WE HELP WITH TABC LICENSING TABC VIOLATION DEFENSE DRAM SHOP DEFENSE COMPTROLLER AUDITS
Texas TABC Attorneys | Licensing, Defense & Compliance
Griffith & Hughes is a Texas law firm focused exclusively on TABC licensing and alcohol law. We help businesses obtain, defend, and maintain Texas liquor licenses across the state.
85+ years of combined TABC experience. 400+ cases handled before SOAH, County Courts, District Courts, and Appellate Courts.
Our office is in the same building as the TABC Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Office in Arlington.
We represent restaurants, bars, liquor stores, private clubs, hotels, convenience stores, breweries, wineries, distilleries, and entertainment venues statewide.
Why Griffith & Hughes
Our Director of Licensing, Tana Travis Kerss, spent 32 years at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. She served as Regional Licensing Supervisor for the DFW and East Texas region (Region 2), helped develop the TABC AIMS licensing system, and holds a TCOLE Master Peace Officer License. She is the President of the TABC Retired Agents Association.
When your application hits a complication, our team does not guess how TABC will respond. We know how they work because we built and ran the processes they use.
We Litigate When Others Cannot
Licensing services and consultants submit paperwork. When a city refuses to sign, when a county clerk misapplies the TABC Code, when the comptroller blocks your L-Cert, they stop. We do not. We file suit and compel certification. We defend violations before SOAH. We challenge emergency suspensions. During the COVID shutdowns, Ryan Hughes litigated one of the only successful emergency suspension order hearings in the state.
Comptroller Audit Track Record
Our managing attorney has negotiated six-figure reductions on multiple comptroller mixed beverage tax audit assessments. We do not just handle licensing. We protect your bottom line after the permit is issued.
TABC Licensing
Texas TABC Attorneys Who Get Liquor Licenses Approved
Obtaining a TABC license is a legal process involving state law, city ordinances, city and county certification, and comptroller approval. One misstep can delay your opening by months or permanently block your business from the alcohol industry.
We handle the entire TABC licensing process:
- Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs
- Hotels and entertainment venues
- Convenience stores and gas stations
- Package stores (liquor stores)
- Breweries, wineries, and distilleries
- Private clubs
We do not simply submit applications. We identify legal obstacles before they surface, structure entities to avoid Tied House violations, secure L-Cert certification from cities, counties, and the comptroller, and litigate when any of them refuse to comply.
The L-Cert Problem Most Applicants Discover Too Late
The TABC AIMS system lists L-Cert certification as one of the final steps. In practice, it should be the first. Getting the city, county, and comptroller to sign the L-Cert form takes the most time in the licensing process. Some cities require the county to sign first. Dallas requires Dallas County to sign before the city will consider the application. Tarrant County requires the reverse. The comptroller will refuse to sign if any officer of the applicant entity has delinquent taxes, even taxes owed by a different, unrelated entity.
We start with L-Cert coordination because we have done this hundreds of times and know the sequence for every major Texas jurisdiction.
OUR TEAM
TABC Attorneys & Consultants
RYAN HUGHES
MANAGING ATTORNEY
400+ TABC cases. Defended one of the only successful emergency suspension hearings during COVID shutdowns. Negotiated six-figure reductions on comptroller audit assessments.
TANA TRAVIS KERSS
DIRECTOR OF LICENSING
*Not A Licensed Attorney*
32 years at TABC. Former Regional Licensing Supervisor, Region 2 (DFW/East Texas). Helped develop the AIMS licensing system. TCOLE Master Peace Officer License. President, TABC Retired Agents Association
Texas Liquor License Types
Common TABC Permits We Handle
Key Subordinate Permits
Food & Beverage Certificate (FB): Attaches to MB, BG, N, and other retail permits. Allows to-go alcohol sales with food, exempts from conduct surety bond requirements, and may eliminate the 51% firearms sign posting requirement depending on alcohol sales ratio. As of January 2022 (SB 911), businesses that operate permanent commercial cooking equipment and offer multiple entrees qualify as a “restaurant” under the TABC Code and are exempt from the 60% alcohol sales cap.
Late Hours Permit (LH): Allows alcohol service between midnight and 2:00 AM. Availability depends on local population thresholds or city/county ordinance.
Brewpub License (BP): Attaches to MB, BG, or BE. Authorizes on-site beer manufacturing and sales.
Tied House restriction: Texas prohibits holding interests in more than one tier (retail, distribution, manufacturing). We verify tier compliance before you apply to prevent permanent structural violations.
85+
years of experience
How We Handle Your TABC License
We manage your TABC license from strategy through approval:
- Permit Strategy & Tier Analysis We determine which permits fit your business model and verify you have no Tied House conflicts before you invest in a location.
- Wet/Dry & Location Verification We confirm the proposed location is wet for your permit type. The TABC spreadsheet is a starting point, not a final answer; only the city or county clerk can make an official determination.
- L-Cert Coordination We manage the city, county, and comptroller certification sequence. We know which jurisdictions sign first, which require the others to sign first, and how to resolve comptroller tax holds.
- AIMS Application Filing We prepare and submit the AIMS application with all required documentation, publication notices, and signage requirements.
- Issue Resolution & Litigation When a city or county refuses to certify, we first educate officials on their legal obligations. If they still refuse, we file suit to compel certification under the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code.
- Post-Approval Compliance We provide Safe Harbor Defense documentation, written alcohol policies, seller-server certification guidance, and comptroller audit preparation.
When Cities Refuse to Sign
We Fight Cities That Illegally Block TABC Licenses
Cities and counties may only regulate alcohol sales when the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code explicitly allows it. Many local governments exceed their authority. They impose ordinances that are not authorized, apply distance measurements incorrectly, or simply refuse to certify applications for reasons that have no basis in state law.
Most applicants do not know they can challenge these refusals. Most licensing services cannot. We can.
Our approach:
- We send a formal letter to the city or county explaining TABC preemption and why their refusal is unlawful.
- If the city or county still refuses, we file suit under the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code to compel certification.
- We regularly handle distance variance applications before City Councils and County Commissioners’ Courts.
This is where licensing services stop and TABC attorneys take over.
