California Brewery & Distillery Licensing Guide: TTB Brewer’s Notice, DSP & ABC Permits

Last reviewed: October 27, 2026

Alongside Napa Valley and Sonoma County wineries, Northern California is home to a thriving community of craft breweries, brewpubs, cideries, and artisan distilleries. While breweries and distilleries share the same federal agency—the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)—and state regulator—the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)—their federal qualification structures, security requirements, and monthly reporting obligations differ sharply from winery licensing.

Below is a practical regulatory overview for craft beer, cider, and spirits producers from Gateway Compliance Napa.

1. Craft Brewery & Brewpub Licensing (TTB Brewer’s Notice & California ABC Type 23 / 01 / 75)

Before brewing beer commercially for sale, a brewery must obtain federal authorization under 27 CFR Part 25 and a matching California ABC manufacturing license:

• Federal TTB Brewer’s Notice (Form 5130.10): Unlike wineries and distilleries, a domestic brewery does not apply for an FAA Act Basic Permit to produce beer; instead, it files a Brewer’s Notice in TTB Permits Online detailing the brewery premises, security locks, brewing equipment capacity, entity officers, and brewer’s bond (when tax liability exceeds $50,000/year).
• California ABC Type 23 (Small Beer Manufacturer): The most common craft brewery license in California for facilities producing fewer than 60,000 barrels per year. Authorizes on-site taproom sales for consumption on and off the premises, wholesale distribution, and operating up to six duplicate branch taproom locations (up to two with bona fide eating places).
• California ABC Type 01 (Beer Manufacturer) & Type 75 (Brewpub-Restaurant): Type 01 covers larger commercial breweries (60,000+ barrels), while Type 75 is designed for restaurant-brewpubs with smaller annual barrel limits (minimum 100 barrels, maximum 5,000 barrels per year) and on-site dining requirements.
• Ongoing TTB Brewery Reporting & CBMA Excise Taxes: Breweries file TTB Form 5130.9 (Brewer’s Report of Operations) or the simplified quarterly TTB Form 5130.26, plus federal Form 5000.24 excise tax returns claiming the reduced CBMA domestic brewer tax rate ($3.50 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels for producers under 2 million barrels/year).
• Formulas & Malt Beverage COLAs: Specialty beers brewed with non-traditional flavors or processes may require TTB formula approval unless covered by the fruit, spice, and food-ingredient exemptions in TTB Ruling 2015-1.

2. Artisan Distillery Licensing (TTB Distilled Spirits Plant & California ABC Type 74 / 04)

Distilled spirits are the most heavily regulated beverage category at the federal level under 27 CFR Part 19 because of the higher federal excise tax rate ($13.50 per proof gallon standard; reduced to $2.70 per proof gallon on the first 100,000 proof gallons under CBMA):

• Federal TTB Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) Permit: A commercial distillery must apply in TTB Permits Online for both an FAA Act Distiller/Processor Basic Permit and an IRC Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) Registration (Form 5110.41). TTB scrutinizes still serial numbers and capacities, physical deadbolt/padlock security specifications, bonded vs. general premises separation, environmental questionnaires, and source of funds.
• California ABC Type 74 (Craft Distiller) vs. Type 04 (Distilled Spirits Manufacturer): The Type 74 Craft Distiller license (for distilleries producing up to 150,000 gallons of distilled spirits per fiscal year) revolutionized California craft spirits by authorizing an on-site tasting room, sales of up to 2.25 liters per consumer per day of prepackaged spirits for off-site consumption, and restaurant privileges. Larger producers hold the Type 04 license.
• Monthly DSP Operational Reports (3 Separate Forms): Unlike wineries that file a single Form 5120.17, a DSP must file up to three separate monthly reports by the 15th of every month—TTB Form 5110.28 (Production Operations), TTB Form 5110.11 (Storage Operations), and TTB Form 5110.40 (Processing/Bottling Operations)—even for months with zero activity.
• Spirits Formulas & COLAs (27 CFR Part 5): Gin made by compounding, liqueurs/cordials, botanical spirits, barrel-finished specialties, and ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails almost always require TTB Formulas Online approval prior to COLA submission.

3. Hard Cider & Perry Producers: Dual Wine/Beer Rules

Because fermented apple cider and pear perry are classified as fruit wine under federal law, a cidery must qualify with TTB as a Bonded Winery and file TTB Form 5120.17 wine operations reports (claiming the favorable $0.226 per gallon Hard Cider tax rate minus the $0.056/$0.05/$0.03 CBMA credit when ABV is under 8.5% and carbonation is within limits). In California, ABC licenses cideries under a Type 02 Winegrower license (and allows certain cider production privileges for licensed beer manufacturers).

Launch or Streamline Your Brewery, Cidery, or Distillery

Gateway Compliance Napa handles TTB Brewer’s Notices, Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) applications, California ABC Type 23, Type 01, Type 74, and Type 04 licenses, monthly TTB reporting, and formulas and COLAs. Contact Taylor Marchand at Gateway Compliance Napa to plan your project.

This guide provides general educational information and is not legal or tax advice. Confirm current TTB, California ABC, and CDTFA requirements for your specific facility and products.