Washington · Liquor and Cannabis Board
Washington liquor license lookup through the business license endorsement.
Washington does not keep its liquor licenses in a stand-alone search. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board explains that a liquor license is an endorsement on the business license, and points to two routes. This page explains both.
Short answer: The board’s Licensee List page says an LCB license is an endorsement on a Business License issued by the Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service. To check one business, use the Look up a business link on dor.wa.gov; the LCB license number, license type(s) and status appear under Endorsements. To get every licensee of one kind, the same page links about 28 downloadable lists on licensinginfo.lcb.wa.gov, one per license type across wine, beer and spirits, from domestic wineries and distributors to certificate of approval holders, direct-shipping retailers, distilleries and spirits retailers. This page does not search either.
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Why the lookup lives at the Department of Revenue
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board’s Licensee List page opens with the rule that makes Washington different from most states: an LCB license is an endorsement on a Business License issued by the Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service. The page says a business and its license number can be found by searching on dor.wa.gov, and that the LCB license number, license type(s) and status will appear under Endorsements. The Revenue home page carries the Look up a business link under its “I want to” list; it does not describe what the lookup shows, so the description of the endorsement block comes from the board’s page.
Route one: one business
Use the Revenue business lookup when you have a bar, restaurant, shop or producer to check. Search the business, open it, and read the endorsements. The three things the board says you will see are the LCB license number, the license type or types (a single business can hold several), and the status. Compare the trade name and address with the premises you are dealing with, since a business can have more than one location.
Route two: every licensee of one type
The Licensee List page links about 28 lists on licensinginfo.lcb.wa.gov, each covering one license type. The first six are the Washington Domestic Winery, Washington Wine Importer, Washington Wine Distributor, Combined Washington Wine and Beer Distributor, Wine Authorized Representative Certificate of Approval Holder and Wine Certificate of Approval Holder (COA) lists; beer and spirits categories follow, including distilleries, spirits retailers and direct-shipping retailers. The page warns that files download in .ASP and should be saved as an Excel file, and that viewing the reports requires Internet Explorer 8.0 or a compatible browser with Microsoft Excel or an Excel viewer. The board does not state how often the lists are refreshed or what columns they contain, so this guide does not either.
| Need | Route | What you read |
|---|---|---|
| Is this bar licensed? | Revenue business lookup | LCB license number, type(s) and status under Endorsements |
| Who are all the distilleries? | LCB licensee list for that type | The downloaded list, saved as Excel |
| A business I cannot find | Phone the board | Beer and Wine Tax line (360) 664-1721; Spirit Fee Unit (360) 664-1732 |
Worked example (hypothetical)
A Tacoma landlord is leasing to a restaurant that says it holds a spirits, beer and wine license. He opens the Revenue business lookup, searches the restaurant’s legal name, and under Endorsements finds an LCB license number, the license type and an active status. He saves the page with the date. To see how many spirits retailers operate in the county he opens the spirits retailer list from the board’s page, saves the .ASP file as Excel and filters by city.
What this page does not cover
Cannabis licenses, which the same board issues; license fees, applications and renewals; violation history; and the columns inside the downloadable lists, which this guide did not open. Our liquor license lookup by state page names the authority for every other state.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board: Licensee List (license as a business licence endorsement; Revenue lookup; per-type lists; phone lines) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- Washington Department of Revenue: home page (Look up a business link) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board: home page (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedThe Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board has its own public search box for liquor licenses.
What the source saysThe board’s Licensee List page sends you to the Department of Revenue business lookup, where the LCB license number, type and status appear under Endorsements, or to downloadable lists by license type. [1]
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Often assumedThe LCB licensee lists open as ordinary spreadsheets.
What the source saysThe board says the files download in .ASP and should be right-clicked and saved as an Excel file, and that viewing them needs a compatible browser with Excel or an Excel viewer. [1]
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Often assumedThe Department of Revenue lookup is only for tax registration.
What the source saysThe Revenue home page offers Look up a business as a general service, and the board says the liquor licence endorsement is read there. [2]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
Where do I look up a Washington liquor license?
At the Department of Revenue business lookup linked from dor.wa.gov. The Liquor and Cannabis Board says its license is an endorsement on the business license and appears under Endorsements.
What does the endorsement show?
The board says the LCB license number, license type(s) and status will appear under Endorsements for the business.
Is there a list of all licensees?
The LCB Licensee List page links about 28 downloadable lists, one per license type across wine, beer and spirits.
Why does the list download as an .ASP file?
The board says the files download in .ASP and should be saved as an Excel file; viewing them requires a compatible browser with Microsoft Excel or an Excel viewer.
Who do I call if I cannot find a license?
The board lists its Beer and Wine Tax line at (360) 664-1721 and its Spirit Fee Unit at (360) 664-1732.
Does this page search the register?
No. It explains the two official routes and links to them. Nothing ticked here is stored or sent.
Guide only, not a verification tool
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with the regulator. Use the official register for the actual result. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.