Winery permits and licenses in Washington

The statewide credentials every winery needs to operate in Washington, plus city-specific guides for the cities we cover.

State-level filing feesAbout $200 to $320 in first-year state fees (the $50 business license, the $150 or $600 WSLCB winery license, and MAST training for your pourers), plus $112.50 if you sell at farmers markets; the wine liter tax, Wine Commission assessment, B&O, and sales tax are ongoing, not startup fees.

This page covers only the Washington statewide credentials for wineries. Federal credentials that apply nationwide are on the Wineries overview, and each city layers its own permits on top.

Federal requirementsWineries nationwide

The credentials below are the Washington-wide requirements that apply to every winery in the state. Each city and county layers its own permits, fees, and inspections on top. To see the requirements for a specific city, choose it from the Washington cities list below.

Washington credential overview

Credential	Level	Fee	Renewal
Washington State Business License (Unified Business Identifier)	State	$50 to open the business and its UBI, plus a $5 processing fee a year to renew and $10 to register a trade name, before the winery endorsement	Annual
WSLCB Domestic Winery License	State	$150 a year for production under 250,000 liters, or $600 a year at 250,000 liters or more	Annual
Tasting Room Additional Location (only for a satellite tasting room)	State	No additional annual fee; the satellite rides the existing winery license, up to four additional locations	Annual (renews with the winery license)
Domestic Winery Farmers Market Endorsement (only if you sell at farmers markets)	State	$112.50 a year	Annual
Washington Wine Liter Tax	State	$0.2292 per liter on table wine (about $0.87 a gallon), $0.4536 per liter on fortified wine; an ongoing tax on wine sold in Washington, not a startup fee	Reported monthly to the WSLCB (annual filing available for small wineries with WSLCB approval)
Washington Wine Commission Assessment	State	$0.08 per gallon on packaged Washington wine the winery sells, plus a separate $12 per ton growers assessment the winery collects from grape growers and remits by December 31	Producer assessment reported monthly with the wine tax; growers assessment annual
Washington Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax	State	0.484% of gross on wine manufactured and 0.471% on tasting-room retail sales, both rising to 0.50% on January 1, 2027; the Multiple Activities Tax Credit keeps the same wine from being taxed under both	Filed monthly, quarterly, or annually on the DOR excise return
Washington Retail Sales Tax (tasting room sales)	State	No registration fee; set up with the business license. 6.5% state plus a destination-based local add-on, roughly 7% to 10.4% combined depending on the tasting room address	Ongoing; remitted on the DOR excise return by your assigned frequency
Mandatory Alcohol Server Training (MAST) Permit	State	Set by the training provider; the WSLCB charges $7.50 for a replacement permit	Every 5 years
Washington Employer Accounts (Workers Comp, Unemployment, Paid Leave, WA Cares)	State	No fee to open; ongoing premiums by classification and payroll. L&I workers comp is billed by the hour worked, plus unemployment insurance, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and WA Cares, with rates set annually	Quarterly reporting
Washington Water Right (only if you draw your own water)	State	Application fee varies by water-right type and volume; confirm the current schedule with Ecology	One-time permit that becomes a perpetual certificate once put to beneficial use
Washington Food Worker Card (only if the tasting room serves food)	State	$10 per card; a county food establishment permit, if one is needed, is priced locally	First card valid 2 years, then 3 years on renewal

Washington cities

City and county rules stack on top of the statewide credentials.

Seattle, WAKing County

Each winery credential in Washington, explained

Grouped by the level of government that issues it, broadest first. Every winery in Washington needs these regardless of city.

State level

12 credentials

Washington State Business License (Unified Business Identifier)

Every Washington winery starts here: a single Business License Application returns your nine-digit UBI, and the WSLCB Domestic Winery License is added as an endorsement on this same document rather than issued on its own. Marking that you will hire also opens your L&I and Employment Security employer accounts on the same form.

Issued by: Washington Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service
Fee: $50 to open the business and its UBI, plus a $5 processing fee a year to renew and $10 to register a trade name, before the winery endorsement
Renewal: Annual
Processing: About 10 business days online, longer if the WSLCB endorsement needs review

WSLCB Domestic Winery License

The core state license for a producing winery under RCW 66.24.170, and it bundles a lot into one fee. It lets you make, blend, store, and bottle wine; self-distribute at wholesale to Washington retailers; and run an on-site tasting room with by-the-glass service and bottle sales, so there is no separate tasting-room license for the production site. The fee tier is set by liters produced, not sold, and you must hold your TTB Basic Permit first.

Issued by: Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB)
Fee: $150 a year for production under 250,000 liters, or $600 a year at 250,000 liters or more
Renewal: Annual
Processing: Roughly 30 to 90 days, including a pre-licensing inspection

Tasting Room Additional Location (only for a satellite tasting room)

Conditional, only if you open a tasting room away from the production site. Under RCW 66.24.170 and WAC 314-24-161 a domestic winery may run up to four additional tasting rooms, each pouring its own wine by the glass and selling bottles to go, deemed part of the winery license with no separate annual fee. A winery and a distillery may share a single off-site tasting room.

Issued by: Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB)
Fee: No additional annual fee; the satellite rides the existing winery license, up to four additional locations
Renewal: Annual (renews with the winery license)
Processing: Follows the WSLCB licensing review; confirm the current timeline with the WSLCB

Domestic Winery Farmers Market Endorsement (only if you sell at farmers markets)

Conditional, only if the winery sells at WSLCB-authorized farmers markets. It lets an in-state winery sell and sample sealed bottles of its own wine for off-premises consumption, with samples capped at two ounces per customer per day. You file a monthly list of market dates with the WSLCB before each selling month.

Issued by: Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB)
Fee: $112.50 a year
Renewal: Annual
Processing: The market itself must hold WSLCB authorization before you can sell there

Washington Wine Liter Tax

A per-liter state tax under RCW 66.24.210 on wine sold to distributors, retailers, or consumers in Washington, paid directly by a winery that distributes its own wine. A reduced rate for wineries selling under 20,000 gallons a year was proposed in 2025 but is not enacted as of mid-2026, so the standard rates above remain the law; verify the current rate before filing.

Issued by: Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB)
Fee: $0.2292 per liter on table wine (about $0.87 a gallon), $0.4536 per liter on fortified wine; an ongoing tax on wine sold in Washington, not a startup fee
Renewal: Reported monthly to the WSLCB (annual filing available for small wineries with WSLCB approval)
Processing: Ongoing tax obligation

Washington Wine Commission Assessment

A separate obligation from the wine liter tax, though it rides the same monthly WSLCB report, funding research, promotion, and education under RCW 15.88 and RCW 66.24.215. Every Washington winery pays the producer assessment on the wine it packages and sells; a winery that buys Washington vinifera grapes also collects and remits the per-ton growers assessment on the growers' behalf.

Issued by: Washington Wine Commission (collected by the WSLCB on its monthly report)
Fee: $0.08 per gallon on packaged Washington wine the winery sells, plus a separate $12 per ton growers assessment the winery collects from grape growers and remits by December 31
Renewal: Producer assessment reported monthly with the wine tax; growers assessment annual
Processing: Ongoing assessment obligation

Washington Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax

A winery runs two B&O activities at once: manufacturing the wine and retailing it at the tasting room, and both classifications reach the same bottle sold on site. The Multiple Activities Tax Credit credits the manufacturing tax against the retailing tax on those sales, so you effectively pay about 0.484% on retail income rather than both rates stacked. B&O falls on gross receipts with no deduction for costs.

Issued by: Washington Department of Revenue
Fee: 0.484% of gross on wine manufactured and 0.471% on tasting-room retail sales, both rising to 0.50% on January 1, 2027; the Multiple Activities Tax Credit keeps the same wine from being taxed under both
Renewal: Filed monthly, quarterly, or annually on the DOR excise return
Processing: Active with your DOR registration

Washington Retail Sales Tax (tasting room sales)

The tasting room collects retail sales tax on every bottle and glass sold to a consumer, at the combined state and local rate for the tasting room location. You remit it to DOR on the same excise return that carries your B&O tax.

Issued by: Washington Department of Revenue
Fee: No registration fee; set up with the business license. 6.5% state plus a destination-based local add-on, roughly 7% to 10.4% combined depending on the tasting room address
Renewal: Ongoing; remitted on the DOR excise return by your assigned frequency
Processing: Active as soon as the UBI issues

Mandatory Alcohol Server Training (MAST) Permit

Every tasting-room worker who pours, sells, or supervises wine service needs a MAST permit, a Class 12 for age 21 and up or a Class 13 for ages 18 to 20. Most serving hires get a 60-day window, but anyone conducting a tasting must hold a Class 12 before the first pour, with no grace period, so train seasonal staff before tasting season.

Issued by: LCB-certified training providers, under the Liquor and Cannabis Board
Fee: Set by the training provider; the WSLCB charges $7.50 for a replacement permit
Renewal: Every 5 years
Processing: Course is same day; the permit is mailed within 30 days

Washington Employer Accounts (Workers Comp, Unemployment, Paid Leave, WA Cares)

Conditional on having employees. Marking the employer box opens all four at once: workers compensation through the L&I state monopoly, which no private carrier can replace, plus unemployment insurance, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and the WA Cares fund through Employment Security. A winemaker, a tasting-room server, and a vineyard worker each fall under a different L&I rate class, and everything reports quarterly.

Issued by: Washington Department of Labor and Industries and Employment Security Department
Fee: No fee to open; ongoing premiums by classification and payroll. L&I workers comp is billed by the hour worked, plus unemployment insurance, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and WA Cares, with rates set annually
Renewal: Quarterly reporting
Processing: Opened with the business license when you mark that you will hire

Washington Water Right (only if you draw your own water)

Conditional, only if the winery draws its own surface or groundwater for vineyard irrigation or process water and is not on a municipal supply. A new withdrawal needs a water right from the Department of Ecology first, in a senior-priority system. A winery on municipal water, or on land that already holds a right, does not file a new one.

Issued by: Washington Department of Ecology
Fee: Application fee varies by water-right type and volume; confirm the current schedule with Ecology
Renewal: One-time permit that becomes a perpetual certificate once put to beneficial use
Processing: Months to several years depending on the basin

Washington Food Worker Card (only if the tasting room serves food)

Conditional, only if the tasting room prepares or serves food such as charcuterie or cooked plates. Then each food handler needs a Washington Food Worker Card, and the premises may need a food establishment permit from the local health jurisdiction, a county-level trigger handled on the city page. A pour-only tasting room needs neither.

Issued by: Washington Department of Health, issued through local health jurisdictions
Fee: $10 per card; a county food establishment permit, if one is needed, is priced locally
Renewal: First card valid 2 years, then 3 years on renewal
Processing: Same day online or at the county health department

See how other wineries in Washington are managing every permit, license, and renewal in one place with CredentiAlert.

Washington-specific things to watch for

1One license covers the tasting room, with no separate tasting-room permit. Operators often hunt for a dedicated tasting-room license that does not exist for the production site. The WSLCB Domestic Winery License under RCW 66.24.170 already lets you pour your own wine by the glass, sell sealed bottles to go, and self-distribute to Washington retailers. Only a satellite tasting room away from the production site is a separate filing, and even that rides the same license at no added annual fee, up to four locations.

2The license fee is tiered by liters produced, not gallons sold. The break point is 250,000 liters, roughly 66,000 gallons or about 27,700 nine-liter cases, and crossing it moves you from $150 to $600 a year. The fee tracks liters manufactured, so think in liters, not the gallons most winemakers price in.

3B&O tax reaches the same wine twice, but the Multiple Activities Tax Credit makes only one stick. A bottle sold in the tasting room triggers both the manufacturing classification (0.484 percent) and the retailing classification (0.471 percent). The credit offsets the manufacturing tax against the retailing tax on those same sales, so you pay about 0.484 percent on retail income, not both stacked. Miss the credit and you overpay, and both rates rise to 0.50 percent on January 1, 2027.

4The Wine Commission assessment is a separate line from the wine tax. The per-liter wine tax and the Wine Commission producer assessment ($0.08 a gallon on packaged Washington wine) are two distinct obligations that ride the same monthly WSLCB report, and a separate $12-per-ton growers assessment flows through you to the Commission each year. New wineries often see only the liter-tax line and miss the assessment.

5Anyone pouring a tasting needs a MAST permit first, with no grace period. The usual 60-day window for new serving staff does not cover tastings: a worker conducting a sampling must already hold a Class 12 permit before the first pour. With seasonal turnover around harvest, train before tasting season, not after.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a winery license in Washington state?

The WSLCB Domestic Winery License is $150 a year for production under 250,000 liters (about 66,000 gallons) and $600 a year at or above that, plus the $50 DOR business license when you first open. Those fixed fees are separate from the per-liter wine tax, the Wine Commission assessment, B&O and sales tax, and MAST training, which are ongoing and scale with volume and staff.

Do you need a separate license to sell wine at a tasting room in Washington?

No. The WSLCB Domestic Winery License already includes selling your own wine by the glass for on-site consumption and by the bottle to go from the production site, so there is no separate tasting-room license there. A second or satellite tasting room away from the production facility is registered as an additional location under the same winery license, with no extra annual fee, up to four additional locations.

What taxes does a Washington winery pay on the wine it sells?

Several overlap. The WSLCB wine liter tax is $0.2292 a liter on standard table wine, and the Washington Wine Commission producer assessment is $0.08 a gallon on packaged Washington wine, both filed on the monthly WSLCB report. Tasting-room sales then owe the retailing B&O tax (0.471 percent, offset against manufacturing B&O by the Multiple Activities Tax Credit) and retail sales tax at the combined state and local rate, both remitted to DOR.

Is Washington workers comp private or a state plan for a winery?

It is a state monopoly. Washington does not allow private workers compensation insurance for standard employment, so a winery with employees opens a workers comp account with the Department of Labor and Industries and pays into the state fund. The premium is charged by the hour worked and varies by the L&I job class, so a winemaker, a tasting-room server, and a vineyard worker each carry a different rate.

You just read through every credential your winery needs in Washington.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-06-08. Requirements change. Always confirm with the issuing department before applying.