The Texas TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) was created in 1935 and regulates the alcoholic beverage industry in Texas. The TABC’s sets the curriculum for seller-server training, once you complete a training course, you are Texas TABC Certified.
Enroll NowTypically when you’re looking for information on who needs a TABC license, it’s a business that needs to get a permit so they can operate legally.
Different types of liquor permits include brewers, caterers, package stores, brewpubs, winery, and many more. The TABC licensing division processes applications for getting a permit and investigates any potential violations from licensees.
A Texas TABC license allows employers/owners to serve and sell alcohol for their business, but it’s the employees who need to earn a TABC certification.
So if your job involves selling, serving, dispensing, or delivering alcoholic beverages, getting your TABC certification ensures that you’ve completed training and understand the state laws relevant to your job.
TABC doesn’t administer the course itself but does approve private institutions to offer training and certification programs.
You can complete a short online alcohol seller-server training course from an approved provider. The TABC Certification course offered by BeverageTraining.com is powered by Learn2Serve (#454-508). Once you are TABC Certified, your employer can confirm your certification on the TABC’s website.
Enroll NowEven though it isn’t mandated by the State itself, most employers do ask bartenders, seller servers, door staff, and cashiers employed in the food, restaurant, or beverage industry to be “Seller-Server Certified.” This means an employee in Texas must pass an alcohol safety awareness program with TABC Certification.
For a responsible employee, a certified employee is a level up to ensuring that you are doing your part to keep Texans safe from DUI accidents and fatalities and other alcohol-induced issues. Having certified employees also inadvertently provides protection to your business and employees too because they train servers on how to identify and refuse sales when necessary.
The certification teaches employees about state laws on alcoholic beverage sales. They also learn intervention techniques to make sure that minors or intoxicated customers are not allowed to purchase alcohol.
The state does not take administrative action against a license/permit holder if an employee sells or serves an alcoholic beverage to a minor or intoxicated customer, as long as they meet all the following criteria:
This compensation is commonly referred to as a safe harbor. If an illegal sale is made, the seller/server will probably be arrested, but the retailer’s permit/license will have protection from administrative action by the TABC.
For store owners, it is important to clearly know that by definition any employee “who sells, serves, dispenses, or delivers alcoholic beverages under the authority of a license or permit, including persons who immediately manage, direct, supervise, or control the sale or service of alcoholic beverages” must be certified to comply with state seller/server laws.
Employers are encouraged to check on the status of current employees’ alcohol seller server certification on TABC’s website. This is the official proof of certification. Texas TABC license and permit holders regularly use it to confirm if a person’s certification is current and valid.
Enroll NowBeer and wine can be sold from 7:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. till 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, and from noon to midnight on Sunday (grocers and gas stations inclusive). Bars/restaurants can allow purchased till 2 AM.
Liquor sales are stringently regulated. Liquor sales are prohibited
1) on Sundays,
2) on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day (and when Christmas and New Year’s fall on a Sunday, the prohibition is carried over to the following Monday), and
3) before 10 AM and after 9 PM on any other day
Furthermore, only package stores – retail liquor stores, specifical ones in which sealed containers are sold for off-premises consumption – are allowed to sell liquor, and must be closed whenever liquor sales are prohibited (even for sales of otherwise allowable products). These must be further physically separated from any other business.
Moreover, an owner cannot own more than five package stores, and no publicly-traded company can own such a store.
People must be at least 21 years of age to legally consume alcoholic beverages in Texas with certain exceptions, as in any other state in the United States. However, people seeking employment at a company serving alcoholic beverages can be accepted at age 18 provided they get certified by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
No specific training is required to serve alcohol; however, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code states that the actions of an employee (such as serving alcohol to a clearly intoxicated patron) will not be imputed to the employer if
1) the employer requires the employee to complete training approved by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission,
2) the employee actually completes the training, and
3) the employer has not directly encouraged the employee to violate the law.
All previously opened containers of alcoholic beverages must be stored and transported in a vehicle’s trunk (or behind the last row of seats in the case a vehicle does not have a partitioned trunk) or other storage to which the driver and or any passengers do not have access.
Any person operating a motor vehicle is considered under the influence of alcohol if a chemical screening test shows a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher. No other evidence (such as Field Sobriety tests) needs to be presented to the court to obtain a DUI (driving under the influence) conviction.
A driver testing 0.15 percent or more over the legal limit of 0.08 percent faces severe penalties for enhanced BAC. If under the age of 21, a driver in Texas must not test positive for any blood-alcohol content (BAC). That means minors must be completely sober and may be charged with DUI even if the amount tested is under 0.08 percent.
Failure of people serving alcohol in Texas to obtain a Texas Alcoholic Beverage License could result in serious legal charges for business owners. There are several qualifications that need to be met to obtain a license.
How To Qualify
To qualify, an applicant must be at least 21 years of age. In addition to this, these criteria must be met:
Business owners must provide verification from the city clerk that their business is in a zone where alcohol can be served and has late-hour operations in order to obtain on-premises alcohol permits. Beer or wine servers will have to provide verification of alcohol content for their beverages.
Off-premise permits can be obtained if applicants get verification forms and a list of approved areas from the city clerk. In addition to this, public notice must be published in a local newspaper. There are other requirements for temporary permits for off-site events, which are often granted to business owners who hold existing liquor licenses. Some events may not require licenses if they provide free alcohol to adults.
TABC certification is valid for two years from the date of course completion at which point they expire permanently. To remain TABC certified, you have to re-enroll in an Alcohol Server certification course and receive a new TABC certificate after passing the exam again.
Taking an online alcohol seller course is the most effective way to get your Texas TABC License. As soon as you complete the course and pass the final exam, you get a certificate of completion that can be printed right away. Enroll now in our Texas alcohol server training course to get your TABC Certification!
Enroll NowThe law mandates that you cannot start serving alcohol in Texas until you’re 18. If you’re 16, it’s legal to sell beer or wine for consumption off-site (at a grocery store check-out, for example).
However, the TABC Certification has no minimum age. That means if you want to get a seller-server job as soon as possible, you can take the course early and have your TABC Certification ready to go.
Yes! There are no criminal history restrictions on certification. Please note, however, it doesn’t guarantee that an employer will hire you.
You’ll learn about your role in keeping the public and your customers safe. You will also be keeping yourself and your employer safe in case you make a mistake and accidentally violate a law.
The TABC enforces stiff penalties for underage drinking.
This is why most employers require TABC Certification even though it’s not required by law.
Additionally, if you’re serving alcohol, you have a responsibility to ensure the people you serve are not intoxicated. You can help keep your customers safe and prevent drunk driving in Texas, which is a major concern.
According to NHTSA – According to NHTSA, 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving accidents in 2018, which amounts to 29 percent of all driving fatalities. In 2018, 19 percent of the drivers involved in fatal crashes had a BAC of at least 0.08 and these drivers were often repeating offenders. In Texas, 40 percent of traffic deaths involve an impaired driver; nationally, that number is 29 percent.
One of the important topics the TABC course covers in detail is how to recognize intoxicated customers and strategies to refuse a sale. Check out our Texas TABC Certification course to learn about additional topics the training covers.
In Texas, the restaurant and hospitality industries are growing rapidly, so if your areas of interest is to get a job at a bar, restaurant, or catering company in Texas, your TABC certification makes you an attractive candidate to potential employers.
And if you’re curious about how much money you can expect to make, here is some basic wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for bartenders and barbacks in Texas.
| JOB TITLE | AVERAGE HOURLY WAGE | AVERAGE YEARLY WAGE |
| Bartender | $13.10 | $27, 240 |
| Bartender Helper (Bar back) | $9.96 | $20,720 |
However, if you are in the top 90th percentile of bartenders, you can make much more money: $23.13 an hour. And depending on your preference, skill level, and career goals, working as a bartender offers many different opportunities:
Besides bartending, you can also work as a cashier at any store that sells alcohol to consume off-premise, such as a grocery store or convenience store.
Enroll NowYou can find more information on TABC’s website, including:
For more course-specific information check out our Texas-specific alcohol seller training.
| Course Name | Hours | Price | Checkout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learn2Serve: TABC Seller-Server Training | 2 | Enroll | |
| Texas Food Handler Training Course | 2 | $12.50 | Enroll |
| Learn2Serve Programa de Certificado de Capacitación para Manipuladores de Alimentos | 2 | Enroll | |
| Learn2Serve Texas Food Safety Manager Exam | 2 | $45.00l | Enroll |
| Curso de capacitación para manipuladores de alimentos de Texas | 2 | Enroll | |
| Package 1: Learn2Serve Food Safety Manager Principles Training + Texas Food Safety Manager Exam | Enroll | ||
| Learn2Serve Food Safety Management Principles | |||
| Texas Food Manager Exam English | |||
| Package 2: Principios de Administracion de Seguridad de Alimentos + Examen para los administradores de alimentos de Texas | Enroll | ||
| Principios de Administración de Seguridad de Alimentos Learn2Serve | |||
| Examen para los administradores de alimentos de Texas | |||
| Tobacco Seller | 2 | $9.95 | Enroll |
| ID Checkpoint | 1 | FREE | Enroll |