A TTB federal basic permit is the FAA Act authorization to import distilled spirits, wine, or malt beverages; to distill, produce wine, rectify, blend, or bottle; or to buy those products for wholesale resale. It is not a state retail authorization. Track retail renewals on the state ABC retail liquor license page. A city business license does not replace it.
This page owns federal basic-permit status and dates only: permit number, premises, amendments, and the 30-day filing window after a change in proprietorship or control. (General information only - not legal advice. Remindax does not file Permits Online. Confirm with TTB and your advisors. See Sources.)
Remindax tracks permit numbers, premises, status, amendments, and control-change deadlines you log. It does not file Permits Online or state applications. Keep state retail renewals on state ABC retail liquor license tracking and import surety on customs bond tracking.
1. What is TTB federal basic permit tracking?
Tracking means holding each permit's number, premises, issue date, role, status, open amendments, and the person who files if control changes - then reminding that person before day 30 or a status review you set. Permits Online is where TTB takes applications and amendments. Remindax does not file them.
1.1 Four clocks on one basic-permit book
Permit number and premises
The basic permit number, trade names, and the single plant or premises the permit covers.
Status, not a renewal anniversary
Active, amendment pending, surrendered, or at risk of termination. There is no standard annual expiry to copy from the face of the permit.
30-day control or proprietorship window
The date control or ownership changed, and day 30, when a new application must already be on file if operations are to continue.
Amendment and notice follow-ups
Address or trade-name changes, new officers or holders above 10 percent of voting stock, and the owner assigned to close the item.
A basic permit covers one plant or premises (27 CFR 1.29). A distillery, a winery, and a wholesale warehouse are three permits. Certification tracking software still needs a row per permit. A facility operating permit does not authorize FAA Act activity.
2. How long does a TTB federal basic permit last?
A basic permit continues in effect until it is suspended, revoked, annulled, voluntarily surrendered, or automatically terminated. Do not invent an annual renewal date the permit does not have.
A basic permit may not be leased, sold, or otherwise voluntarily transferred. That transfer terminates the permit at once. Transfer by operation of law, or acquisition of actual or legal control, terminates the permit after 30 days unless a new application is filed in that window. A timely filing keeps the outstanding permit in effect until TTB finally acts.
TTB tells wholesalers and importers that a missed 30-day filing means regulated operations must cease until approval. A new owner files a new application. For a change in control, TTB recommends the amended entity application in Permits Online (or TTB F 5100.24 if you still file on paper).
New officers, directors, or holders of more than 10 percent of voting stock require notice to TTB (27 CFR 1.42). More than two years without the authorized operations can lead TTB to start revocation or suspension proceedings (27 CFR 1.50). That is a proceeding, not a printed expiry.
TTB charges no federal fee to apply for or maintain approval, and it recommends Permits Online for originals, amendments, and status. With no anniversary and no fee invoice, the permit stays quiet until a stock sale, a move, or a long stretch without operations forces a filing.
Not every alcohol business holds one. Wine producers and blenders generally do; a bonded wine cellar that does not produce wine needs one only if it blends untaxpaid wine. 27 CFR 1.21 covers distilling, wine, rectifying, blending, and bottling - not brewing alone. A brewery that only makes its own beer often uses a brewer's notice, and needs a basic permit to import or to wholesale goods it did not make. This page tracks basic permits, not brewer's notices.
State agencies renew retail authorizations on their own calendars. A current state credential does not keep a federal permit alive after a transfer. Keep state retail dates on state ABC retail liquor license tracking.
3. Why tracking TTB federal basic permits matters
Missed basic-permit dates stop regulated operations. There is no annual renewal to catch the miss later:
The 30-day window is short
Control or proprietorship changes can terminate the permit unless a new application is filed within 30 days.
The permit cannot be sold with the business
A lease, sale, or other voluntary transfer terminates the basic permit at once. The buyer needs its own qualification path.
Each premises is its own permit
A second plant is not covered by the first permit. Moves and new trade names need amendments.
Importers have a second desk
Keep the permit at the premises. When filing TTB data electronically, file the permit number with CBP. A customs bond is separate.
Wholesalers also keep daily receipt and disposition records, generally for three years, and keep approvals available for TTB. Put basic-permit rows in compliance tracking beside import license dates, not in a state retail column.
4. Who needs to track TTB federal basic permits
Anyone who must keep FAA Act operations qualified feels this when ownership changes faster than the file:
Distilled spirits and wine premises
Permit number per plant, trade-name amendments, and a flag if the company starts selling goods it did not produce.
Importer basic-permit owners
Permit number filed with entries, premises copy on hand, and a separate customs-bond review that is not this permit.
Wholesale and multi-site owners
Control-change calendars, officer and 10-percent-stock notices, and one row per wholesale premises.
Compliance trackingTTB says producers need a wholesaler basic permit only if they sell beverage alcohol they did not make. Log each permit. An FDA registration biennial window is a separate clock, not a basic-permit expiry.
5. What happens when a TTB federal basic permit ends
Failures show up as terminated authority and a stop on regulated operations, not as a late fee:
- !Voluntary transfer - leasing, selling, or otherwise voluntarily transferring the permit terminates it at once. The permit does not travel with the deal.
- !Missed 30-day filing - after a change in proprietorship or control, TTB says operations must cease until approval if the new application is late. Adverse action is possible.
- !Revocation or suspension proceedings - willful violations of permit conditions, or more than two years without the authorized operations, can put the permit into part 71 proceedings.
- !Wrong desk, wrong clock - a state retail renewal is paid while a stock sale has already started the federal 30-day clock.
Paying a state retail renewal, updating a business license, or increasing a customs bond does not revive an FAA Act basic permit. Restoration runs through TTB - Permits Online or the paper path TTB still accepts - and through your counsel.
6. How Remindax tracks TTB federal basic permits
Remindax holds federal authorizations that do not renew on a postcard cycle, beside state retail calendars and not on the same row:
Every permit in one dashboard
Basic permits by number and premises - issue date, role, status, and the owner who files.
Staged deadline reminders
Email, SMS, and WhatsApp before day 30 on a control change, before an amendment follow-up, and on the status review you schedule.
Multi-premises portfolios
Plants, import locations, and wholesale warehouses each keep their own permit row and reminder owner.
Audit-ready history
Dated record of when each reminder fired and when the amendment, notice, or new application was marked handled.
Remindax tracks the dates and status you log. It does not file Permits Online, decide whether a stock transfer is a change in legal control, or replace TTB or your counsel.
Remindax is free to start, with encrypted storage, so these registers can sit beside other calendars before the first reminder fires.
7. Why spreadsheets fail for TTB federal basic permit tracking
One "alcohol permit" column hides a 30-day control change behind a state retail renewal. With no federal anniversary, the cell stays green while the owner has already changed. Automated tracking reminds the right owner before each federal clock closes.
- xOne "alcohol" column mixing the federal basic permit with state retail renewals
- xNo prompt when day 30 after a change in control is closing
- xPermit numbers and amendment notes buried in email threads
- xThe gap surfaces only when operations must already stop
- ✓Separate fields for permit number, premises, status, and control-change dates
- ✓Staged reminders before the 30-day window and amendment follow-ups
- ✓Federal basic-permit register kept distinct from state retail renewals
- ✓Email, SMS, and WhatsApp to production, import, and compliance owners
8. Key takeaways
- ✓A federal basic permit stays in effect until suspended, revoked, annulled, surrendered, or terminated. It is not an annual renewal.
- ✓A voluntary transfer ends the permit at once. A change in control or proprietorship starts a 30-day filing window.
- ✓Each premises needs its own permit. Address, trade name, officer, and stock changes need their own notices.
- ✓State retail renewals belong on state ABC retail liquor license tracking. Customs surety belongs on customs bond tracking.
- ✓Remindax tracks dates and status. It does not file Permits Online. Free to start.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Log the permit number, premises, issue date, role, status, open amendments, and any control-change date plus day 30. Add an owner so the reminder reaches the right person.
No routine expiration. Under 27 CFR 1.43, a basic permit continues until suspended, revoked, annulled, surrendered, or automatically terminated. Track status and event-driven deadlines.
After a change in proprietorship, file a new basic-permit application within 30 days or regulated operations must cease. For a change in control, TTB points wholesalers and importers to an amended entity application in Permits Online. A timely filing keeps the outstanding permit in effect until TTB acts. Selling or otherwise transferring the permit itself terminates it immediately.
No. This page owns the federal basic permit: status, amendments, and control-change deadlines. State retail authorizations usually renew on a calendar. Keep those renewals on the state retail page.
No. Remindax tracks the dates and status you log and sends Email, SMS, and WhatsApp reminders. Original applications, amendments, personnel questionnaires, and eligibility stay with your organization and your counsel.
A customs bond is surety for import obligations. A city or county business license authorizes you to operate in that jurisdiction. A federal basic permit is the FAA Act qualification for specified production, import, or wholesale activity. Track each on its own page.
Yes - hold permit number, premises, status, amendment notes, and control-change dates for every basic permit, each with its own reminders.
Yes - a forever-free plan, no credit card required. Free to start.
Sources & References
This page summarizes public TTB material on FAA Act basic permits. It is not legal advice. Remindax does not file Permits Online. Confirm with TTB and your advisors. Regulation links are the 2024 CFR and the LII e-CFR text.
- *TTB - Federal Alcohol Administration Act
- *TTB - Distilled Spirits Permits (no federal fee; Permits Online)
- *TTB - Distilled Spirits Import/Export/Wholesale
- *TTB - Wine industry federal application process
- *TTB - Changes in proprietorship and control (wholesalers and importers)
- *TTB - Maintaining compliance as an importer, exporter, or wholesaler
- *TTB - Permits Online tutorial
- *GovInfo CFR 2024 - 27 CFR 1.43 (duration of permits)
- *GovInfo CFR 2024 - 27 CFR 1.44 (automatic termination of permits)
- *LII / e-CFR - 27 CFR 1.50 (revocation or suspension)
- *LII / e-CFR - 27 CFR 1.58 (permit at the premises; importer number with CBP)
Never let a basic-permit control-change window close
Track TTB federal basic permit status, amendments, and 30-day deadlines - automatically.
Free to start | Encrypted storage | Setup in under 5 minutes