Skip to main content

Liquor liability insurance helps protect businesses from alcohol-related incidents.

Liquor Liability Insurance - Close-up View of a Bartender Pouring Red Wine into a Glass over an Antique Bar with Bottles Blurred in the Distance

Home » Business Insurance » Liquor Liability Insurance

If your business sells or serves alcohol, liquor liability insurance is a must.

Your business may be responsible for alcohol-related incidents.

While it might seem unfair, you can be held responsible if you sell alcohol to a customer who then causes property damage or injury to themselves or others while intoxicated. Even if you win in a court case, you could still face legal costs defending a claim. That’s a big problem, as many business policies specifically exclude any claim resulting from an alcohol-related incident. With liquor liability insurance, these costs may be covered by your policy.

Interactive Graphic
  1. Step 1Click hotspots.
  2. Step 2Discover risks.
  3. Step 3Get coverage.
Liquor Liability
Drunk Driver Coverage
Risk Factor

A guest who has had too much is a danger to themselves and others behind the wheel. And if you served them, you could be at fault.

Solution

Liquor Liability may help cover damages, costs, and legal expenses related to an intoxicated guest who drives and causes an accident.

Slips and Falls Coverage
Risk Factor

If a guest is drinking, they may be more likely to trip, slip, or otherwise fall and become injured. And if you over-served them, you could be held responsible.

Solution

Liquor Liability can cover situations in which you are held accountable for overserving a guest who becomes injured as a result.

Over-Served Coverage
Risk Factor

If a bartender or other staff member is unaware that a guest has had too much to drink, they may serve excessively. If that guest causes harm or damage, your business may be on the hook.

Solution

Liquor Liability can cover claims where a person who became intoxicated at your establishment causes harm, even off-site.

Assault and Battery Coverage
Risk Factor

Alcohol can be fun, but it can also lead to altercations and fights that lead to injuries, lawsuits, and plenty of regret.

Solution

Liquor Liability often includes coverage for assaults or fights that occur due to intoxication, potentially covering injuries, damage to property, legal fees, and settlements.

Legal Coverage
Risk Factor

For some people, drinking at a bar or restaurant is the beginning of their night, not the end. If they cause problems in another location, the injured party may hold you legally responsible.

Solution

Liquor Liability may offer legal protection for instances resulting from alcohol use in your establishment, covering legal fees, damages, and more due to a covered accident.

Did You Know?

Liquor liability limits are “per common cause”. “Common cause” means “injury” sustained by one or more persons or organizations as the result of the selling, serving or furnishing of any alcoholic beverage to any one person.

Alcohol was first sold in a unit of measurement called a dram. Establishments that sold drams of alcohol were referred to as dram shops. Today, liquor liability insurance is still often referred to as “dram shop insurance”.

It takes about 2 hours for 1.5 ounces of alcohol to pass through the body.

Dram shop statutes in most states make no reference to Blood Alcohol Content or BAC.

Eligible businesses for liquor liability.

Any business that sells or provides alcohol has a liquor liability exposure. In some states, liquor liability insurance is required to hold a liquor license. Bevspec Insurance Solutions will accept liquor liability submissions for any risk with an alcohol exposure including:

  • Taverns
  • Restaurants
  • Nightclubs
  • Gentlemen’s clubs
  • Breweries
  • Distilleries
  • Wineries
  • C stores
  • Golf courses
  • Fraternal organizations
  • Special events
  • Festivals

Additional coverage options to consider.

Liquor liability insurance covers against such cases, though you’ll need to check precisely what a policy covers. Look for assault and battery coverage, which covers claims against your staff—something that can easily arise if they are escorting a drunk patron off the premises. It may also be worth getting coverage against litigation costs to cover gray area cases where a court awards no damages but each side pays its own legal fees.

Do you run a business that serves or sells alcohol? Contact us to discuss your business and your liquor liability insurance needs.

Find Your Coverage

We’re here to help you explore your coverage options.

Request Information

Contact Bevspec Insurance Solutions

Our Rock Island, IL Office

225 20th Street
Rock Island, IL 61201

 630-613-9473

Let’s Get Started

  1. Step 1Fill out the form.
  2. Step 2Review your options with us.
  3. Step 3Get the coverage you need.

Liquor Liability Insurance Information Request

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name
Please do not include sensitive, private information in this area.

Don’t like forms? Contact us at 630-613-9473 or .