Alaska liquor license queue hits 59; oldest new application from January

Alaska's Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office is working through a backlog of 59 unprocessed liquor license applications, some dating to January 2026, according to a June 17 Licensing Report memo to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Alcohol Licensing Supervisor Sonya Irwin reported 34 transfer applications in the queue, the oldest from February 2026, alongside 25 new applications, the oldest dating to January 2026. An additional 11 endorsement applications are waiting to be processed, with 22 more already on board agendas. The 33 endorsements received span multiple categories: 15 restaurant endorsements, four manufacturer sampling endorsements, four package store shipping endorsements, three package store sampling endorsements, two hotel/motel endorsements, two multiple fixed counter endorsements, and one each for bowling alley, package store delivery, and package store repackaging.

Renewals add further pressure. Of the 1,198 applications due for the 2026-2027 cycle, adjusted upward from an original count of 1,152, 209 remain in the processing queue while 989 are already on board agendas.

Irwin's memo cautioned that even those figures undercount the actual workload. Staff are simultaneously running AK-ACCIS, the state's online portal for alcohol and cannabis licensing, and maintaining the legacy system during the transition. Testing and rolling out the new system while keeping the old one running have added to staff strain, alongside vacancies and applicant meetings.

"Please note that these numbers do not reflect various, other applications and various, other tasks such as: applications already assigned to an examiner to work on, intake of applications, change of officials, business name changes, phone calls, emails, review of management agreements, the implementation of AK-ACCIS including testing, the maintenance of having two systems of dealing with applications, training of new staff, covering for shortages of vacancies, and meetings with applicants to assist, etc.," Irwin wrote.

Businesses or applicants with questions can reach AMCO at (907) 269-0350.