When service ends, who needs a licence, what the bill and the team cost, and the nights that fill the city, for anyone running a club, lounge or bar here.
What the province and the City ask of a licensed room, from the end of service to the door. Liquor licences come from the AGLC.
These are the maximums: the hours endorsed on your licence can be shorter. Last call has to be timed so every drink ordered is served before service ends. At a Class A Minors Prohibited room, guests leave when the hour of consumption ends. When the clocks change, service ends before the change.
Owners who manage the room, managers, supervisors, bartenders, servers, greeters and hosts need ProServe, and so does security staff.
MoreNew hires have 30 days from their start date. Staff show proof on request, on paper or as a clear photo on their phone. Kitchen, bus and cleaning staff are exempt.
Source: AGLCSecurity staff, employed or contracted, and anyone who supervises them need ProTect as well as ProServe, within 30 days of hire.
MoreAt least one ProTect-certified person must be on shift at all times. Other provinces’ certificates don’t count for ProTect.
Source: AGLCAlberta licenses security guards: $100, valid two years, with approved training and a provincial exam.
MoreThe AGLC handbook treats door staff as ProTect-certified security staff. Ask Alberta Justice whether your own door staff need the provincial licence too.
Source: Government of AlbertaAsk for ID from anyone who looks under 25 who buys alcohol or tries to enter a room that keeps minors out.
MorePrimary ID has a photo, a name, a date of birth and a unique number, is issued by a government and hasn’t expired. A “No Minors” sign goes at every entrance.
Source: AGLCFood Service, Alcohol Beverage Sales and Entertainment Establishment licences each cost $330 new and $248 to renew.
MoreApply for several together and the highest fee is charged once. Planning and building permit fees are separate.
Source: City feesA non-residential property may not exceed 85 dBA measured over one hour, day or night. Downtown the limit is 75 dBA by day and 60 dBA at night.
MoreNight starts at 10 p.m. Where the ambient sound is already at or above the limit, yours must exceed it by more than 5 dBA to be an offence.
Source: City noise limitsA permit lets you break the noise bylaw from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and to 9 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. Apply 7 to 30 days ahead.
MoreIt costs nothing and lasts up to 14 days. It can be revoked if noise isn’t kept down, and isn’t issued for private gatherings.
Source: City noise permitA patio needs a permit: a development permit on private property, seasonal permission or a licence of occupation on public property.
MoreThe seasonal public-property season runs from mid-May to mid-October. A pre-application is encouraged.
Source: City of CalgarySpirits can’t sell below $2.75 per 28.5 ml, bottled or canned beer below $2.75, and draught beer below $0.16 per 28.5 ml.
MoreNo free liquor, “2 for 1” or all-you-can-drink for a fixed price. Bottle service is poured by staff with a measure, and a 26 oz bottle costs at least $71.50.
Source: AGLCBuy only from an AGLC-approved warehouse, a licensed Alberta manufacturer or a Class D retailer.
MoreWarehouse orders go to Connect Logistics Services by phone or at liquorconnect.com, with your licence number and the six-digit product code.
Source: AGLCA one-off dance event expecting 299 or more people, at a venue that doesn’t usually hold them, needs the City’s Extended Dance Event licence.
MoreApply 45 days ahead with a security plan, a medical plan and landowner consent. A police background check is required.
Source: City event licencesA bar or nightclub where liquor is the main business needs the AGLC’s Class A Minors Prohibited licence, on top of the City business licence. The path runs in this order.
The City says not to sign a lease before you’ve checked location approval. A use that isn’t listed for a land use district isn’t allowed there, and a discretionary use is reviewed against policy and neighbours.
Source: City of CalgaryContact AGLC Regulatory Services early with the address, a floor plan with kitchen equipment, applicant details, a food menu and the application fee. Directors, shareholders and the manager each need a criminal record check from the RCMP or local police, from the last 90 days. Online and third-party checks aren’t accepted.
Source: AGLC applicationSource: AGLC Class A sheetSource: AGLC feesThe AGLC posts the application on aglc.ca for seven calendar days. Objections must be in writing and arrive within that time. It won’t weigh objections that are the City’s job, including social or moral ones.
Source: AGLCWith no objections, send the certificate of incorporation, the lease or title, approvals from other regulators including federal and municipal, and the annual licence fee.
Source: AGLC Class A sheetSource: AGLC feesAn AGLC inspector checks the room was built as approved. The AGLC typically issues an interim licence at the inspection.
Source: AGLC Class A sheetIssued by the AGLC
General information, not legal advice. Laws and licence conditions change and vary by venue. Confirm with the AGLC or the City before acting on it.
How a table’s bill adds up once tax and a service charge are on it, and what guests pay at the door.
| Minimum spend | $1,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Service charge 20%, added by the venue | $200.00 |
| GST 5% of both lines | $60.00 |
| Guest pays | $1,260.00 |
| Tip the guest chooses to add | No tax |
Alberta has no provincial sales tax, so GST at 5% is the only tax on the bill.
Source: Canada Revenue AgencyA service charge the venue adds to the bill, mandatory or suggested, carries GST. A tip the guest freely gives doesn’t.
Source: Canada Revenue AgencyThe Employment Standards Code leaves tips out of wages and sets no rules for them. Each workplace decides how tips are handled.
Source: Government of AlbertaRough estimates for tickets and bottle-service tables, from public listings and venues’ own pages.
$10 to $35
Typically about $20
Calgary clubs sell through ticket sellers rather than their own pages, so this is the range Toronto and Vancouver clubs publish for a Thursday to Saturday club night.
$250 to $750
A typical table, about $550
Calgary clubs quote tables privately, so this is the range Toronto clubs publish for a weekend table, before tax and service. Expect bigger rooms and holiday nights to run higher.
Figures are estimates from the sources and samples listed. They change often and may be wrong. Check with the venue or the relevant authority before relying on them. Venues and events named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Hourly wages for the roles a night runs on, and the rules on tips.
| Role | Range, low to high | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Bartenders$15.00 to $40.00 | $19.50 | |
| Servers$15.50 to $30.00 | $19.00 | |
| Hosts (Alberta)$15.00 to $25.00 | $18.00 | |
| Security and door$17.25 to $45.60 | $22.00 | |
| Cooks$15.00 to $23.00 | $18.00 | |
| Managers$17.03 to $43.75 | $27.69 |
Minimum wage $15.00 an hourSource: Government of Alberta
Bar: lowest to highest wage reported. Dot: median. Source: Job Bank
Tips aren’t wages and aren’t covered by the Employment Standards Code. Each workplace decides how tips are handled.
Source: Government of AlbertaA service charge you add to the bill, mandatory or suggested, carries GST. A tip freely given doesn’t.
Source: Canada Revenue AgencyEveryone earns at least $15 an hour. Students under 18 earn $13 for their first 28 hours a week in school weeks. The province lists no liquor server rate, and wages don’t include tips.
Source: Government of Alberta
The nights that fill a room, or empty it, month by month.
The second half of the season, with Battle of Alberta games, fills the bars around the Saddledome.
Official siteThe dinner and date crowd. When it falls midweek, couples book the weekend before too.
A general holiday in Alberta, so the Sunday before trades like a Saturday.
One of the year’s biggest bar nights, whatever the weekday.
Good Friday is a general holiday. Easter Monday is one only if the employer chooses.
About 100,000 attendees at Stampede Park, by the organiser’s estimate.
Official siteFriday and Saturday nights before the holiday Monday trade strongest.
No city-wide dates
A general holiday.
Ten days, and the city’s biggest stretch for venues.
Official siteFour days at Prince’s Island Park.
Official siteA long weekend, but not a general holiday: staff get it only if the employer chooses.
The last long weekend of summer.
A general holiday Monday, so Sunday trades like a Saturday.
When it falls midweek, the parties run the weekend before.
A general holiday.
Christmas is a general holiday; Boxing Day is optional.
One of the year’s biggest nights.
Calgary’s nightlife districts and the rooms each is known for.
One of Calgary’s most vibrant and historic neighbourhoods, just across the Bow River from downtown and reached by the Peace Bridge.
Tourism Calgary points to a speakeasy-style jazz bar here.
Who lives in the city. These describe Calgary’s population, not any venue’s guests.
Sell tickets, take table bookings with deposits, run the guest list and check guests in at the door, in one place. Built for clubs, lounges and bars.
$15 an hour, the same as most jobs; the province lists no separate liquor server rate. Students under 18 earn $13 for their first 28 hours a week in school weeks. Wages don’t include tips. Job Bank puts the median for Calgary bartenders at $19.50 an hour.
Yes. ProServe is required for owners who manage the room, managers, supervisors, bartenders, servers, greeters, hosts and security staff at a Class A licensed premises. New hires have 30 days from their start date, and staff show proof to an AGLC inspector on request. Kitchen, bus and cleaning staff don’t need it.
ProTect is the AGLC’s training for security. Security staff, employed or contracted, and anyone who supervises them need it as well as ProServe, within 30 days of hire, and at least one ProTect-certified person must be on shift at all times. Certificates from other provinces don’t count for ProTect.
Alberta licenses security guards: $100, valid two years, with approved training and a provincial exam. The AGLC handbook treats door staff as ProTect-certified security staff. Ask Alberta Justice whether your own door staff need the provincial licence as well.
A non-residential property may not exceed 85 dBA measured over one hour, day or night. Downtown the limits are 75 dBA by day and 60 dBA at night, and night starts at 10 p.m. A noise exemption permit, applied for 7 to 30 days ahead at no fee and lasting up to 14 days, lets you break the bylaw for an event.
Yes. Food Service, Alcohol Beverage Sales and Entertainment Establishment licences are each $330 new and $248 to renew, and applying for several together charges the highest fee once. Check location approval before you sign a lease.
Liquor sale and service ends at 2 a.m. at the latest, and every drink must be cleared from patron areas by 3 a.m. The hours on your licence can be shorter than that maximum, and at a Class A Minors Prohibited room guests leave when the hour of consumption ends.
Apply to the AGLC for a Class A Minors Prohibited licence. Start with a preliminary assessment and criminal record checks for directors, shareholders and the manager, then the application is posted for 7 calendar days for objections, you send documents and the annual fee, and an AGLC inspector checks the room. The AGLC and the City publish no processing time.
$200 to apply, one time and non-refundable, and $400 a year for a Class A licence. The City’s business licence is separate, at $330 new and $248 to renew. There is no licence quota or licence market, and a licence can’t be transferred.
Yes. The CRA says a mandatory or suggested service charge added to the bill carries GST at 5%. A tip the guest freely gives does not. Alberta has no provincial sales tax.
18. Staff must ask for ID from anyone who looks under 25 who buys alcohol or tries to enter a room that keeps minors out, and refuse entry if they aren’t satisfied the person is 18.
Not on price alone. Spirits can’t sell below $2.75 per 28.5 ml, bottled or canned beer below $2.75 and draught beer below $0.16 per 28.5 ml, and free liquor, “2 for 1” and all-you-can-drink for a fixed price aren’t allowed.
VenueStack publishes this guide for general information. We take care to keep it accurate and list our sources and review dates, but we can’t guarantee it is complete, current or correct, and we aren’t responsible for decisions made on it. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, minimums and wages are estimates from the samples described and don’t represent any particular venue. Venues, events and organisations named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Data gathered in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
TorontoOntario, Canada
Closing time and extensions, getting a liquor licence, the City nightclub licence, noise limits, HST on service charges, door licensing, wages, ticket prices and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
MontrealQuebec, Canada
Closing time and Nuits Montréal extended hours, the RACJ permis de bar and its fees, entertainment authorisations, borough noise rules, GST on service charges, tips, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
VancouverBritish Columbia, Canada
Hours to 4 a.m., getting a BC liquor licence, Serving It Right, door licensing, PST on liquor, wages and tips, and the year’s big nights.
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