> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nexusfeed.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# California ABC License Lookup API

> Verify California liquor license status, expiration, type, and holder via the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (CA ABC) maintains a public license lookup at `abc.ca.gov/licensing/license-lookup`. NexusFeed calls that endpoint with a stateless HTTP GET and parses the returned HTML table — no CAPTCHA, no Playwright rendering required. This makes California the fastest and cheapest ABC state in the API.

## State overview

| Field                 | Value                                               |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **State code**        | CA                                                  |
| **Agency**            | California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control |
| **Source URL**        | `https://www.abc.ca.gov/licensing/license-lookup/`  |
| **Authentication**    | None required                                       |
| **CAPTCHA**           | None                                                |
| **Search supported**  | Yes (`dba_name`, `owner_name`, `address`)           |
| **Lookup supported**  | Yes                                                 |
| **Extraction method** | `structured_parse`                                  |
| **Cache TTL**         | 24 hours                                            |

## Search example

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash curl theme={null}
  curl "https://api.nexusfeed.dev/v1/abc/search?state=CA&dba_name=TRADER%20JOE" \
    -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY"
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import httpx

  resp = httpx.get(
      "https://api.nexusfeed.dev/v1/abc/search",
      params={"state": "CA", "dba_name": "TRADER JOE"},
      headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_KEY"},
  )
  for record in resp.json()["results"]:
      print(record["license_number"], record["status"], record["expiration_date"])
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Lookup example

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.nexusfeed.dev/v1/abc/license/47-123456?state=CA" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY"
```

The lookup endpoint first tries CA ABC's `RPTTYPE=11` parameter (direct license number lookup). If the response is an error page or an empty result, it falls back to a `RPTTYPE=15` name search with post-filtering on the license number. Both paths report as `structured_parse`.

## Example response

```json theme={null}
{
  "state": "CA",
  "query": {"dba_name": "TRADER JOE"},
  "total_results": 3,
  "results": [
    {
      "license_number": "47-123456",
      "license_type_code": "47",
      "dba_name": "TRADER JOE'S #123",
      "owner_name": "TRADER JOE'S COMPANY",
      "status": "ACTIVE",
      "expiration_date": "2026-09-30",
      "address": "1234 MAIN ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90001",
      "county": "LOS ANGELES"
    }
  ],
  "_verifiability": {
    "source_timestamp": "2026-04-10T14:22:11Z",
    "extraction_confidence": 1.0,
    "raw_data_evidence_url": "https://www.abc.ca.gov/licensing/license-lookup/?RPTTYPE=15&DBANAME=TRADER%20JOE",
    "extraction_method": "structured_parse",
    "data_freshness_ttl_seconds": 86400
  }
}
```

## California license types (most common)

| Code | Type                                    |
| ---- | --------------------------------------- |
| `20` | Off-Sale Beer & Wine                    |
| `21` | Off-Sale General                        |
| `41` | On-Sale Beer & Wine — Eating Place      |
| `47` | On-Sale General — Eating Place          |
| `48` | On-Sale General — Public Premises (bar) |
| `58` | Caterer's Permit                        |
| `75` | On-Sale General — Brewpub               |

Full list is published by CA ABC at `abc.ca.gov/licensing/license-types`.

## Use cases

* Verifying a California bar, restaurant, grocery, or liquor store holds an active license before onboarding as a distributor account.
* Confirming an expiration date before binding a liquor liability insurance policy.
* Checking whether a specific license has been suspended or revoked before a compliance decision.
* Due diligence on a business for sale — confirming its ABC license is currently in good standing.