New Jersey liquor license types, in plain words
What each ABC license or permit allows, in the statute's own words, with a note on who usually holds it. Every filing on the New Jersey page is labeled this way.
33 · 44 · 31 · 32 · 36 · 43 · 37 · 34
Bar or restaurant, full license (33)
Bar, restaurants, clubs, lounges. Licensee can sell alcoholic beverages for on and off premises consumption. However, sales for off premises consumption must be made from the public barroom and goods for sale may only be displayed on the perimeter walls.
The bar and restaurant license; capped at one per 3,000 residents, so a new holder is a transfer or a rare new issue.
Liquor store (44)
Licensee can only sell alcoholic beverages for consumption off the licensed premises. [Ex. Liquor Stores]
A package store; one per 7,500 residents.
Private club, members only (31)
Issued to non-profit organizations, associations, or corporations to sell alcoholic beverages for immediate consumption to bona fide club members. [Ex. VFW, Elks Lodge, American Legion]
Lodges and veterans' posts; members and their guests only.
Bar with a package-store section (32)
Plenary Retail Consumption License where sales of package goods are not restricted to the public barroom.
An older license that lets a bar run a separate liquor-store area; no longer issued new, so this is a transfer.
Hotel bar, 100 or more rooms (36)
Plenary Retail Consumption License that is issued to a Hotel/Motel with 100 or more guest sleeping rooms.
A hotel's bar and restaurant license, issued outside the population cap.
Grocery or deli beer, 72 oz minimum (43)
Issued to premises where the primary business is a food store. Licensee can sell any unchilled, brewed, malt alcoholic beverages in quantities of not less than 72 fl oz. for consumption off the licensed premises. [Ex. Grocery Store, Deli, Meat Market]
A food store selling warm beer by the case; not a bar.
Nonprofit theater bar, 1,000 or more seats (37)
Plenary Retail Consumption License issued to a non-profit corporation conducting musical or theatrical productions with a seating capacity of 1,000 or more. Alcoholic beverages can be sold during the performance and one hour before and after the performance. On premise consumption only.
Lobby bar at a performing-arts house; pours around showtimes.
Seasonal bar, May to November (34)
Seasonal Retail Consumption License, license term May 1 through Nov 14. 34 & 35 have all the same privileges as a Plenary Retail Consumption License "33".
A shore-season bar; closes for the winter.
Source: https://nj.gov/oag/abc/downloads/License-Types.pdf, checked 2026-09-21.
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