High-Proof Spirituous Liquor Delivery

Yes. The passage of House Bill 674 enables the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Liquor (DOLC) to establish a process for the delivery of high-proof spirituous liquor to personal consumers. Contract Liquor Agencies will not be required to deliver; but if they choose to do so, they will be required to sign an addendum to their contract containing these new process requirements. Additional guidelines from the Contract Liquor Agency Operations Manual must also be followed.
The legislation became effective in April. DOLC's rule was approved by the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) and the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) Office on July 19, 2021. While the rule was approved, there has not been a specific date set for Agencies to begin delivery. The Ohio Liquor (OHLQ) team is finalizing the work to address Contract Liquor Agency expectations and requirements, including an amendment to contracts with DOLC and the JobsOhio Beverage System (JOBS) that will allow stores to deliver to consumers' homes.
No. Delivery is something Contract Liquor Agencies may choose to do. If they choose to deliver, Agencies must follow all requirements.
No. A valid I.D. must be verified and the package signed for at the time of delivery. Further guidance on delivery protocols will be forthcoming.
No permit holder and no agent or employee of a permit holder shall sell or furnish beer or intoxicating liquor to an intoxicated person, per Ohio Revised Code 4301.22(B).
All sizes and proofs of high-proof spirituous liquor will be permitted for delivery except for Everclear (2952B), which requires documentation and approval by DOLC to purchase.
Yes. It must be in its original container.
Contract Liquor Agencies can perform online sales for curbside or in-store pickup at this time, if the Agency has an approved, integrated on-line sales point-of-sale system (POS). Currently, several Agencies have the integrated POS and have been approved to sell high-proof spirituous liquor online for curbside or in-store pickup.
Agencies will be able to select delivery and pick up as an option for their location on Ops.OHLQ.com. That information will be visible on OHLQ.com anywhere the location details are shown.
Reporting Requirements: Agents will be required to report all delivery data to the DOLC. Agencies will need to send Near Real Time Data (NRTD) and Sales Location Data (SLD), identifying the sale was a delivery. They will be required to make sure their POS system is capable of submitting daily sales with this information.
Yes. Near Real Time Data (NRTD) is required for delivery and is a general requirement all Agencies must comply with whether they deliver or not. Integrators must contact the Liquor Enterprise Service Center (LESC) at 877-812-0013 or OhioLiquorInfo@com.ohio.gov to request information or if they have any questions regarding this process.
Yes. Minimum Inventory Levels will adjust as sales grow just as they would without delivery.
Payments must be accepted by the Contract Liquor Agency before delivery may occur. These payments must be accepted online. No payments may be accepted during the delivery.
An Agent may provide retail delivery services directly or contract with a third-party delivery service which holds a valid H-permit issued by DOLC. In either case, the Agent is responsible for ensuring the delivery driver verifies the age of the recipient. No third-party e-commerce application provider or delivery contractor is permitted to accept, exchange, or transact payment for spirituous liquor. Please note, third-party delivery service providers MAY NOT be used for payment from customers for high-proof spirituous liquor. Payment for high-proof spirituous liquor may only be processed by Contract Liquor Agents before a delivery may occur. Third parties are NOT authorized to sell high-proof spirituous liquor, thus, they cannot accept payment for the products.
No. Only Contract Liquor Agencies are permitted to sell high-proof spirituous liquor in its original container for carryout or delivery. A bar/restaurant can sell or deliver up to three drinks to-go for off-premises consumption under certain conditions, including selling a meal with the to-go drink order and ensuring that the to-go drink is in a sealed, closed container.
Yes. A Contract Liquor Agency may set and add a delivery fee.
Yes. A Contract Liquor Agency may set and require a minimum purchase.
Deliveries can only be executed during contractually defined sales hours of 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sundays as defined by Local Option. Contract Liquor Agencies may set delivery windows within those hours of operation.
Yes. Customers can add other items sold by the Contract Liquor Agency to their order.

Phase 2 Deployment FAQs

You can find your 'Go Live' date for LMP Phase 2 by entering your Agency ID here.

It is possible; for example, no deliveries will be made on Fridays once the new Warehouses/Distribution Centers are fully operational. Also, the day of your first delivery your new warehouse will remain the same at least through deployment, which runs to the end of June. Requests for a change in your delivery day will be considered after this date.

To see your last delivery date under the current system and your new delivery day once your Agency converts to the new system, enter your Agency ID here:

DHL will send notifications approximately 36 hours in advance of each delivery. There will be a two-hour window before and after that time during which the truck will arrive. The time may change from week to week as new agencies are added into the routes during deployment and as rush orders get inserted into the routings, etc., but the 36 hour advance notice window will be standard.

Retail Terminal FAQs

You will need to decide if you want to integrate your existing retail terminals, or if you want to use a new Clover retail terminal that will be provided and configured by the liquor enterprise. These solutions are designed to be flexible, and you can select the option that best meets your needs.

All changes must be complete and tested, and ready to integrate on April 1, regardless of where you fall in the rollout schedule.

You will need to begin using a Clover terminal provided by the liquor enterprise - your existing Clover is not properly configured.

Yes, you will receive one Clover terminal for each terminal you currently have based on the most recent terminal audit number.

The Clover terminals will be installed beginning in April 2017, before the rollout of the new system.

The Liquor Enterprise has hired RF-Works to install Clover terminals at no cost to you.

If you integrate your existing terminals, you will be responsible for the IT work needed to integrate. The IT costs to integrate will vary based on your level of technology. You would continue to be responsible for any ongoing support costs for your terminals.
If you use a Clover, the liquor enterprise will pay for the Clover terminal. The liquor enterprise also will pay the monthly service cost for the first two years. Beginning year three, you will be responsible for the monthly service fee - the cost is based on the number of terminals you have:
  • $48.95/month (1-2 terminals)
  • $63.90 (3-4 terminals)
  • $78.85 (5+ terminals)

Yes. You can leverage Clover's functionality and add your product lines later. You also can explore the different apps and features such as scheduling and reporting to see if you want to take advantage of them.

It's relatively easy to add products to Clover. Clover has resources to help with this. The vendor who installs your Clover will not be able to add the products for you, but can advise you. All of the liquor products will already be in your Clover when you receive it.

No, you don't have to start taking credit cards. However, if you do, Clover offers the ability to process chip card transactions, and the liquor enterprise has negotiated reduced merchant fees. If you do want to start accepting credit cards, you may want to talk with your banker to make sure you have your accounts set up to allow you to do so.

No. The reduced merchant fees are part of the Clover terminal.