The City of Bismarck is offering three Class D Liquor Licenses for sale – the first time liquor licenses have been available from the City since January 2023 when sealed bids were accepted for a single license.
Sealed bids must be submitted to the office of the City Administrator, 221 North Fifth Street, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501 (or mailed to PO Box 5503, Bismarck ND 58506-5503) before 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16. Bids will be opened at 4 p.m. that day in the Mayor’s Conference Room on the fourth floor of the City/County Building. A minimum bid of $200,000 is required. Licenses will be awarded based on the highest qualified bids.
“What makes the Class D License so valuable is the lack of restrictions,” explained Assistant City Administrator Doug Wiles. “With so many of our other liquor licenses, you may be limited to off-sale only, or perhaps only beer sales. Some licenses require a specific percentage of sales come from food. With a Class D license, you have the green light to sell as much alcohol as you can legally sell.”
Interested individuals must complete and submit a separate Class D Bid Form (PDF) for each license they wish to bid on. Each form must be accompanied by a bid security equal to 10% of the bid amount, in the form of a certified check or money order payable to the City of Bismarck.
To be awarded a license, applicants must meet all the requirements outlined in City Ordinance Chapter 5-01. The City of Bismarck reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
For more information, contact the City of Bismarck’s Administration Department at 701-355-1300 or visit the City of Bismarck’s website.