Expired restaurant liquor license auction

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is accepting sealed bids for the rights to file transfer applications for 20 expired restaurant liquor licenses across multiple Pennsylvania counties under IFB 260381, with bids due October 5, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET. Licenses cannot be transferred outside their originating county—a material constraint that limits resale and operational flexibility.

The licenses are located in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Crawford, Delaware, Greene, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Schuylkill, Snyder, Washington, and Wayne counties. They were non-renewed, revoked, or failed to meet safekeeping requirements under Pennsylvania Liquor Code sections 407.3, 470, 471, and 474.1.

Minimum bid amount per license is $25,000. Each bid package requires a certified or cashier's check surety of $5,000 or 5% of the bid amount, whichever is greater. Bidders may submit individual bids for multiple licenses, with separate bid packages and surety checks required for each. Selected bidders must submit full payment within 30 calendar days of notice of selection and file transfer applications within six months of selection. Bid sureties of selected bidders will be deposited and forfeited as liquidated damages if bidders fail to comply with IFB terms; non-selected bidders' sureties will be returned within 30 calendar days of bid opening.

Bidders must warrant good repute, no prohibited interlocking business interests with other liquor license classes, no outstanding state tax liabilities, and compliance with all Pennsylvania Liquor Code requirements. Bids must be hand-carried or mailed (USPS, UPS, or FedEx) to the PLCB's Northwest Office Building in Harrisburg; faxed or emailed submissions are not accepted.

Questions are due August 27, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET, with answers posted by September 3, 2026. Public bid opening is scheduled for October 8, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. ET.