---
title: "Prepare the permit steps when a licensed alcohol business is sold"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/liquor-gaming-and-wagering-licensing/prepare-the-licence-transfer-on-the-sale-of-a-licensed-business/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A58-Q20261018-1-US"
practice_area: "Liquor, Gaming & Wagering Licensing"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Prepare the permit steps when a licensed alcohol business is sold

> List the federal basic permit number, the parties and the date of the proposed transfer from the sale documents. Do not prepare a state transfer application unless the lawyer has supplied that state's form.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/liquor-gaming-and-wagering-licensing/prepare-the-licence-transfer-on-the-sale-of-a-licensed-business/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Liquor, Gaming & Wagering Licensing](https://ailawframework.com/practice/liquor-gaming-and-wagering-licensing.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | List the federal basic permit number, the parties and the date of the proposed transfer from the sale documents. Do not prepare a state transfer application unless the lawyer has supplied that state's form. |
| What the lawyer must review | Under 27 U.S.C. § 204, a basic permit terminates automatically if it is leased, sold or otherwise voluntarily transferred. If control of the permittee is acquired, the permit terminates 30 days later, but if the transferee or permittee applies for a new basic permit within that 30 days the outstanding permit continues until the Secretary finally acts on the application. A state retail license is a separate authorization under the Twenty-first Amendment. Open that state's transfer statute. Do not treat the federal termination rule as the state rule. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Prepare the licence transfer on the sale of a licensed business](https://ailawframework.com/practice/liquor-gaming-and-wagering-licensing/prepare-the-licence-transfer-on-the-sale-of-a-licensed-business.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List the federal basic permit number, the parties and the date of the proposed transfer from the sale documents. Do not prepare a state transfer application unless the lawyer has supplied that state's form.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The 30-day continuation applies only if an application for a new basic permit is made in that period. Read § 204 for the precise proviso.
- A state on-premises or off-premises license does not travel with the federal rule.

## Sources

- [27 U.S.C. § 204 (basic permits; termination on transfer)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/27/204) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [U.S. Constitution, Twenty-first Amendment](https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxxi) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [TTB: Applying for a basic permit (wholesalers and importers)](https://www.ttb.gov/regulated-commodities/beverage-alcohol/wholesaler/applying-for-a-permit) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NSW liquor licence transfer on the sale of a licensed business](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/liquor-gaming-and-wagering-licensing/liquor-licence-transfer-on-sale.md) | Checklist | Yellow | A checklist for transferring a NSW liquor licence when a licensed business is sold or the licensee changes: which of the four Liquor & Gaming NSW pathways applies, the evidence to lodge, and the… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*