Introduction
If you want to extend the trading hours of your small bar past the standard trading hours, you'll need to apply for an extended trading authorisation (ETA).
You can apply for an ETA when applying for the small bar licence or after the licence is approved.
Extended trading hours are subject to a mandatory daily 6-hour closure period that prohibits the sale of liquor, usually between 4am and 10am.
Eligibility
To submit an application, you must be:
- 18 years or older, and
- not suspended or disqualified from holding a liquor licence.
What you need
Before you apply for an ETA, you must either:
- prepare a Category B community impact statement (CIS), or
- get development consent, or make an application for development consent or an application to change an existing one, then notify both the Secretary of the NSW Department of Customer Service and NSW Police within 2 working days (not including Saturday or Sunday).
When you're ready to apply, you’ll need:
- a MyServiceNSW Account
- licence details
- application contact person’s details
- licensee authorisation, and
- existing and proposed liquor trading hours, including the 6-hour closure period.
You will also need to provide copies of:
- a floor plan showing the boundaries of the small bar
- development consent and evidence of notification to local police and the Secretary (if applicable), and
- Community Impact Statement (CIS) (if applicable).
To make sure that you have all the latest information you need to complete this transaction, please refer to the Small bar licence page on the Liquor & Gaming NSW website.
How to apply
- Select the 'Apply online' button.
- Log in, or create your MyServiceNSW Account.
- Select 'view licences'.
- Select 'view details' on the licence you want to amend.
- Select 'modify licence'.
- Select 'Apply for extended trading authorisation (small bar)'.
- Follow the prompts to apply.
- Attach any supporting documents.
- Submit your application with payment.
Notices
As part of your application, you must notify a few different places, using the Notices contained at the end of the application kit.
You must complete and action the relevant Notices either:
- immediately before submitting your licence application, or
- within 2 working days (not including Saturday or Sunday) after submitting your licence application.
All applicants must complete the Police Notice, and provide a copy of your full application to the NSW Police station nearest your small bar.
If your application required a CIS, you'll need to:
- Complete the Notice to Local Consent Authority, and provide a copy to your local council or your Local Consent Authority (LCA). If your proposed small bar is within 500 metres of a neighbouring local government area, then you must also provide a copy to the local council or LCA of the neighbouring area. If it's on Crown Lands, you should provide the Notice to the Crown Lands Division of the NSW Government.
- Complete the Site Notice and Notice to Neighbouring Premises and Other Stakeholders, and display a copy at the proposed small bar premises until you hear the outcome of your application. Make sure it's displayed in a place where it is easily seen by passers-by and the general public. You must also provide this Notice to people in neighbouring buildings, and to anyone you consulted during the CIS process.
More information
- Standard trading hours for a small bar licence are 12pm to 12am on each day of the week (except for restricted trading days, like Good Friday or Christmas Day).
- Small bars are also automatically permitted to trade until 2am.
- You can apply to trade anytime between 10am and 5am, regardless of whether your small bar is in or outside the freeze precinct.
- You must never sell or supply alcohol between 5am and 10am on any day, even with an ETA.
- If you don't complete all the requirements listed on the application form, your application may be delayed or rejected.
- Your application will be posted to the Liquor Applications Noticeboard, where it will be open for public submissions for 30 days before it is assessed.