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A bar needs a liquor permit from the city on top of the usual permits. In Quezon City, you apply online through QC E-Services using your mayor's permit number and a Barangay Clearance for Liquor. Location and hours matter too. Manila allows no liquor sales within 200 meters of a school, and Bacoor allows videoke only until 10 pm. The health office also asks bars for a sanitary permit and staff health certificates.[3,4,6,1]
How the liquor permit works: Quezon City example
Quezon City requires anyone who sells liquor, at retail or wholesale, to get a permit from the Business Permits and Licensing Department's Liquor Licensing Division before serving or selling. The checklist asks for a valid Mayor's Permit number, a Barangay Clearance for Liquor and the owner's valid ID.[3]
You log in to QC E-Services, choose new, renewal or amendment, and enter your mayor's permit number. Then you pay the order of payment at the City Treasurer's Office or online through G-Cash, Maya or Landbank, and the permit is released by email.[3]
Other cities run their own liquor permit. Ask your Business Permits and Licensing Office for its checklist, and ask the barangay for the liquor clearance on the same visit as your regular barangay clearance.
How much is a liquor permit?
Quezon City's liquor permit guide does not list a peso amount. The BPLD evaluates your application and generates the order of payment, so the fee is assessed by the city when you apply.[3]
Ask your city for the assessed amount before you sign a lease. The barangay clearance for liquor is set by the barangay, so budget for that too.
Where you can open: Manila's 200-meter school rule
Manila Ordinance No. 3532, approved in 1952, bans liquor sales in establishments within 200 meters of schools. Ordinance No. 8610 of 2020 restates that no liquor licence goes to public markets, street kiosks or stands, peddlers, or places within 200 meters of schools, with exemptions for certain tourist areas.[4,5]
Before you sign a lease in any city, check the distance to the nearest school and ask the BPLO if a similar rule applies.
Videoke hours: Bacoor's 10 pm limit
Bacoor City reminds residents that videoke, karaoke and other noise-making devices may be used only until 10 pm under Ordinance No. 2014-007.[6]
Each city sets its own hours, so a bar elsewhere may have a different cut-off. Ask your city hall and barangay about closing hours and noise limits for your street, and soundproof the videoke rooms to keep complaints down.
What the health office asks a bar for
Bacolod City's list for bars and night clubs includes a sanitary permit to operate, updated health certificates of all employees, and a water certificate or current water bill. Other cities use their own lists, but this shows the kind of papers to prepare.[1]
The sanitary permit fee is set by your city or municipal ordinance. Staff health certificates are renewed at least yearly, or more often if a local ordinance says so.[2]
Waiters, bartenders and kitchen staff change often in this business. Make a health certificate part of every new hire's first week, and keep copies on file for inspections. See the health certificate guide.
Before opening night
- Get your mayor's permit first, since the liquor permit application asks for its number.
- Ask your barangay for a clearance for liquor.
- Check the distance from your address to the nearest school.
- Ask the city and barangay about videoke hours and closing time for your street.
- Get health certificates for every waiter, bartender and cook.
- Prepare a water certificate or your latest water bill.
- Set up a staff file with certificate expiry dates.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a liquor license for a bar?
- Quezon City, for example, requires anyone selling liquor to get a permit from its Liquor Licensing Division before serving or selling. The application needs a valid Mayor's Permit number, so get the mayor's permit first. Ask your own city's BPLO for its version.
- How much is a liquor permit?
- Quezon City does not publish the amount. The BPLD generates an order of payment when it processes your application, and you pay at the City Treasurer's Office or online. Ask your city for the assessed amount before you budget.
- Until what time can a videoke run?
- It depends on the city. Bacoor allows videoke and karaoke only until 10 pm under Ordinance No. 2014-007. Ask your city hall and barangay for the rule on your street.
- Can I open a bar near a school?
- Not within 200 meters of one in Manila. Manila ordinances ban liquor sales, and the granting of liquor licences, for places within 200 meters of schools. Check if your city has a similar rule before you sign a lease.
- Do I need a sanitary permit for a bar that only serves drinks?
- Bacolod City lists bars and night clubs among places needing a sanitary permit to operate, with no exception for drinks-only bars. Check your own city's list.
- How often do staff renew health certificates?
- At least once a year, or more often if your city's ordinance says so.
Sources
Checked 13 November 2026. We link the agency's own page for every requirement. Rules change; confirm with the office before you pay.
- Sanitary and Non-Sanitary (requirements list) · Bacolod City Government
- Implementing Rules and Regulations of Chapter III, Food Establishments, of P.D. No. 856 · Department of Health (text via Supreme Court E-Library) · 29 December 1995
- Issuance of Liquor Permit (QC BPLD citizen's charter) · Quezon City Government · April 2025
- ORDINANCE No. 3532 - City Council of Manila · City Council of Manila · 24 September 1952
- ORDINANCE NO. 8610 - City Council of Manila · City Council of Manila · 17 February 2020
- Announcement: Ordinance No. 2014-007 · City Government of Bacoor · 3 December 2024
The extra permits, in one table
| Permit or registration | Agency | When it applies | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanitary permit to operate[1] | LGU health office (example: Bacolod City) | always (Bacolod lists bars/night clubs) | set by city/municipal ordinance (IRR Sec. 3(a)3); no national amount |
| Health certificates for all employees[1] | LGU health office (example: Bacolod City) | always | Not published |
| Water certificate or current water bill[1] | LGU health office (example: Bacolod City) | always (Bacolod) | Not published |
| Annual renewal of employee health certificates[2] | City/municipal health office (LGU) | always | Not published |
| Liquor permit (example: Quezon City, BPLD Liquor Licensing Division)[3] | Quezon City BPLD - Liquor Licensing Division | Quezon City: manufacture, retail and/or wholesale of liquor or intoxicating beverages | assessed by the city (Order of Payment from BPLD) |
| Liquor permit papers (example: Quezon City): Mayor's Permit number, Barangay Clearance for Liquor, owner's valid ID[3] | Quezon City BPLD / Barangay | Quezon City liquor permit applicants | set by the barangay (clearance) |
| Apply and pay for the liquor permit online (example: Quezon City)[3] | Quezon City BPLD | Quezon City | assessed by the city; pay at the City Treasurer's Office or online (G-Cash, Maya, Landbank) |
| No liquor sales within 200 meters of a school (example: Manila Ordinance No. 3532)[4] | City of Manila | Manila: establishments within 200 meters of institutions of learning | no fee (location rule) |
| No liquor licence for markets, street stalls, peddlers or places within 200 m of schools (example: Manila Ord. 8610, s.2020)[5] | City of Manila | Manila | no fee (location rule) |
| Videoke and karaoke only until 10 pm (example: Bacoor Ordinance No. 2014-007)[6] | City of Bacoor | Bacoor City | no fee; violators face fines or imprisonment |