Applications go through the City Clerk's office and need City Council approval, on a July-to-June term, plus a state Buyer's Card.
A guide from Fernharbor Capital in Winona, Minnesota to the liquor license steps the City of Winona describes, and where the license sits in a bar or restaurant funding request. It is not legal advice; confirm every step with the City Clerk.
On-Sale and Off-Sale License Types the City of Winona, MN Lists
The City of Winona liquor license process sheet (checked 2026-10-24) describes these license types:
- On-sale 3.2% malt liquor: lower-alcohol beer and flavored malt beverages, served on the premises.
- On-sale wine, which the city pairs with 3.2% malt liquor for some smaller restaurants serving wine and strong beer.
- On-sale intoxicating liquor: any type of alcohol served on the premises, with a separate license for Sunday sales.
- Off-sale 3.2% malt liquor: may be sold in stores or bars that sell other products.
- Off-sale intoxicating liquor: strong beer, wine and liquor for consumption off the premises, sold only in exclusive liquor stores.
City Code Chapter 55 holds the city’s liquor rules, and the City Clerk processes the applications (City Clerk licenses page, checked 2026-10-24).
Minnesota Liquor License Application and the Records a Lender Asks a Bar For
The city lists what goes in with the application: the completed application, the license and processing fees, and a certificate of liquor liability insurance, with a background check on each applicant and owner. A lender or funding partner reviewing a bar’s request reads a related set: the license itself, the insurance certificate, the lease or deed for the licensed premises, and sales records that show how much of revenue comes from alcohol. A buyer of an existing bar adds the purchase agreement and the timeline for its own license.
Minnesota Liquor License Requirements: Keeping a Restaurant Current Before a Funding Request
Keeping a restaurant current means the license, the liquor liability insurance and any food license all in force and in the right name. A partner may ask for copies of each. A lapse, a pending renewal or a change in ownership that the city has not yet approved is worth raising at the start, because it affects whether and when the restaurant can operate the way the request assumes.
Minnesota Liquor License Search: Checking a License Before Buying a Winona, MN Bar
Before buying a bar in Winona, a buyer can confirm with the City Clerk what license the premises holds and when it runs out, and ask the seller for the current license and insurance certificate. A license is not simply handed over with the keys: the city describes each application as considered on its own merit by the City Council, so the buyer applies in its own name. The purchase agreement can make closing depend on that approval.
For the funding side, that means the purchase money and the license approval have to land in the right order. A partner financing the purchase may want the license application filed, the Council date known and the insurance certificate ready before it releases funds, so the closing date in the purchase agreement is worth setting with the Council calendar in view.
Minnesota Liquor License Renewal: The July-to-June Term in Winona, MN
City of Winona liquor licenses are issued for a July 1 to June 30 term, and an application made mid-year is pro-rated by month through June 30 (City of Winona liquor license process sheet, checked 2026-10-24). The City Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month, and the city asks for applications 10 days before the meeting. The new license processing fee is one-time; if a license is denied, the license fee is refunded but the processing fee is not.
Sunday Sales, the Buyer’s Card and Liquor Liability Insurance
The city sheet notes that an intoxicating liquor license has a separate Sunday license, which it attributes to state law, and that a Buyer’s Card must be applied for through the State Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, with the application included in the city packet. A certificate of liquor liability insurance is part of the city application. A funding partner reviewing a bar may ask for the same insurance certificate.
Other Offices a Winona, MN Bar or Restaurant Contacts Before Opening
The city liquor license process sheet lists other offices an applicant contacts:
- City Planning Department, about the zoning of the building: 507-457-8250.
- City Inspections Department, about building code requirements: 507-457-8231.
- Minnesota Department of Health, for food and beverage licenses: 651-201-4505.
- Department of Public Safety, for the Buyer’s Card application and fee.
The zoning and permits guide covers the city side, and the bar business loans page and restaurant loans page cover the funding. The six funding types compares the money itself.
By Fernharbor Capital · Updated
