Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
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Short answer: COLAs Online is the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) system where a bottler or importer applies for a Certificate of Label Approval or Exemption (COLA). The Public COLA Registry is a separate, login-free database where anyone can look up COLAs that have already been issued. Applying and searching are two different tools.
This page is for lab, quality and compliance staff in beverage production who need to tell the two systems apart and read a registry record correctly. It is general regulatory information, not legal advice. Facts below come from TTB pages read on 2026-11-08.
What a COLA is
A COLA is TTB’s label approval for an alcohol beverage. TTB’s label approval basics page says a COLA is needed for distilled spirits, for wines at 7% to 24% alcohol by volume, and for malt beverages containing both malted barley and hops, when the product is sold, shipped or otherwise introduced in interstate commerce. A domestic bottler obtains the COLA before bottling; an importer obtains it before removal from Customs custody. Spirits and 7-24% wines sold only in the state where they were bottled can instead use a certificate of exemption.
In production practice the label check sits alongside the rest of the quality system. See the food science overview for the wider discipline and the standard operating procedure (SOP) entry for how teams document repeatable checks. Other regulators publish their own labeling rules; see FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
COLAs Online versus the Public COLA Registry
| Question | COLAs Online | Public COLA Registry |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The electronic system for applying for a Certificate of Label Approval/Exemption | A database of approved, expired, surrendered or revoked COLAs |
| Login | Account required; TTB says accounts may take a few days to set up or update | No registration or password required |
| Fee | No fee to apply | Free to search |
| Use it to | Submit a label for approval | Look up issued COLAs and their label images |
TTB advises logging out of COLAs Online before using the registry, because they are separate systems.
How the application route works
The applicant registers, then applies through COLAs Online. TTB states there is no fee to apply and that approval often takes less than a week when no corrections are needed. Labels must be truthful, not misleading, and carry the mandatory information. TTB also publishes an allowable revisions list: some label changes do not require a new COLA, so check that list before reapplying.
Searching the registry
- Basic and Advanced search are available. Advanced search accepts a plant registry, basic permit or brewer’s number (domestic wineries have a basic permit number beginning BW or BWN) and a date completed.
- The wildcard is the percent sign: searching %Valerie% finds Valerie’s Vineyard.
- Selecting a TTB ID opens the COLA Detail page, which has a Printable Version link for a print-ready approval.
- Brand-name searches can miss results because of data-entry errors, so try a permit-number search as well.
What a registry record does and does not tell you
| Item | Per TTB |
|---|---|
| Statuses shown | Approved, expired, surrendered and revoked COLAs |
| Rejected or returned applications | Not included; the registry holds approved labels only |
| Formula information | Not available in any public forum |
| Date coverage | Records and images for COLAs issued 1999 to present; before 1999, data only with no images; searches for pre-1996 records may be incomplete |
| Label images | Electronic applications received after June 2003 and most paper COLAs since 1999 |
| New approvals | Images are generally available 48 hours after approval |
Common misunderstandings
- “COLAs Online is the search tool.” It is the application system; searching uses the Public COLA Registry.
- “A registry hit means the label is currently valid.” The registry includes expired, surrendered and revoked COLAs, so check the status on the detail page.
- “No result means the label was never submitted.” Rejected or returned applications are not in the registry, and data-entry errors can hide brand-name matches.
- “The registry shows the recipe.” Formula information is not public.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to search COLAs?
No. TTB states no registration or password is required to use the Public COLA Registry. An account is needed only to apply through COLAs Online.
Does it cost anything to apply?
TTB states there is no fee to apply for a COLA through COLAs Online.
Which products need a COLA?
Distilled spirits, wines at 7% to 24% ABV and malt beverages made with both malted barley and hops, when sold in interstate commerce. Spirits and 7-24% wines sold only within the bottling state use a certificate of exemption.
How far back do registry records go?
Records and images for COLAs issued from 1999 to the present; earlier years have data only.
Sources
- TTB, Public COLA Registry, read 2026-11-08.
- TTB, Using the COLA Registry to search for certificates, read 2026-11-08.
- TTB, Label approval basics, read 2026-11-08.
- TTB, COLAs Online, read 2026-11-08.
