Compliant Bootlegger · All wholesale states · DTC tool
Washington Wholesale Distribution Reference
Three-tier distribution reference for out-of-state suppliers of wine, beer, spirits and cider. General information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with state authorities. Listed agency fees are not Compliant Bootlegger service fees.
Washington — wine
Distribution overview
- Control-state restrictions
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Self-distribution to retailers
- Yes – holders of a Certificate of Approval can sell directly to retailers if they receive an additional permit from the state
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Licensing
- Supplier license / registration
- Wine Out-of-State Certificate of Approval
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - State license fee
- $300
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Bond requirement
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Sales representative requirements
- Yes – Agent License
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Product & territory registrations
- Product / label registration
- Yes – each COLA
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Price posting
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing distributor agreements
- Yes – when applying for a COA
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing territory assignments
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Exclusive territory / brand rules
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Distributor relationships
- Retailer samples
- Maximum of 1 liter, only of brands the retailer has not purchased previously
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Franchise restrictions
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Primary-source purchasing rules
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Warehouse / come-to-rest requirements
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Taxes & reporting
- State excise tax
- Washington assesses a tax on all sales of wine in the state, with rates of $0.2292 per liter on table wines and $0.4536 per liter on fortified wines.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier excise-tax responsibility
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier reporting
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Washington — beer
Distribution overview
- Control-state restrictions
- Not reported by source; confirm with the state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Self-distribution to retailers
- Yes – for an additional $150 annually, a COA holder may apply to also sell and ship directly to licensed Washington retailers
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Licensing
- Supplier license / registration
- Beer Certificate of Approval
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - State license fee
- $300 annually
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Bond requirement
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Sales representative requirements
- Yes – not required to have a representative, but if active, they must receive an Agent license for $27 annually; allows for receipt of orders and delivery of samples to retailers
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Product & territory registrations
- Product / label registration
- Yes – Label
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Price posting
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing distributor agreements
- Yes
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing territory assignments
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Exclusive territory / brand rules
- Not reported by source; confirm with the state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Distributor relationships
- Retailer samples
- Permitted; taxes must be paid on samples provided for purposes of negotiating sales
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Franchise restrictions
- Yes
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Primary-source purchasing rules
- Yes – imports of beer into Washington can only come from holders of a COA or their authorized seller
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Warehouse / come-to-rest requirements
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Taxes & reporting
- State excise tax
- $8.08 per barrel
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier excise-tax responsibility
- No
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier reporting
- Yes – Monthly LIQ-308 COA holder report; or LIQ-319 Beer Representative Report
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Washington — spirits
Distribution overview
- Control-state restrictions
- No, Washington is not a control state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Self-distribution to retailers
- Yes, an out-of-state spirits manufacturer may self-distribute to retailers in Washington with additional $100 "Endorsement" attached to an existing Certificate of Approval license; requires paying a percentage of annual revenue from sales to retailers to the Washington Liquor Board.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Licensing
- Supplier license / registration
- Washington requires a Distilled Spirits Certificate of Approval for out-of-state suppliers to sell to in-state wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - State license fee
- Washington charges $200 for its out-of-state supplier license.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Bond requirement
- No, you do not need money held in bond to obtain a license in Washington.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Sales representative requirements
- Yes, Washington requires an Agent's License for suppliers' in-state representatives.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Product & territory registrations
- Product / label registration
- Yes, Washington requires product brand/labels to be registered per COLA before they can be sold to in-state wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Price posting
- No, Washington does not require price posting.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing distributor agreements
- Yes, Washington does require Distributor Agreements to be filed with state regulators.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing territory assignments
- No, Washington does not require territory assignments to be filed with state regulators.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Exclusive territory / brand rules
- No, Washington does not have rules on the exclusivity of territory or brand assignments between suppliers and their wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Distributor relationships
- Retailer samples
- In Washington, retailers can provide a maximum of 1 liter in samples, but only of brands the retailer has not purchased previously.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Franchise restrictions
- Yes, there are franchise rules in Washington that can restrict a spirits supplier's ability to negotiate or cancel their distributor agreements.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Primary-source purchasing rules
- No, Washington does not have sourcing restrictions on whom wholesalers can purchase from.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Warehouse / come-to-rest requirements
- No, there are no specific come to rest provisions in Washington.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Taxes & reporting
- State excise tax
- In Washington, sales of on-premise spirits are taxed at $2.4408 per liter and 13.7% of the selling price; sales of off-premise spirits are taxed at $3.7708 per liter and 20.5% of the selling price; however, Washington wholesalers are only liable for taxes for sales made to on-premises retailers, whereas off-premises retailers collect their taxes directly from customers at the time of purchase, for remittance to the state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier excise-tax responsibility
- No, Washington does not require out-of-state suppliers to remit the excise taxes.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier reporting
- Washington requires the LIQ-162 Spirits COA Holder Sales Summary report from out-of-state suppliers on their sales to in-state wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Washington — cider
Distribution overview
- Control-state restrictions
- No, Washington is not a control state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Self-distribution to retailers
- Yes, holders of a Certificate of Approval can sell directly to retailers in Washington if they receive an additional permit from the state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Licensing
- Supplier license / registration
- Washington requires out-of-state cideries to hold a Wine Out-of-State Certificate of Approval to sell to Washington wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - State license fee
- A Washington Out-of-State Certificate of Approval costs $300.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Bond requirement
- Washington does not require suppliers to hold a bond in the state to apply for a license.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Sales representative requirements
- Yes, Washington requires salespersons employed by a supplier to hold an Agent License.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Product & territory registrations
- Product / label registration
- Yes, Washington requires that cider products are registered per label before they can be sold to in-state wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Price posting
- No, Washington does not require posting prices.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing distributor agreements
- Yes, Washington requires Distributor Agreements to be filed with state regulators when applying for a COA.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Filing territory assignments
- No, Washington does not require territory assignments to be filed with state regulators.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Exclusive territory / brand rules
- No, Washington does not have rules on the exclusivity of territory or brand assignments between suppliers and their wholesalers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Distributor relationships
- Retailer samples
- In Washington, suppliers may provide a maximum of one liter as samples to retailers, but only of brands the retailer has not purchased previously.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Franchise restrictions
- No, in Washington there are not franchise rules that can restrict a supplier's ability to negotiate or cancel their distributor agreements.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Primary-source purchasing rules
- No, in Washington there are not franchise rules that can restrict a supplier's ability to negotiate or cancel their distributor agreements.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Warehouse / come-to-rest requirements
- No, Washington does not require cider to come to rest at a wholesaler warehouse before being delivered to retailers.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.
Taxes & reporting
- State excise tax
- Washington imposes a tax on cider of $0.2292 per liter.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier excise-tax responsibility
- No, Washington does not require out-of-state suppliers to remit excise taxes on their products sold in the state.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law. - Supplier reporting
- Washington requires out-of-state cider suppliers to file the Liquor Shipment and Tax Report.
Source guide retrieved 2026-10-08; retrieval is not verification of current law.