How to Start a Brewery, Distillery, Winery or Cidery in Maine: $50 Small Brewery and Small Winery Licenses, $100 Small Distillery and the 30,000 Barrel Limit

If you want to know how to start a brewery business in Maine, start with the licenses, because they cost less than most people expect. A small brewery license is $50, a small winery license is $50 and a small distillery license is $100, plus a $10 application filing fee. Those low fees come with volume caps, and getting licensed means working with several agencies: the Secretary of State for your business entity, the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations (BABLO) for your manufacturer license, Maine Revenue Services for sales tax, your city or town for local approval, and federal agencies for federal permits.

This guide puts the steps in the order that avoids the most rework. According to Census County Business Patterns for 2023, Maine had 92 breweries, 17 wineries and 19 distilleries with employees, so you would be joining an established group of producers.

Informational note: this article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Licensing rules, fees and deadlines change. Confirm every figure with the agency named before you commit money, and consult a qualified attorney and a CPA about your situation.

Materials and Documents You Need Before You File

Gather these before you start. Most delays happen because a document was missing, not because an agency was slow.

• A business name that meets Maine naming rules and is available on the Secretary of State business search.
• A registered agent. Every Maine LLC and corporation must appoint and maintain one. A commercial agent is listed with the Secretary of State. A noncommercial agent must give a physical street address in Maine, not a P.O. Box.
• Formation forms: the Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6) for an LLC, or the Articles of Incorporation (Form MBCA-6) for a corporation. Maine does not offer online filing of formation documents, so you print the fillable PDF and mail or deliver it with payment.
• A production plan with expected annual output in barrels or gallons. This decides which license tier you can use.
• A site address and written confirmation of local zoning and municipal approval.
• A tasting room plan, if you intend to serve or sell samples on site.
• A federal employer identification number (EIN) from the IRS and a business bank account.
• Your product list and label information, for the label registration described in Step 7.
• Equipment, lease and build-out quotes. Hold these until your zoning and license path are confirmed.

Step 1: Choose the License Tier That Fits Your Volume

BABLO issues manufacturer licenses under 28-A MRSA 1551. The standard brewery, distillery, rectifier, bottler and winery licenses cost $1,000 each. Most new producers should compare the small-producer licenses first.

License	Fee	Volume limit
Small brewery	$50	Up to 30,000 barrels a year
Small winery	$50	Up to 50,000 gallons of wine and up to 3,000 barrels of hard cider
Small distillery	$100	Up to 50,000 gallons of spirits
Standard brewery, distillery or winery	$1,000 each	Output above the small-license limits
Application filing fee	$10	Filed with your application

Choose based on realistic output, not best-case hopes. If you expect to exceed 30,000 barrels a year as a brewery, the small brewery license will not cover you. Ask BABLO how a move to a full license works, what it costs and whether it requires a new application.

Hard cider is fermented apple or pear juice at 0.5% to 8.5% ABV. It falls under the small winery license's 3,000-barrel hard cider limit, not the brewery cap. Mead is less clear. Maine's definition of wine covers liquor fermented from fruit or other agricultural products containing sugar, so a meadery likely falls under the winery licenses. Get BABLO's answer in writing before you file.

Step 2: Form Your Business Entity

Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not form an entity. They file a sworn assumed-name certificate with the clerk of the city or town where the business is carried on. LLCs and corporations file with the Secretary of State.

LLCs. The formation filing fee is $175 for a Certificate of Formation under 31 MRSA 1531. The name must contain 'limited liability company' or 'limited company', or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.', 'LLC', 'L.C.' or 'LC' (or 'L3C' for a low-profit LLC). You can reserve a name for 120 days on Form MLLC-1 for $20.

Corporations. The filing fee is $145 for Articles of Incorporation under Title 13-C, the Maine Business Corporation Act.

Processing time. The Secretary of State's pages, read on 2026-10-28, state a corporate processing time of 2 to 7 business days. That figure has varied across snapshots, so build in a buffer. Expedited handling is available. 24 Hour Service is $50 per request, and Immediate Service, completed when the request is made, is $100 per request. Availability depends on staffing, and the Bureau notes delays during periods of high volume.

Taxes. Maine has no LLC franchise tax and no separate LLC annual tax. An LLC is taxed by default as a pass-through, so members report income on Maine individual returns at 5.8% to 7.15%. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, a 2% surcharge applies to income above set thresholds, starting at $1,000,000 for single filers. An LLC that elects corporate treatment pays Maine corporate income tax at 3.5% to 8.93%. Confirm which structure fits you with a CPA.

Registered agent changes. Appointing or changing a registered agent is filed on Form CLKRA-3 for $35.

Brand names. If you sell under a name other than your legal entity name, file Form ASUM-5, the Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name, for $125 with the Secretary of State. Sole proprietors file with their municipal clerk instead.

Step 3: Confirm Local Approval Before You Sign a Lease

Maine has no general statewide business license and no general town license. Registering an entity or an assumed name is a filing, not a license. Licensing is by activity. Municipal officers license named activities by ordinance, and fees vary widely from town to town. Maine has 482 organized municipalities: 23 cities, 430 towns and 29 plantations. The 16 counties license nothing for ordinary businesses, so your city or town is the office that matters here.

Call the planning or code enforcement office and ask four questions. Is manufacturing allowed at this address? Is a tasting room allowed? Is there a local license or permit for alcohol manufacturing or sales, and what does it cost? What parking, hours and noise rules apply? Get the answers in writing. Fees and ordinance requirements are set locally, so check with your municipality rather than relying on a state figure.

The free Business Answers licensing assistant from the Department of Economic and Community Development, at maine.gov/businessanswers, can help you identify which state permits apply to your activity.

Step 4: Apply for TTB Federal Permits

BABLO lists TTB federal permits among the steps a new producer must complete. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issues those permits. Permit types, fees and processing times are set by TTB, so check its current requirements before you buy equipment or set an opening date. Ask BABLO and TTB whether either agency needs to see the other's approval first, so you know the order.

Step 5: File Your BABLO Application

Submit your application with the $10 application filing fee and the license fee for your tier. Before you file, confirm the required attachments, supporting documents and processing time with BABLO. The document list depends on your license type and on whether you plan to serve on site. Do not sell, serve or ship product under the license until it has been issued.

Step 6: Register for Sales Tax with Maine Revenue Services

Register for a Maine Revenue Services retailer certificate through the Maine Revenue Services sales tax permit portal before you sell anything. The general state sales tax rate is 5.5%. Prepared food and liquor sold for on-premises consumption are taxed at 8%. Confirm which rate applies to each of your sales channels, such as on-premises pours compared with off-premises sales, with Maine Revenue Services.

Tasting rooms may serve or sell samples of their own product. Excise tax is due on all samples. Sold samples bear the 8% liquor sales tax under 28-A MRSA 1355-A, as amended by PL 2025 c. 87. This article does not state the excise tax amount, so confirm the rate and filing schedule with BABLO and Maine Revenue Services before you open your tasting room.

Step 7: Add the Other Registrations Your Activity Requires

BABLO names several additional steps. Not every producer needs all of them, so confirm each one with the agency that handles it.

• Off-premises sales. BABLO names a Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) license for off-premises sales. Check with DACF whether it applies to your sales channel, and get its fee.
• Beverage container labels. Confirm the Department of Environmental Protection Beverage Container Label Registration requirement and its fee with DEP before you print labels.
• Food service. Any food service requires a license from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Inspection Program. Check with the program before you finalize a food menu, including snacks.
• Food processing. If you make food products alongside your beverages, confirm whether a Department of Agriculture food processor license applies.
• Build-out trades. Maine has no HVAC or general contractor license. Some trades are licensed by state boards under the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, so check with the relevant board before you hire.

Step 8: Stay Compliant After You Open

• Annual report. The annual report fee is $85, and it is due June 1 each year. The first report is due between January 1 and June 1 of the year after formation. File through Annual Report Online.
• Volume tracking. Track production against your cap every month, so you know how much room you have before you reach the limit.
• Renewals. Confirm renewal dates for your BABLO license and for each local, DACF, DHHS and DEP registration, and calendar them.
• Sales tax filings. File and pay on the schedule Maine Revenue Services assigns to your account.
• Registered agent. Keep your registered agent current. A lapse can cause problems with your entity status.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming Maine has a general business license. It does not. Licensing is by activity and by municipality.
• Picking a license tier based on a best-case year instead of a realistic production plan.
• Signing a lease or buying equipment before zoning and tasting room rules are confirmed in writing.
• Missing the name rules. An LLC name must include an approved ending such as 'LLC'.
• Mailing formation forms without payment or on the wrong form, which delays your filing date.
• Treating a DBA or assumed-name filing as if it formed an entity.
• Assuming samples are not taxed. Excise tax is due on all samples, and sold samples carry the 8% liquor sales tax.
• Treating a meadery or a cider as automatically covered by the brewery license. Confirm the category with BABLO first.

What Results to Expect

Set your expectations in practical, hedged terms. A small-producer license may allow you to make and sell within its caps. Whether the business is profitable depends on your costs, pricing and local demand, and no license guarantees any of those. Many new producers find that approvals take longer than planned, so a realistic opening date includes time for municipal review and agency processing.

Describe your products in plain, factual terms. Health, medical and wellness claims about alcohol are not appropriate in your marketing. Labeling and advertising rules are set by federal and state agencies, including TTB, so confirm them before you print labels or launch a campaign.

Fee Summary

Item	Amount	Agency and notes
LLC Certificate of Formation	$175	Secretary of State, Form MLLC-6
Corporation Articles of Incorporation	$145	Secretary of State, Form MBCA-6
Name reservation (120 days)	$20	Secretary of State, Form MLLC-1
Expedited handling	$50 (24 hour) or $100 (immediate)	Secretary of State, subject to availability
Annual report	$85 each year	Secretary of State, due June 1
Assumed name, Form ASUM-5	$125	Secretary of State, for registered entities
Registered agent change, Form CLKRA-3	$35	Secretary of State
Small brewery or small winery license	$50 each	BABLO
Small distillery license	$100	BABLO
Standard brewery, distillery, winery licenses	$1,000 each	BABLO
BABLO application filing fee	$10	BABLO
Municipal licenses and permits	Varies by town	Check with your city or town
TTB federal permits	Check with TTB	Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Excise tax on samples	Check with BABLO	Confirm rate and filing schedule
Sales tax	5.5% general, 8% on-premises liquor and prepared food	Maine Revenue Services
DACF, DEP and DHHS registrations	Check with each agency	Confirm whether each applies to you

Official Resources

• Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
• Maine Revenue Services
• Business Answers licensing assistant
• Maine Small Business Development Centers, for free advising on planning and financing
• SBA Maine district office

Next Steps

Once your entity, local approval, BABLO license and sales tax registration are in place, the rest is execution. Bring a qualified attorney and a CPA in before you sign a lease or a loan. Your ownership structure, liability exposure and tax treatment depend on your facts, and this guide cannot evaluate them for you.