Filing and Application

• An applicant for a liquor license must fill out and verify an application under oath. If the applicant is a corporation, one of the officers must fill out the application.
  
  

Local Option

• Municipalities have the option of voting on whether to allow liquor sales for consumption on the premises where sold (for example, bars and restaurants). Consumption on the premises is called "on-sale" consumption in South Dakota.
  
  

Different Types of Licenses

• There are several different types of liquor licenses: for carriers, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and others.
  
  

Bars and Stores

• Bars and restaurants require a Retail On-Sale Liquor License. "Retail Off-Sale" is the term for liquor that is consumed in a place other than where it is sold (a liquor store).
  
  

Where to Apply

• The county auditor takes all applications in both local-option counties and others. The state Secretary of Revenue, or the local governing board in local-option counties, decides whether the proposed location and the person seeking the license are suitable.
  
  

Requirements for a License

• The person (or each officer in the case of a corporation) must have good moral character and never have been convicted of a felony.