Are Liquor Licences Public Record in Ontario?

Yes. In Ontario, liquor licence records are public information. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) publishes comprehensive data about every Liquor Sales Licence in the province through its Open Data initiative. Anyone can access this information without a fee, without registering an account, and without filing a formal information request.

What Makes Liquor Licences Public?

Ontario liquor licences are public record for two complementary reasons:

The AGCO's Open Data program — The AGCO proactively publishes licence data in downloadable format at agco.ca. This is a transparency initiative: the regulator makes its registry accessible so that the public, industry participants, and other stakeholders can verify licence information independently.
Ontario's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) — As a provincial government agency, the AGCO is subject to FIPPA. Records held by the AGCO are generally accessible to the public upon request, subject to specific exemptions (such as personal privacy, law enforcement, or solicitor-client privilege). Because the AGCO already publishes the core licence registry as open data, most people never need to file a formal FIPPA request for basic licence information.

What Information Is Publicly Available?

The AGCO's Liquor Sales Licences open-data file includes the following fields for each record:

Public Fields in AGCO Open Data

Licence number — The unique identifier assigned to the licence by the AGCO.

Licence holder (legal entity) — The corporation or individual legally responsible for the licence. For corporations, this is typically the numbered or named Ontario corporation.

Premises name (trade name) — The public-facing name of the bar, restaurant, or venue.

Address — The full street address of the licensed premises, including municipality and postal code.

Licence class — The type of licence (e.g., Liquor Sales Licence for on-premises consumption).

Endorsements — Additional permissions such as patio service, live entertainment, catering, or off-site events.

Issue date and expiry date — When the licence was issued and when it is due for renewal.

What Is NOT Publicly Available?

While the licence registry itself is public, certain categories of information are not included in the AGCO's open data and may be subject to FIPPA exemptions:

Personal home addresses — Only the business premises address is published. If the licence holder is an individual (not a corporation), their personal residential address is protected.
Internal compliance investigation files — Details of ongoing investigations are not published until a Registrar's Action or Tribunal decision is issued.
Financial records — Revenue, tax filings, and financial statements of licence holders are not part of the public registry.
Third-party personal information — Names and details of complainants, witnesses, or employees are generally protected under FIPPA's personal privacy exemption.

How to Access Public Licence Records

There are three main ways to access Ontario's public liquor licence records:

Option 1: This Tracker

We re-publish AGCO open data in an easy-to-browse, city-by-city format. Currently covering 13 Ontario cities with roughly 17,453 active licence records in the provincial dataset. Browse by city to find any establishment's licence number, legal entity, address, and endorsements.

Option 2: AGCO Open Data (agco.ca)

Download the full Liquor Sales Licences CSV file from the AGCO's Open Data page. This contains every licence in Ontario (not just the cities we cover) and can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, or any data tool.

Option 3: Contact the AGCO

Call 1-800-522-2876 (toll-free) to ask about a specific licence. The AGCO can confirm status, provide details about Registrar's Actions, and direct you to published Tribunal decisions. For information not available through open data, you can file a formal FIPPA request through the AGCO.

Public Notice of New Applications

Beyond existing licences, the AGCO also makes new licence applications public. When someone applies for a Liquor Sales Licence, the AGCO posts a public notice that includes the applicant's name, proposed premises address, and an objection deadline. This gives community members the opportunity to file objections before a licence is granted.

We track these pending applications on our Opening Soon page. Currently there are 33 pending applications across Ontario under public notice.

Why Public Access Matters

Public access to liquor licence records serves several important purposes:

Community accountability — Residents can verify whether establishments in their neighbourhood are properly licensed and monitor new applications.
Consumer protection — Patrons can confirm that a venue serving alcohol is legally authorised to do so.
Business due diligence — Suppliers, landlords, and investors can verify the licensing status of businesses they deal with.
Journalistic and academic research — Open data enables analysis of the food-and-beverage industry, licensing trends, and regulatory patterns.
Democratic participation — The public notice system for new applications enables community input into licensing decisions.

FIPPA Requests: When You Need More Than Open Data

If you need information that is not available through the AGCO's open data — such as compliance history, investigation records, or Tribunal file materials — you can file a formal access request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. To do so:

Submit a written request to the AGCO's Freedom of Information Coordinator.
Describe the records you are seeking as specifically as possible.
Pay the $5.00 application fee (set by Ontario regulation).
The AGCO must respond within 30 days, though extensions are possible for complex requests.

Note that FIPPA contains exemptions. The AGCO may redact or withhold portions of records that contain personal information of third parties, information related to law enforcement, or records subject to solicitor-client privilege.

Browse Public Licence Records by City

Access the public licence data we have indexed by choosing a city:

Toronto Ottawa Hamilton Mississauga London Brampton Kitchener Niagara Falls Windsor North York Scarborough Etobicoke Oakville

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Ontario liquor licence holders' names and addresses public?

Yes. The AGCO publishes the legal entity name (licence holder), premises trade name, full street address, municipality, and postal code for every Liquor Sales Licence in Ontario. This information is freely available through AGCO Open Data and does not require a Freedom of Information request.

Can I look up a liquor licence number for any bar in Ontario?

Yes. Every Liquor Sales Licence has a unique licence number assigned by the AGCO, and this number is published in the AGCO's open-data file. You can find it by searching for the establishment by name or address on this tracker (for the 13 cities we cover) or by downloading the full provincial dataset from agco.ca.

What liquor licence information is NOT public in Ontario?

While licence records themselves are public, certain details are not published in open data. These include the personal home addresses of individual licence holders (only the business premises address is published), internal compliance investigation files, and financial details of the licence holder. Some of this information may be accessible through a formal Freedom of Information request under FIPPA, subject to privacy exemptions.