The Full LCRB Penalty Table: What Every Contravention Costs

Schedule 2 of BC Regulation 241/2016 sets every monetary penalty and suspension day the LCRB can impose on a licensee or permittee. Fifty-four line items across 18 categories. The range runs from $1,000 for an advertising violation to $25,000 for selling liquor while your licence is suspended. If you've been told "it depends on the contravention," this is the table that determines what it depends on.

The penalties below are administrative, not criminal. Criminal prosecution under LCLA s.57 carries maximums of $100,000 and 12 months imprisonment, but criminal charges are rare. Almost all enforcement follows the administrative path: a Notice of Enforcement Action, a waiver offer, and a penalty from these ranges.

Data vintage. Schedule 2 as consolidated to March 24, 2026. Waiver and enforcement data from the LCRB's 2026 Waiver Summary Report (254 records, February 2023 to November 2025) and 2025 report (208 records, July 2024 to September 2025). Penalty table extracted via structured parsing of Schedule 2 into a 54-row table with 16 fields per item.

How the escalation works

Every contravention has three penalty tiers: first, second, and subsequent. The LCRB looks back 24 months for licensees and 12 months for permittees. If you had a minors contravention 23 months ago and get caught again today, you're in the second-offence column. At 25 months, the clock has reset and you're back to first-offence pricing.

For the first liquor contravention within the lookback window, the licensee chooses between the monetary penalty and a licence suspension. The LCRB doesn't choose for you. That choice disappears for second and subsequent contraventions in some categories, where the General Manager's delegate sets the penalty.

The standard waiver offer is the minimum of the applicable range. A first-offence minors contravention gets offered at $7,000 or 7 days. Contest at hearing and the delegate can impose anything within the range, up to $11,000 or 11 days for a first offence.

The penalty tiers

Three distinct penalty bands cover the 54 items.

Top tier: $7,000 to $25,000. Twenty items carry first-offence minimums of $7,000 and escalate to $25,000 for subsequent contraventions. These are the contraventions the LCRB treats most seriously: unlawful sale of liquor, supplying liquor to minors, allowing violent or disorderly conduct, tied houses and inducements, failure to produce records, and providing false information. The $7,000/$11,000/$25,000 staircase is the one most operators encounter, because selling to a minor (item 7) lives here and accounts for 65% of all enforcement actions.

Middle tier: $3,000 to $15,000. Nineteen items start at $3,000 and top out at $15,000. Serving an intoxicated person, allowing intoxicated patrons to remain, overcrowding beyond occupant load, drink promotions encouraging intoxication, and minors present in the establishment all sit in this band. The $3,000 first-offence minimum is also where most intoxication-related waivers land (3.4% of all waivers in the 2025 report).

Bottom tier: $1,000 to $11,000. Fifteen items start at $1,000 and cap at $11,000 on subsequent offences. SIR training failures, staff drinking while working, allowing liquor to leave the service area, advertising violations, entertainment non-compliance, structural alterations without approval, and the catch-all provision for anything not specifically listed. The $1,000 minimum is the lowest penalty in the schedule. SIR training violations appear here and account for 12% of waivers.

Suspension, cancellation, and obstruction: the $15,000 floor

Six items in one category carry the harshest penalties in the schedule. Selling or serving liquor while your licence is suspended starts at $15,000 and a minimum 15-day suspension, with no escalation discount for first offences. Second and subsequent offences stay in the same $15,000 to $25,000 range but the suspension can run to 90 days.

Obstructing an inspector or peace officer falls into the same category. Refusing entry to the General Manager or their delegate, failing to facilitate an inspection, or obstructing a peace officer all carry the $15,000 floor. These penalties don't escalate because they start at the top. A 90-day suspension for a restaurant doing $2 million in annual revenue represents roughly $493,000 in lost sales.

The JJ's Pub case (2024 BCLCRB 41) showed that even warning other bars about the presence of LCRB inspectors can attract a $1,000 penalty. The obstruction provisions are interpreted broadly.

The full table

Unlawful sale and purchase of liquor

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
1	Unlawful sale of liquor (LCLA s.8(2)(a))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
2	Unlawful purchase of liquor (LCLA s.8(2)(e))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
3	Selling or serving unauthorized liquor (LCLA s.8(3))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
4	Selling liquor purchased under another licence or permit (Reg s.140)	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Operating outside of licence purpose

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
5	Food service not primary purpose under food primary licence (Reg s.18(1)(a))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
6	Food service not primary purpose for caterer, or caterer lacking equipment/personnel (Reg s.26(a)/(b))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Minors

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
7	Supplying liquor to minors (LCLA s.77(1))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
8	Minors in establishment or liquor store (LCLA s.79(1)/(2))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days

Item 7 is the single most enforced contravention in BC. Of 254 waivers in the 2026 report, 157 were for supplying liquor to a minor, most triggered by the Minors as Agents Program. The standard waiver offer is the $7,000 minimum or 7 days. Of the licensees who accepted a waiver in the 2025 report, 93 chose the suspension and 47 chose the monetary penalty. That split is striking: the suspension costs a $2 million restaurant roughly $38,356 in lost revenue, more than five times the fine.

Item 8 (minors present in the establishment) carries a lower penalty. Allowing a minor to be on the premises is a $3,000 first offence. Selling them a drink is $7,000.

Allowing disorderly or unlawful conduct

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
9	Allowing violent, quarrelsome, riotous or disorderly conduct (LCLA s.61(2)(b)(iii))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
10	Allowing unlawful activities or conduct (LCLA s.61(2)(b)(iv))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Intoxicated patrons

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
11	Selling or serving liquor to intoxicated person (LCLA s.61(2)(a))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
12	Allowing person to become intoxicated (LCLA s.61(2)(b)(i))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
13	Allowing intoxicated person to enter or remain in service area (LCLA s.61(2)(b)(ii))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days

Seven intoxication waivers appeared in the 2025 report (3.4%). Low volume, but these often arise from incidents with worse downstream consequences than a MAP test: injuries, altercations, police calls.

Weapons

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
14	Allowing person with knife or weapon to enter establishment (LCLA s.61(2)(b)(v))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days

Disturbance of persons in vicinity

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
15	Failure to prevent operation from disturbing persons in vicinity (term/condition)	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Overcrowding

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
16	Person/patron capacity exceeded but occupant load not exceeded (Reg s.78(1)(a)/(2)(a))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
17	Person/patron capacity AND occupant load exceeded (Reg s.78(1)/(2))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
18	Maximum attendance/occupant load exceeded at catered event (Reg s.97(e)/(f))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
19	Maximum attendance/occupant load exceeded under temporary use area authorization (Reg s.101(b)/(c))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
20	Maximum attendance/occupant load exceeded at special event (Reg s.117(j)/(k))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days

The schedule distinguishes between exceeding your licensed person capacity (item 16, $1,000 first offence) and exceeding the fire-code occupant load (item 17, $3,000). Going over your liquor-licence capacity is a regulatory issue. Going over the fire marshal's occupant load is a safety issue. The penalty reflects the difference. Four capacity waivers appeared in the 2025 report (1.9%).

Liquor service

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
21	Failure to complete SIR training or recertification (LCLA s.60(1))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
22	Failure to clear patrons within 30 minutes after service ends (Reg s.89(a))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
23	Unused liquor at residential event not returned / failing to take liquor from patrons within 30 minutes (Reg s.26(i)/s.90(1))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
24	Allowing consumption beyond 30 minutes after service ends (Reg s.91(1))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
25	Employees consuming liquor while working (Reg s.142(1)/(3))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
26	Permitting consumption of liquor not sold by licensee (Reg s.141(2))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
27	Allowing liquor to be taken from service area (Reg s.141(4))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
28	Unlimited drinks for single price or sales strategy promoting intoxication (Reg s.82(1)/s.118)	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days

SIR training failures (item 21) are the second most enforced contravention after minors: 25 waivers in the 2025 report, 12% of all enforcement. The $1,000 penalty is the lowest in the schedule, but the contravention often signals a broader compliance gap. If your staff don't have current SIR certification, an inspector will note it, and the question becomes what else is out of order.

Staff drinking on shift (item 25) generated 3 waivers in the 2025 report. The enforcement heat map cross-references one of those to a multi-domain offender: the same establishment later appeared in the ESB violations database for wage theft.

Production of records

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
29	Failure to produce records, liquor, or other things (LCLA s.43(a)(iii))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Advertising

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
30	Advertising liquor (LCLA s.64)	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days

Entertainment

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
31	Failure to comply with adult entertainment term/condition	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
32	Failure to comply with non-adult entertainment term/condition	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days

U-Brew/U-Vin

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
33	Failing to ensure customer performs listed tasks (Reg s.44)	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
34	Payment, acknowledgment, invoice, storage, labelling, record-keeping requirements (Reg ss.43,45-48,50,51,172)	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
35	Failing to ensure beer or wine is not sold at U-Brew or U-Vin (Reg s.49)	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Tied houses and inducements

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
36	Tied houses and inducements (LCLA s.62(1)/(2))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
37	Failure to report tied house arrangements to General Manager	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

The largest single LCRB penalty on record is $1.09 million against Molson for inducements. That penalty came under LCLA s.62, which prohibits manufacturers from offering gifts, incentives, or exclusive arrangements to licensees.

Default in monetary penalties

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
38	Failure to pay monetary penalty within required time (LCLA s.51(10)/s.53.1(12))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days

Failing to pay a penalty is itself a $7,000 contravention. The escalation here is designed to prevent operators from simply ignoring a fine.

Suspension, cancellation, and obstruction

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
39	Selling or serving liquor while licence suspended (LCLA s.8(2)(a))	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days
40	Selling liquor at catered event while licence/endorsement suspended or cancelled	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days
41	Manufacturer selling liquor while licence/endorsement suspended or cancelled	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days
42	Selling at food/beverage festival while licence/endorsement suspended or cancelled	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days
43	Obstructing peace officer or refusing entry (LCLA s.44(6))	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days
44	Not allowing General Manager entry, not facilitating inspection, or obstructing General Manager (LCLA s.43(a)(i)-(ii)/s.43(b))	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 15-90 days

These six items have no escalation between first, second, and subsequent offences. The penalty starts at $15,000 and stays there. The 90-day maximum suspension is the longest in the schedule. The LCLA statutory maximum for s.8 violations is $50,000; for other contraventions, $25,000. Items 39 through 44 approach those statutory ceilings from the first offence.

Miscellaneous contraventions

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
45	Providing false or misleading information (LCLA s.57(1)(c))	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-21 days	$15,000-$25,000 / 21-41 days
46	Selling at catered event without catering authorization (LCLA s.8(2)(a))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
47	Manufacturer selling at market without market authorization	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
48	Selling at food/beverage festival without temporary off-site sale authorization	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
49	Selling or serving without temporary use area authorization (LCLA s.8(2)(a))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days
50	Structural alteration or changing service area without amending licence (Reg s.79(1)(a)/(2))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
51	Failure to comply with Liquor Distribution Act s.5 agreement (term/condition)1	$15,000-$25,000	$15,000-$25,000	$15,000-$25,000
52	Failing to keep register of liquor purchases (Reg s.80(4))	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days
53	Unlawful dilution or adulteration of liquor or refilling bottles (Reg s.144(1)/(3))	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days	$11,000-$15,000 / 11-15 days

General (catch-all)

#	Contravention	1st penalty	2nd penalty	Subsequent
54	Contravention of any provision not specifically referred to in this Schedule	$1,000-$3,000 / 1-3 days	$3,000-$7,000 / 3-7 days	$7,000-$11,000 / 7-11 days

Item 54 is the catch-all. Anything not covered by the other 53 items falls here at $1,000 for a first offence. The JJ's Pub warning-other-bars contravention mentioned above was penalised under this kind of provision.

Where the penalties actually land

The table sets ranges. The waiver data shows where penalties cluster in practice.

Of 208 waivers in the 2025 report, 93 were 7-day suspensions, 47 were $7,000 monetary penalties, 27 were 1-day suspensions, 21 were $1,000 monetary penalties, and 10 were $3,000 monetary penalties. The remaining 10 were 2- or 3-day suspensions.

That distribution tells you two things. First, enforcement concentrates on the $7,000 tier (minors contraventions) and the $1,000 tier (SIR training, service area violations). The $3,000 middle tier shows up less often. Second, suspensions outnumber monetary penalties roughly 2:1 among licensees who accept waivers. The economics behind that choice are covered in the minors enforcement report.

The enforcement heat map shows where these penalties land geographically. White Rock, small highway towns, and tourist corridors produce enforcement rates per licence many times higher than Vancouver.

Building a due diligence defence

If you're reading this table after receiving a Notice of Enforcement Action, the penalty range tells you the financial exposure. The due diligence playbook covers the specific documentation that separates the licensees who beat their contravention at hearing from the 73% who don't.

The penalty table is the price list. The playbook is the insurance policy.