1 |
| Total | 16 |
Pending applications in Santa Cruz today
| License type | Pending |
|---|---|
| Type 41 — On-sale beer & wine, eating place (restaurants) | 16 |
| Type 47 — On-sale general, eating place (restaurants with full bar) | 12 |
| Type 20 — Off-sale beer & wine (markets, convenience stores) | 9 |
| Type 21 — Off-sale general (liquor stores) | 8 |
| Type 42 — On-sale beer & wine, public premises (wine bars, pubs) | 2 |
| Type 48 — On-sale general, public premises (bars, nightclubs) | 1 |
Active retail licenses in Santa Cruz
282 active retail licenses across 24 census tracts. Where a census tract already has more licenses per resident than the county average, ABC treats it as having “undue concentration” (Business & Professions Code §23958.4), and a new license there usually needs a finding of public convenience or necessity — worth checking before you sign a lease.
| License type | Active |
|---|---|
| Type 41 — On-sale beer & wine, eating place (restaurants) | 106 |
| Type 47 — On-sale general, eating place (restaurants with full bar) | 74 |
| Type 20 — Off-sale beer & wine (markets, convenience stores) | 49 |
| Type 21 — Off-sale general (liquor stores) | 28 |
| Type 48 — On-sale general, public premises (bars, nightclubs) | 15 |
| Type 40 — On-sale beer (bars, taverns) | 3 |
| Type 70 — On-sale general, restrictive service (hotels) | 3 |
| Type 57 — Special on-sale general | 2 |
What your Santa Cruz application needs
- ABC-251: every school, church, hospital, public playground and youth facility within 600 feet.
- ABC-247: every residence within 100 feet of the premises or its parking lot (Rule 61.4).
- For many new premises, the 500-foot resident notice (ABC-207-E / ABC-207-F).
Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control statewide license export, retrieved 2026-10-03. Retail license types only; counts by premises city.