The Government of Ontario has amended Ontario Regulation 747/21: Permits under the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA), to expand eligibility for permits allowing attendees aged 19+ to bring and consume their own alcohol at municipally designated cultural or community events.
As of April 30, municipalities have the flexibility to designate outdoor public events as cultural or community events for the new ‘bring-your-own’ (formerly tailgate) event permits.
Interested municipalities can set up a local process to decide which events qualify. From there, event organizers will have to confirm with their municipalities that their event qualifies as a cultural or community event. After they receive this confirmation, event organizers can apply for the permit with the AGCO.
The AGCO will require this cultural or community event designation from municipalities (e.g., municipal resolution or a letter from a municipal official such as the clerk) in order to be eligible for the new bring-your-own permit to be issued for an event. This is a similar process to what currently exists for municipal councils or its delegates declaring an event to be of municipal significance for the purposes of Public Event Special Occasion Permits.
Changes effective April 30, 2026:
- The tailgate event permit will be renamed to “bring-your-own” event permit.
- To be eligible for a bring-your-own event permit, the event must either be:
- *new* a cultural or community event that has been designated by a municipal council or its delegate; or
- held in connection with and in proximity to a professional, semi-professional or post-secondary sporting event (i.e. tailgate) (does not require municipal designation).
All bring-your-own events must be public and held outdoors at ground level. Bring-your-own events can be “sale” or “no-sale” depending on whether alcohol will be sold and served at the event. Bring-your-own event permit holders may choose to sell or serve alcohol to attendees aged 19 or older, in addition to allowing those attendees to bring their own alcohol.
The application fee for both “sale” and “no-sale” bring-your-own event permits remains $150 per day.
Starting April 30, 2026, applications for bring-your-own event permits will be available through iAGCO .
The AGCO remains committed to protecting public safety and ensuring alcohol is sold, served and consumed responsibly. Permit holders must continue to comply with all requirements under the LLCA, its regulations and Registrar’s Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor. This includes preventing intoxication, disorderly conduct, and the promotion of immoderate consumption and ensuring that individuals under 19 years of age do not consume alcohol at the event.
Questions
For more information on this new bring-your-own event permit, please refer to the Bring-your-own Event Guide or contact AGCO Customer Service via the iAGCO online portal or by phone at 416-326-8700 or toll-free at 1-800-522-2876, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.