In short: To get a Distilled Spirits Plant permit, apply through the TTB Permits Online system with your business, ownership, premises, and equipment information, register your premises, satisfy any bond requirement, and wait for TTB review and approval before producing. The federal application is governed by 27 CFR Part 19 and typically takes a few months after a complete submission.
Who needs a DSP permit?
Anyone producing, processing, or storing distilled spirits in the United States needs a DSP permit. That includes distilling spirits, but also bottling, blending, or warehousing spirits in bond. The permit ties to a specific, bonded premises, so the location and its equipment are part of the approval. The federal framework is in 27 CFR Part 19 (eCFR Title 27).
How do you apply for a DSP permit?
Applications are filed through the TTB Permits Online portal (ttb.gov). You provide the legal entity and ownership details, the premises (with diagrams), the equipment, your planned operations (production, processing, storage), and source-of-funds and personnel information. Accuracy and completeness matter: incomplete applications are the most common cause of delay.
Is a bond required?
Since 2017, producers whose federal excise tax liability is expected to stay under the statutory threshold may be exempt from the bond requirement; larger operations must maintain a bond covering the tax on spirits in storage and transit. Whether you need a bond, and its penal sum, depends on your projected tax liability. See bond and penal sum.
How long does DSP approval take?
After a complete submission, TTB review commonly takes on the order of a few months, and can be longer if the application needs corrections or the agency has a backlog. State licensing is separate and runs on its own timeline. Build this lead time into your launch plan.
What can you do before approval?
You can set up your entity, secure and build out the premises, and order equipment, but you cannot begin producing spirits until the DSP permit is approved and the premises is qualified. Distilling before approval is a serious violation.
After you are approved
Once permitted, you must keep the records the TTB requires and file the monthly operational reports and the excise return. Building those from your day-to-day activity, rather than assembling them by hand each period, is what keeps a new DSP audit-ready. See how to read a TTB report.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the TTB and your state authority. Last updated June 20, 2026.