How to get a federal Brewer's Notice
How does a new brewery apply for a federal Brewer's Notice from TTB?
- Form the entity and get its EIN from the IRS
- Register for a Permits Online account
- Prepare the Form 5130.10 data
- Check whether the bond exemption applies
- Submit the application with supporting documents
- Wait for the issuance letter and registry number
- Calendar the amendments that ownership changes require
What the Brewer's Notice is, and who it belongs to
The Brewer's Notice is the federal permit to operate a brewery, issued by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. It belongs to the business entity that applies, not to the brewer as a person.
That distinction matters twice. It decides what happens when ownership of the brewery changes, because the permit follows the entity. And it is the reason the entity and its tax identity must exist before the application.
The regulation behind the notice is 27 CFR Part 25, and the form itself is TTB Form 5130.10. If you have not chosen an entity yet, the LLC page covers the choice first.
TTB F 5130.10The Brewer's Notice is prepared on Form 5130.10 under the qualification requirements of 27 CFR 25.61 through 25.68. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
What you need before the application
The application needs a legal entity and an Employer Identification Number. The entity comes from the state filing, and the EIN comes from the IRS.
TTB states the EIN rule directly: an applicant without a taxpayer identification number must obtain one from the IRS by completing Form SS-4. The number is free from the IRS.
You also need the brewery's address, the equipment you will use, and a sense of your production. TTB asks about the premises and the operation, not just the name. The full order, including the state filing before it, is in the opening guide.
Form SS-4A brewery applicant without a taxpayer identification number must obtain one from the IRS by completing Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
Filing online or on paper
File online through Permits Online, TTB's application system, or on paper. Online is the usual route, and for a practical reason.
A paper application must bear the original ink signature of the authorized person, and a surety bond on paper carries the same requirement plus the surety seal. The online system takes care of signatures and attachments.
TTB contacts the applicant during review, and the application is not complete without the essential forms and documents. Answer promptly, because the clock runs from a complete file.
When filing a paper application, the Brewer's Notice must bear the original ink signature of the authorized person, and the application is not complete without the essential forms and documents. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
The bond, and the exemption most small breweries use
The default rule requires a bond covering operations, filed with the original notice. Most small breweries never post one, because of an exemption that follows the tax return period.
A brewer paying tax on a deferred basis, eligible for an annual or quarterly return period, is not required to provide a bond under 27 CFR 25.91(e). A brewery liable for $50,000 or less in federal beer excise tax in the preceding calendar year, expecting the same this year, files quarterly and fits the exemption.
Brewers outside the exemption file the Brewer's Bond, TTB Form 5130.22, through a surety company. A person may not begin or continue business as a brewer until TTB has approved the bond or its continuation.
27 CFR 25.91(e)Under 27 CFR 25.91(e), a brewer paying tax on a deferred basis who is eligible for an annual or quarterly return period is not required to provide a bond. — Code of Federal Regulations via Cornell LII, retrieved 2026-09-29
$50,000A brewer may file quarterly federal excise tax returns if liable for $50,000 or less in beer excise taxes in the preceding calendar year and reasonably expecting the same for the current year. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
What arrives after approval
Approval arrives as an issuance letter. It carries the registry number and the compliance duties that start immediately: labeling rules, operational reports and recordkeeping.
The reporting clock starts on approval, not on your opening day. Quarterly operations reports on TTB Form 5130.26 or monthly reports on TTB Form 5130.9 begin with the notice in force.
Records must be kept at the brewery premises, available for inspection during business hours, and preserved for at least three years from the transaction date or the last entry, whichever is later.
3 yearsOperational reports begin upon approval of the Brewer's Notice, on TTB Form 5130.26 quarterly or TTB Form 5130.9 monthly, and records must be preserved for at least three years. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
Ownership changes need amendments, not silence
The permit is issued to the entity. When control of that entity moves, TTB expects an amendment, and the thresholds are lower than many owners guess.
A change in actual or legal control covers changes in stock ownership, LLC membership ownership, or major changes in officers and directors. A separate amendment covers any stockholder or interest holder at 10 percent or more, with an Owner Officer Information Application for each new person.
Selling half your brewery to a new partner is not a private matter. It is a federal filing, and the same ownership movement has state consequences, covered in the Montana license guide and the LLC page.
A change in control occurs with changes in stock ownership, LLC membership ownership, or major changes in a corporation's officers or directors. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
10 percentAny stockholder or interest holder holding 10 percent or more requires an amendment with an Owner Office Information Application for each new person. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
The state application waits on this one
Montana will not take a brewery license application until the Brewer's Notice exists. Once the issuance letter arrives, the state filing can start the same week.
The state application, its $500 fee and its June 30 renewal cycle are covered on the Montana license guide. The federal notice is the slow step. Start it first, and use the waiting period for the premises work.
Questions during the federal application go to TTB's National Revenue Center, reachable at 877-882-3277. When the federal and state paperwork is done, close it out with the opening checklist.
To apply for a Montana brewery license, you must first have a Brewer's Notice issued by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. — Montana Department of Revenue, retrieved 2026-09-29
877-882-3277TTB's National Revenue Center, which handles permit and application questions for breweries, is reachable at 877-882-3277. — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Does the Brewer's Notice cost anything to apply for?
The application itself carries no fee from TTB. The costs around it are the entity filing and the surety bond if one is required. Most small breweries qualify for the bond exemption and file no bond at all.
Can one person hold the Brewer's Notice for two breweries?
The notice belongs to the business entity, and each brewery premises needs its own qualified notice covering operations at that brewery. A second location means another application, not a wider permit.
How long does TTB take to approve a Brewer's Notice?
It depends on the queue and on how complete the application is. TTB says it will contact the applicant if more information is needed, and the application is not complete until the essential forms and documents are in. Ask the National Revenue Center for current processing times.
Do I need a new Brewer's Notice if I add a co-owner?
Usually not a new notice, but an amendment. A change in control or a new interest holder at 10 percent or more requires an Owner Office Information Application through Permits Online. The entity keeps operating; the paperwork changes.
What happens if my bond expires before I renew it?
Under TTB rules, if a new bond or continuation certificate is not filed and approved by the expiration effective date, you may no longer conduct brewery operations, and you must re-qualify with a new Brewer's Notice, a new bond and all related qualifying documents.