Mastering On-Sale Alcohol Business Approvals, Conditions, and Onboarding
A Practical Workshop for City Officials Who Want Fewer Alcohol-Related Problems
Approving and managing on-sale alcohol businesses is one of the most challenging responsibilities for city officials. Poorly managed establishments can create ongoing problems—violence, DUIs, nuisance complaints, and excessive calls for service.
This 2-hour Zoom workshop provides city officials with practical, proven strategies to approve, condition, and onboard on-sale alcohol businesses in ways that improve both public safety and business performance.
Workshop Details
Next Session: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Pacific Time
Duration: 2 Hours
Location: Live via Zoom; link emailed after registration
Certifications: AICP Certification Pending; POST Certification Pending
Tuition:$330 per student
City Rate:$990 flat rate for a city, maximum of 10 students from that city
Who Should Attend
This workshop is designed specifically for professionals who are responsible for reviewing, approving, or monitoring on-sale alcohol licenses:
- City planning officials
- Law enforcement personnel
- Code enforcement officers
- Planning commissioners
What You Will Learn
Conditional Use Permits and Entertainment Permits: Why Traditional Approval Practices Often Fail
Cities often rely on standard conditions and traditional processes that fail to prevent problems. This module explains why those legacy practices fall short and how mismanaged on-sale alcohol establishments become a continuing burden on the community.
- Limitations of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control—and what the CA ABC can and cannot do for your city
- The “alcohol footprint”—how a licensee affects your city’s public safety resources, budget, and calls for service
- The root causes of mismanaged on-sale alcohol businesses and why legacy practices often fail to address them
- The cost of overservice—how illegal service to obviously intoxicated customers harms the public, the city, and the business
Strengthening the Application Process for Conditional Use Permits and Entertainment Permits
Learn how to modify your city’s application process so expectations are clear to the operator before a business opens.
- Editing application packages to focus on practices that reduce alcohol-related harm
- Using an “alcohol pledge” form to establish the operator’s commitment to responsible practices
- Using scripted talking points for planners and law enforcement to communicate expectations clearly from the first contact with an applicant
- Ensuring that the most important public-safety expectations are reinforced throughout the approval process
Writing Effective Conditions of Approval
Many conditions look strong on paper but fail to influence real-world operations. Learn how to write effective conditions that prevent problems before they begin and provide useful tools when a business becomes a repeat problem.
- Model operating standards for on-sale alcohol businesses
- Proven language for entertainment permits
- Conditions designed to influence day-to-day business operations and prevent problems before they start
- Tools to address repeat problem on-sale alcohol businesses
Condition Review Meetings and Planning Commission Hearings
Before the public hearing, many cities hold a pre-hearing meeting to review proposed conditions. Scripted planner talking points emphasize the conditions that have the greatest impact on public safety and reducing calls for service.
Public hearings are a critical opportunity to set expectations for business operators. Planning commissioners can reinforce operational expectations and make the city’s standards clear and part of the public record.
- How planning commissioners can reinforce operational expectations for on-sale businesses
- Scripted commissioner talking points for public hearings
- How to reinforce the most important operational expectations clearly and consistently
Pre-Opening Engagement and Enhanced Bar Checks
Learn how to structure pre-opening meetings between city staff and new alcohol business operators. A meeting involving law enforcement, code enforcement, and the business’s management is an opportunity to:
- Stress the importance of complying with all conditions and laws
- Emphasize that cutting off obviously intoxicated customers is the single most important factor in reducing calls for service
- Discuss bar-check procedures and establish a constructive relationship with management
- Make clear that compliance with conditions and state law is essential to maintaining the approval
An Enhanced Bar Check (EBC) involves law enforcement walking through the premises with the manager on duty—a practical strategy for helping management enforce the law against serving obviously intoxicated customers. EBCs are designed to significantly reduce the number of customers who reach high-risk intoxication levels of .15 percent BAC or higher.
Post-Opening Oversight of Alcohol Businesses That Works
Successful cities maintain communication after a business opens. A post-opening meeting with law enforcement, code enforcement, owners, management, security staff, and department leads provides an opportunity to deliver positive feedback and corrective action where needed.
Immediate feedback on condition violations—rather than waiting for a three-month review—is critical to early compliance and a productive working relationship.
- Post-opening meetings with law enforcement, management, and security staff
- Scripted law-enforcement talking points for post-opening meetings
- Using Enhanced Bar Checks as an ongoing partnership and prevention tool
- Using the Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments guide to build trust with operators, improve operations, reduce violence, and lower calls for service
Included Resources
- Course workbook
- Scripted talking points for your key meetings with applicants, with messaging echoed in conditions of approval
- Access to the Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments digital booklet. This full-color, comprehensive guide takes the guesswork out of responsible alcohol service—and shows how responsibility drives profitability. Includes:
Protecting the license —How obviously intoxicated customers put the ABC license at risk and quietly drain profits
Insurance & liability basics —Key facts every operator needs to know about lawsuits and coverage
The case for cutting off —The “relative crash risk” chart and seven reasons why cutting off at the first signs of intoxication benefits the business
The cost of overpouring —How industry-wide overpouring of spirits reduces profit, shrinks tips, and increases customer risk
Best practices —Proven strategies for reducing intoxication and increasing cut-offs
Building an ethical workplace —A powerful appendix on creating a culture where staff consistently do the right thing. When management models the behavior they expect, staff follow—and the result is a safer, more profitable business
The math on cut-offs —A clear, easy-to-follow table showing how cutting off intoxicated customers reduces customer churn and improves sales
- Permission to distribute the booklet to newly approved on-sale establishments as part of your onboarding process
What Other Experts Say
“What a great opportunity for cities. I wish these workshops had been available when I was in office.”
— Peter Buffa, Former Mayor, City of Costa Mesa
“When regulating new outlets, establishing specific conditional use permit provisions . . . allows cities to take much swifter action than if a city was forced to rely on the Department of ABC to take action.”
— Steve Mattas and Jason Rosenberg, Municipal Lawyers
“This course fills a need in peace officer training. It augments what is taught in the POST Basic Course and any liaison training that officers receive when working with ABC agents in the field.”
— Dan Toomey, Training Coordinator, Central California Intelligence Center
“I urge cities to consider this new training. The ABC can only do so much. With this training, local officials can now do even more to prevent problems and reduce costs. This training is a great concept and business friendly.”
— Jerry R. Jolly, Former Director, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
“Gregg and Lauren are uniquely qualified to provide training and technical assistance on how planners, bar owners and police can work together to prevent and reduce alcohol-outlet related problems. Their services are highly recommended.”
— Michael Sparks, Alcohol Policy Specialist & President, Sparks Initiatives
Student Results
“Very good info in the training class. I will use these concepts in my everyday duties.”
— Vice Detective, 10 years total law-enforcement experience; 10 years of alcohol enforcement
“I found very useful info. Especially for beginners in this subject. Thank you!”
— Code Enforcement Manager, 37 years’ experience in city government
“Gregg is an outstanding instructor and passionate about the topics.”
— Administration, 16 years total law-enforcement experience
“Great course! The operational standards are a great takeaway that will help my department significantly. Resource materials regarding current best practices will be most helpful to me in my profession as a city planner.”
— Anonymous Student
“This is a great training. This is a topic that local government planners and police departments grapple with constantly.”
— Anonymous Student
Instructors
Gregg Hanour (primary)
Gregg Hanour is the co-founder and partner of DrinkWise America, which provides ABC-certified alcohol training. He also conducts workshops in Advanced Bar Management, Best Practices to Prevent DUIs, and Professional Security Practices. Gregg has also trained city officials, including law enforcement, in the POST- and AICP-certified course, Nuisance-Free Bars. He and former ABC district administrator Lauren Tyson are the founders of Alcohol Best Practices and co-authors of Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments. Gregg’s books, The Optimized Bar—Profits by Design and A Business Approach to Reducing Drunk Driving , are available on Amazon.
Lauren Tyson
Lauren worked for the CA ABC for 29 years, with duties as an investigator, supervising investigator, and district administrator. After retiring, she founded a consulting firm to help businesses with alcohol licensing and compliance. She also worked as an expert witness in civil litigation involving bars. Her book, The Perils of Selling Alcohol: A Guide for Bar Owners Facing Legal Trouble , will be available soon.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellations and Refunds
- Cancellations made 8 or more days before the course date are eligible for a full refund.
- Cancellations made 7 or fewer days before the course date are non-refundable.
- No-shows on the day of the course are non-refundable.
Workbook Distribution
The course workbook is proprietary material and will be distributed to all registered participants approximately 5 days before the course date.
Substitutions
Registrants who are unable to attend may transfer their enrollment to another qualified participant from the same organization at no charge, provided notice is given at least 48 hours before the course date.
City Flat-Rate Registrations
Cities registering at the $990 flat rate may substitute attendees at any time up to 48 hours before the course. Cancellations of city registrations follow the same schedule above. No partial refunds will be issued for individual attendees within a city registration.
Course Cancellation by Alcohol Best Practices
If the course is cancelled or rescheduled by Alcohol Best Practices, registered participants will receive a full refund or the option to transfer their registration to the next available session.
Questions? Contact hanourgregg@gmail.com or 949-300-0977.
Help your city prevent alcohol-related problems before they start
Register for this live 2-hour Zoom workshop and leave with practical tools your team can apply immediately.
