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: AGLCA bar, pub, lounge or nightclub needs the City’s Alcohol Sales (Minors Prohibited) licence, a Tier 5 category: $728 for one year and $1,387 for two.
MorePolice Information Checks under 90 days old are needed for every owner, director and manager. Edmonton Police are consulted, and Fire Rescue inspects separately.
Source: City feesA bar or after-hours club needs a City-approved operational plan before it is licensed, covering noise, patron management, security and safety.
MoreAllow at least 15 business days for review. Keep a copy on site, keep an incident log and have staff wear a uniform or visible identification, or face fines.
Source: City operational planAfter 10 p.m. and before 7 a.m., sound may not top 60 dB(A) at the property line of a non-residential neighbour, or 50 dB(A) at a residential one. By day the limit is 75 dB(A) for a non-residential neighbour.
MoreIt is measured at the property line. The owner or occupier is responsible for what comes out of the building, and officers can also judge by impact, not only by a reading.
Source: City noise limitsA temporary permit lets you exceed the bylaw limits. Apply at least 7 days ahead, explain the noise and say how you will reduce it. It is free and runs up to 90 days.
MorePrivate functions such as weddings and birthdays don’t qualify. Breaching the bylaw or the permit brings fines of $250 to $500.
Source: City noise permitThe City offers four patio options on public space, from a free small sidewalk patio to a parklet in the curb lane at $3,700 a season or $6,900 year-round.
MoreLarger options need a plan, $2 million of liability insurance and a noise plan, and the AGLC must extend your licence to the patio.
Source: City of EdmontonSpirits 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: AGLCIn designated areas, guests can carry a drink from a participating venue into the street during activated events, in an approved to-go cup, and must finish it before leaving.
MoreThe areas are 78 Avenue, Rice Howard Way and 104 Street. The City activates them for events, and no extra alcohol permit or fenced liquor area is needed.
Source: City of EdmontonA room with dancing to live or recorded music between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. needs the City’s After Hours Dance Club licence, also Tier 5, and no alcohol may be on the premises.
MoreIt must offer free running water and a cool-off area with no dancing, and refuse anyone who was inside in the previous 8 hours.
Source: City bylawA bar or nightclub needs the City’s business licence first, then the AGLC’s Class A Minors Prohibited licence within two weeks. The path runs in this order.
A use allowed in the zone still isn’t automatically approved. The City advises speaking with staff before you sign a lease, and tells you of any development or building permit needed before the licence can issue.
Source: City applicationSource: City of EdmontonApply in the City’s self-serve portal for Alcohol Sales (Minors Prohibited), and choose a one-year or two-year licence. You need government photo ID, and a Police Information Check from the Edmonton Police Service, under 90 days old, for every owner, partner, director, officer and manager.
Source: City applicationSource: City categoriesSource: City feesThe City must approve your operational plan before it licenses you. Its Public Safety Compliance Team needs at least 15 business days to review it.
Source: City operational planThe Edmonton Police Service is consulted and typically has up to 15 business days to recommend. Fire Rescue inspects after the licence is issued, typically within 10 business days, and charges its own fee.
Source: City applicationSource: City feesYou can apply before or during the City process. Start with a preliminary assessment, with criminal record checks for directors, shareholders and the manager from the last 90 days. The AGLC posts the application for 7 days for objections, then asks for documents and the annual fee.
Source: AGLC applicationSource: AGLC Class A sheetSource: AGLC feesSource: AGLCThe AGLC licence must follow within 2 weeks of the City licence, or the City licence is automatically suspended. An AGLC inspector checks the room as built and typically issues an interim licence at the final inspection.
Source: City categoriesSource: 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 $30
Typically about $15
Generalised from published club-night prices in Toronto and Vancouver; no Edmonton venue publishes an amount on its own page.
$250 to $600
A typical table, about $350
Generalised from table minimums published by Toronto venues and a Calgary club; no Edmonton venue publishes an amount on its own page.
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$18.00 to $25.00 | $20.00 | |
| Servers$15.00 to $25.00 | $18.00 | |
| Hosts$15.00 to $20.00 | $17.00 | |
| Security and door$17.00 to $28.50 | $20.00 | |
| Cooks$15.30 to $23.50 | $18.00 | |
| Managers$18.00 to $42.00 | $25.64 |
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.
No city-wide dates
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, so the Thursday and Saturday trade.
The first long weekend of patio season.
No city-wide dates
A general holiday, with fireworks and festival crowds before the bar trade.
A fair with nightly concerts at the Exhibition Lands; Whyte Avenue and downtown pick up the overflow.
Official siteNot a general holiday, but many venues treat it as a long weekend.
Four days at Gallagher Park bring an out-of-town crowd, with evening trade in Old Strathcona.
Official siteEleven days of theatre centred on Old Strathcona, with the crowd lingering in Whyte Avenue’s bars.
Official siteThe last long weekend of summer, with student return after it.
A general holiday Monday, so the Sunday trades like a Saturday.
Game nights at Rogers Place bring pre-game and post-game trade across the ICE District and downtown.
Official siteCostume parties; the Friday and Saturday nearest it trade strongest.
A general holiday, so the night before trades.
Christmas is a general holiday; Boxing Day is optional.
One of the year’s biggest nights for tables and tickets.
Edmonton’s nightlife districts and the rooms each is known for.
Whyte Avenue’s nearly 600 businesses include many dining and drinking spots, with frequent festivals and theatres.
104 Street is lined with restaurants, cafés and bars, and Rogers Place anchors arena nights.
The City names Double Dragon, a music venue, on Jasper Avenue downtown.
Ranked by monthly Google searches in Canada for each venue’s name with the city, as Ahrefs estimates them. Few rooms publish a capacity, so this measures demand, not size. Only rooms that their own site or the tourism board shows open are listed.
| Rank | Venue | Nights | Music | Published price | Monthly searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | On The RocksClubJasper Avenue · 11740 Jasper AveSource: Search estimatesSource: On The Rocks | Daily to 2 a.m. | DJs Fri and Sat, salsa lessons Thu | Not listed | 600 |
| 2 | The BowerClubJasper Avenue · 10538 Jasper AveSource: Search estimatesSource: The Bower | Fri and Sat from 8 p.m. | Not listed | Not listed | 300 |
| 3 | Clandestine NightclubClubDowntown and the ICE District · 10104 114 St NWSource: Search estimatesSource: Clandestine Nightclub | Saturdays | Latin DJs | Not listed | 100 |
| 4 | Cook County SaloonClubGateway Blvd · 8010 Gateway Blvd NWSource: Search estimatesSource: Cook County Saloon | Thursday line dancing | Live country bands | Not listed | 100 |
| 5 | Evolution WonderloungeClubJasper Avenue · 11508 Jasper AveSource: Search estimatesSource: Evolution Wonderlounge | Daily from 4 p.m. | DJs and dancing Fri and Sat | Not listed | 10 |
| 6 | The Illusion LoungeLoungeDowntown and the ICE DistrictSource: Search estimatesSource: The Illusion Lounge | Fridays and Saturdays | Latin Fridays, open format Saturdays | Not listed | 10 |
| 7 | Daisy's SaloonClubOld Strathcona · 10505 82 Ave NW #200Source: Search estimatesSource: Daisy's Saloon | Fri and Sat from 7 p.m. | Live country, line dancing | Cover $8 after 9 p.m. | 10 |
Venues named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide. Details come from each venue’s own pages and can change; a venue can ask us to correct or remove its entry.
Who lives in and visits the city. These describe Edmonton’s population and visitors, 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 Edmonton bartenders at $20 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.
Yes. A bar, pub, lounge or nightclub needs the City’s Alcohol Sales (Minors Prohibited) licence, a Tier 5 category at $728 for one year or $1,387 for two. You need a Police Information Check for every owner, director and manager and a City-approved operational plan, and the AGLC licence must follow within 2 weeks.
After 10 p.m. and before 7 a.m., sound may not top 60 dB(A) at the property line of a non-residential neighbour, or 50 dB(A) at a residential one. By day the limit is 75 dB(A) for a non-residential neighbour. The owner or occupier is responsible for what comes out of the building.
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. In Edmonton the AGLC licence must follow the City business licence within 2 weeks.
$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 $728 for one year. There is no licence quota or licence market, and a licence can’t be transferred.
A City licence category for a room with dancing to live or recorded music between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. No alcohol may be on the premises. It is a Tier 5 licence, and the room must offer free running water and a cool-off area and refuse anyone who was inside in the previous 8 hours.
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.
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.
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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