All changes with your permittee and backer members must be reported to and approved by Liquor Control.
- Backer: A liquor permit is issued to a backer. A backer is the legal entity that owns and runs the business. (A legal entity is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or a trust). A backer can also be an individual operating as a sole proprietor.
- Backer Member: These are the people who own the financial interest in the backer or manage the operations of the backer, such as sole owners, a group of owners, corporate officers, partners, shareholders, or trustees.
- Permittee: This person is the designated representative of the backer and is responsible for the liquor permit and sale or service of alcohol at the business. The permittee must be able to read and understand English. The permittee can be a backer member, but is not required to be. If the permittee is not a backer member, he or she must be an employee of the backer.
Permittee Changes
To name a new permanent or temporary permittee, you must submit a substitute permittee application. It costs $30 and must be mailed to Liquor Control. Please follow the instructions on the form.
If you are an existing permittee who has quit the business or no longer wishes to be permittee, you may contact Liquor Control to remove your name from the permit. If a new permittee is not immediately named, the backer entity will be designated as permittee. Email us at DCP.LiquorControl@ct.gov.
Backer Changes
If there are changes to your backer entity, Liquor Control must be notified and told what kind of change is occurring. There are three main backer changes, and each one requires different processing: (1) change in individual backer members; (2) change of corporate structure; and (3) entire change of backer. We discuss each below.
If the backer entity remains the same, but an individual backer member is being added or removed, a transfer of interest application is required. This application is free, and can be emailed to DCP.LiquorControl@ct.gov.
- Example: Wet Bandits Package, LLC is the backer of the permit. Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, and John Candy are all backer members each with a 33% interest. Macaulay Culkin wants to join as an equal backer member. Wet Bandits Package, LLC needs to submit one transfer of interest application adding Macaulay Culkin as a 25% backer member and adjusting the other members’ shares to 25%
- Example: Wet Bandits Package, LLC is the backer of the permit. Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, and John Candy are all backer members each with a 33% interest. John Candy and Daniel Stern do not want to be backer members any longer. Wet Bandits Package, LLC needs to submit a transfer of interest application removing John and Daniel and giving 100% interest to Joe.
- Example: Wet Bandits Package, LLC is the backer of the permit. Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, and John Candy are all backer members each with a 33% interest. Daniel, Joe, and John do not want to be backer members any longer and wish to sell all their interests to Catherine O’Hara. Wet Bandits Package, LLC needs to submit a transfer of interest application removing Daniel, Joe, and John, and giving 100% interest to Catherine.
If the existing backer entity is simply renaming itself or adjusting its corporate form, a corporate structure change form is required.
- Example: Marathon Restaurant, LLC is the backer of the permit. Steve Martin is 40% backer member and John Hughes is 60% backer member. Due to estate planning, Marathon Restaurant, LLC becomes Marathon Dining, Corp., but Steve Martin and John Hughes remain the only backer members with the same ownership. A corporate structure change form is required.
If an entirely new backer entity is taking control of the business, then the new backer must file a new application for a new permit in its own name.
- Example: Iceman Package, LLC is the backer of a package store permit. Val Kilmer is the sole backer member with 100% interest. Val wants to sell his package store to Tom Cruise, but Tom wants to set up a new entity as backer for the permit. Tom creates Maverick, LLC to be the backer of the package store permit. Tom needs to file a new application with Maverick, LLC as the backer.