Liquor Store Premises and Licensing Due Diligence in Alberta

1. Freeze the buyer, transaction and operating plan

Document the proposed legal entity, owners and managers, share or asset structure, floor area, product model, delivery, online ordering, hours, signs, storage and alterations. Record any planned expansion, relocation or combined use separately.

The approval path depends on the applicant, ownership or control, premises and activities. A conclusion about the seller's current operation should not be reused as a conclusion about a different buyer, structure or site.

• Applicant and ownership
• Shares or assets
• Class D activity
• Floor area and storage
• Delivery and online ordering
• Closing sequence

2. Verify the AGLC record and current policy

Use AGLC's provider search and seller records to confirm the current licensee, premises and class, then review the current Retail Liquor Store Handbook, conditions, inspections and unresolved correspondence with advisors. Record the date and limitations of every search.

AGLC's policy states that the licence cannot simply be sold, assigned or transferred and that ownership or control changes require its process. A current provider result is not buyer qualification, future approval or a transferable asset.

3. Verify the municipal Liquor Store use

Obtain the current zoning, development permit, approved use, plans, conditions, business licence, building, fire and sign records for the legal parcel and unit. Compare those records with actual construction, floor area, storage, hours, delivery and proposed alterations.

Edmonton defines Liquor Store separately and applies specific regulations; Calgary's Land Use Bylaw contains location and separation rules with exceptions. A map radius or broker statement is not address-specific municipal confirmation.

4. Reproduce location measurements correctly

Identify the exact measurement rules, reference points, affected uses, parcels, exceptions and date under the applicable municipal bylaw. Preserve the map, source layers and calculations used for screening, then seek municipal confirmation where the decision depends on them.

A straight-line consumer-map measurement can use the wrong boundary or omit an approved use that is not yet operating. Passing a preliminary screen does not grant a development permit, business licence or AGLC approval.

5. Audit the lease against the licensed premises

Confirm the demised area, permitted use, liquor restrictions, storage, delivery, signs, parking, access, hours, security, alterations, insurance and compliance clauses. Review assignment, change-of-control, guarantee, option, default, relocation, demolition and restoration provisions with counsel.

Compare the lease plan to the AGLC and municipal floor plans and the actual premises. Physical occupation is not proof that every area is leased, licensed or approved for liquor storage and sales.

6. Reconcile floor plans and building condition

Measure sales floor, storage, office, receiving, staff and service areas and reconcile them to approved and licence plans. Review exits, occupant load, accessibility, lighting, electrical service, refrigeration, HVAC, roof, envelope, drainage and water history with qualified professionals.

Shelving and coolers can conceal walls, electrical work or deterioration. A stocked store is not a building-condition report, and current operation does not prove alterations were permitted or systems will support the buyer's layout.

7. Test security and loss-control infrastructure

Map cameras, recording, alarms, panic devices, safes, cash drops, doors, glazing, receiving, key and access controls. Obtain ownership, monitoring, service, incident, police, insurance and claim records appropriate to the diligence scope.

Verify retention, coverage, remote access, privacy controls and transferability. An installed camera or alarm panel is not proof of effective coverage, insurer acceptance, lawful data transfer or low shrink.

8. Control inventory evidence and count procedures

Define the SKU source, count teams, cutoff, receiving, sales, returns, deposits, age, condition, valuation and exception procedures. Separate sales-floor, storage, damaged, opened, promotional, disputed, excluded and off-site product.

A bottle count is not legal, saleable or realizable inventory value. Coordinate the seller's liquor stock, buyer licensing status and closing treatment with AGLC, counsel and accounting advisors rather than assuming ordinary retail inventory rules are enough.

9. Establish equipment title and premises attachment

List shelving, coolers, refrigeration, point-of-sale, safes, cameras, alarms, signs, office and delivery equipment by serial number, ownership, financing, maintenance and included status. Identify attached items and landlord or supplier rights.

Order appropriate Personal Property Registry searches and reconcile invoices, leases and lender statements. Installed equipment can be landlord-owned, leased, financed, supplier-owned or excluded despite its operational importance.

10. Review delivery, data and staff dependencies

Document delivery vehicles or contracts, online ordering, age-verification workflows, payment, loyalty, gift card, phone, domain and profile ownership. Confirm current AGLC training and operating requirements for the actual activities and staff roles.

Use staged access for employee, customer, delivery and security footage under Alberta privacy requirements. An NDA does not establish transfer rights or authorize unrestricted personal-information disclosure.

11. Turn gaps into conditions and a closing sequence

For each open item, identify the responsible authority, professional, landlord or counterparty; the evidence required; the deadline; and the consequence if it is not satisfied. Coordinate AGLC and municipal work with landlord consent, financing, inventory count, insurance, equipment discharge, staff and possession.

Build separate legal-closing and operating-readiness checkpoints if necessary. Possession of the keys and inventory does not authorize liquor sales, and an anticipated approval date is not an approval.

12. Preserve a dated professional record

Record every source, search date, document version, plan, limitation, professional reliance, unresolved question and decision. Recheck time-sensitive licence, permit, lease and disciplinary status before condition waiver and closing.

This framework is educational and is not legal, liquor, planning, building, fire, privacy, employment, tax, accounting, engineering, appraisal or valuation advice. Commercially does not certify licensing, municipal approval, inventory, security, equipment or premises suitability.