PLCB+ and 2017 License Renewals
As most Pennsylvania liquor license holders are all too well aware, in May of 2016, the Pa.L.C.B. converted to an online filing system that has done away with paper forms. Licensees were advised prior to the transition to notify the Pa.L.C.B. of a valid e-mail address where all future communications would be sent in order that licensees could renew their licenses appropriately. Every year your license has to be renewed, and those forms awaited licensees at their home State Store. Renewal applications (called validations in odd years) for Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery counties became available January 3, 2017, through the PLCB+ system. If you have not yet provided a valid e-mail address to the Pa.L.C.B., you should do so immediately. Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery county licenses have a filing deadline of March 2. If your validation is not submitted prior to March 2, you will incur a $100.00 late filing fee. Submissions made after April 30 will incur a $250.00 late filing fee, and since your license authority will have expired, you will have to cease operations pending proper validation of your license.
Be sure to pay attention to the tab on the PLCB+ page of your validation application where you will need to check the renewal of any permits you may hold; i.e., amusement, Sunday Sales, etc. All filing fees are paid online through the PLCB+ portal with a valid credit card.
Please pay close attention to the tax audit box to ensure that you are clear for Departments of Revenue and Labor & Industry purposes. If your tax audit reflects a “not clear” status, depending on your outstanding taxing obligations, obtaining the necessary clearances for validation of your license can be time consuming and may affect whether or not you can obtain your renewal in a timely manner and avoid having to pay a late fee. Accessing your validation application, ensuring that you reflect a “clear” status for Revenue and Labor & Industry purposes, and submitting the requisite fee, should be done in the near future, but definitely prior to March 2, 2017.
Please note that licenses held in safekeeping must be validated as well. Notice of the most recent validation application being available will be provided to your safekeeping contact, but you should also ensure that you register a valid e-mail address to receive all communications.
For information on this matter, or regarding federal and Pennsylvania liquor law matters or general manufacturing and distribution advice, please contact Liquor Law Department Chair Theodore J. Zeller III, Esquire, at tzeller@nmmlaw.com or at our offices at 610-391-1800.