U.S. state · federal alcohol permits
Alcohol permits in California
Every TTB Federal Basic Permit holder in California - wineries, distilleries, importers, and wholesalers, from the public List of Permittees.
- 20,928
- Total permits
- #1
- National rank
- 53.7
- Per 100k residents
- 896
- Cities covered
California in one line
California holds 20,928 federal alcohol permits, led by wholesalers (9,309) - at 53.7 per 100,000 residents, the 2nd densest state.
- #1
- by total permits
- #2
- by permits per capita
- 6,399
- wineries
- 561
- distilleries
Source: TTB List of Permittees (April 2025) · Census Vintage-2023 population.
According to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) List of Permittees, published April 2025, 83,590 federal alcohol Basic Permits are on file across 52 states and territories. This page lists every holder with premises in the state, drawn directly from that public federal record; see the methodology for details.
Permit mix
How California's 20,928 permits split across the four classes.
Top cities in California
Bar length = federal alcohol permit holders in the city
- Napa
Napa, California
1,798 permits
- Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
838 permits
- Paso Robles 641
Paso Robles, California
641 permits
- Santa Rosa 622
Santa Rosa, California
622 permits
- San Francisco 573
San Francisco, California
573 permits
- Healdsburg 535
Healdsburg, California
535 permits
- San Diego 500
San Diego, California
500 permits
- Saint Helena 489
Saint Helena, California
489 permits
- Sonoma 482
Sonoma, California
482 permits
- Calistoga 336
Calistoga, California
336 permits
All permit holders (20,928)
Page 274 of 419Related guides
State Alcohol Regulations →
How state ABC rules layer on federal permits.
How to Get a TTB Permit →
The FAA Basic Permit application, step by step.
Wine Industry by State →
Where America's bonded wineries cluster.
Frequently asked questions
How many federal alcohol permits are in California?
California has 20,928 active federal alcohol Basic Permits - 6,399 wineries, 561 distilleries, 4,659 importers, and 9,309 wholesalers. That is the 1st most of any U.S. state or territory.
What is California's per-capita permit rate?
California has 53.7 federal alcohol permits per 100,000 residents (U.S. Census Vintage-2023 population), ranking 2nd by density. Per-capita rates are high in wine- and spirits-producing states with smaller populations.
Which California city has the most permit holders?
Napa leads California with 1,798 federal alcohol permit holders, followed by Los Angeles, Paso Robles, Santa Rosa.
Are breweries included?
No. Breweries do not hold an FAA Basic Permit, they operate under a Brewer's Notice (IRC §6103, protected from disclosure), so they are not in the public TTB List of Permittees this directory is built from.
Where does this data come from?
The TTB FOIA "List of Permittees," published April 2025, public U.S. government data, reformatted without alteration.
Sources: TTB FOIA List of Permittees (April 2025) · U.S. Census Bureau Vintage-2023 population estimates for per-capita rates (Verify with the Census Bureau →). Reformatted without alteration; confirm any record against the official TTB list.
Every figure on PlainAlcohol is rendered directly from federal TTB permit data, no number is typed in by an editor. This state count is rendered directly from the TTB List of Permittees, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.