Logo courtesy of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Businesses in Colusa, Yuba, Sutter and Nevada counties will have opportunities to apply for new liquor licenses this September under authorizations announced by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Colusa County received the largest allocation among the five counties in the region, with 10 new on-sale general licenses authorized. Nevada and Yuba counties each received three new on-sale licenses, while Sutter County received four.

Yuba County also received authorization for one new off-sale general license.

The state authorized intercounty transfers in Yuba and Sutter counties. Yuba County can receive three on-sale general licenses through intercounty transfers, while Sutter County can receive four.

ABC's authorization does not list additional licenses or intercounty transfers for Butte County this year.

On-sale general licenses generally apply to businesses selling alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, while off-sale licenses cover alcoholic beverages sold for consumption elsewhere.

ABC will accept applications for the newly authorized licenses from Sept. 14 through Sept. 25 at local ABC offices. The department will accept priority applications for authorized intercounty transfers during the same period.

Applicants seeking a new original general license must pay a $19,840 application fee. The fee for a priority application involving an intercounty transfer is $7,515.

Only one priority application per applicant, per county, will be accepted for each license type.

If the number of applicants in a county does not exceed the number of available licenses, ABC will give each applicant 90 days to complete a formal application for a specific location.

Competition for a limited number of licenses will trigger a virtual drawing. Applicants participating in a drawing must have lived in California for at least 90 days before the scheduled drawing.

Successful applicants will have 90 days to submit a formal application for their proposed premises.

Applicants who do not receive a license through the drawing will receive a refund of their application fee, minus a $100 service charge, within 90 to 120 days. They will retain their priority ranking until Aug. 1 of the following year.

ABC said additional application instructions will become available in the coming weeks at http://www.abc.ca.gov.