Majority of Bartenders & Servers
STATE Bartending Age Wait staff
Alphabetic “on premises” establishment
- Alabama 21 19 (adult supervision required)
- Alaska 21 21
83 towns prohibit the sale/possession of alcohol in Alaska and in Fairbanks it is illegal to give any alcoholic beverage to a moose. It is also illegal to be drunk and remain in a bar.
- Arizona 19 19
- Arkansas 21 19
Parental consent is required for those working with alcohol under the age of 21.
- California 21 18
Servers in California can be convicted of selling alcohol to a minor if the purchaser uses a false or altered ID to buy the alcohol. Minors may not work in any establishment primarily selling alcohol.
- Colorado 18 19
Bartending requires a person of legal age behind the bar with you when pouring alcohol. Due to the awkwardness imposed by the law, many establishments won’t hire those under 21.
- Connecticut 18 18
It is an offense to sell alcohol on Sunday. - District of Columbia 21 18
Underage drinking is a civil offense, carrying no lifetime criminal record - Delaware 21 18
It is a criminal offense for a person under 21 years of age to enter or remain on the premises of a tavern, taproom, or liquor store unless segregated from those over 21 years of age. Any age may enter an alcohol-serving restaurant until 9 p.m., whereupon they can be refused entry without a parent or legal guardian.
- Florida 18 18
- Georgia 18 18
- Hawaii 18 18
- Idaho 19 19
- Illinois 18 18
… unless increased to age 19, 20, or 21 by local ordinance. Check first.
- Indiana 21 (18 with restrictions) ** 19
There are many restrictions. See: http://www.in.gov/atc/isep/2391.htm
- Iowa 18 18
It is illegal to run a tab in Iowa.
- Kansas 21 18
Kansas still has not ratified the 21st Amendment, which ended nationwide prohibition in 1933. It has the strictest alcohol regulation in the U.S.
- Kentucky 21 (20 with restrictions) ** 19
- Louisiana 18 18
Louisiana law prohibits bars and restaurants from displaying any alcohol beverage brand name that can be seen from outside the establishment. Children aged 18 may drink alcohol if the beverage is ordered on their behalf by their parents, but age 21 if on their own.
- Maine 18 17 (adult supervision required)
- Maryland 18 18
Maryland decriminalized possession and consumption of alcohol by those under the age of 21. Parents are specifically prohibited from serving alcohol to their minor children.
- Massachusetts 18 18
- Michigan 18 18
It’s illegal in Michigan for a person under the age of 21 to give a gift of alcohol beverage to anyone, even to a person of legal age. A 20-year-old non-drinking patron cannot “send over a drink” to another patron.
- Minnesota 18 18
- Mississippi 21 18
- Missouri 21 18 (adult supervision required)
- Montana 18 18
Labor and Industry statute 39-2-306, MCA, states bartenders and waiters or waitresses must be at least 18 years of age.
- Nebraska 19 19
Nebraska state law prohibits bars from selling beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.
- Nevada 21 21
- New Hampshire 18 18
- New Jersey 18 18
- New Mexico 21 19
All bar employees must be 21. Servers may be 19 in restaurants with state-issued permit.
- New York 18 18
- North Carolina 21 (spirits) 18 (Beer/Wine) 18
- North Dakota 21 19 (adult supervision required)
North Dakota prohibits serving beer and pretzels simultaneously in any bar or restaurant.
- Ohio 21 19
Avoid aquariums, or keep their lids locked, as it is illegal in Ohio to get a fish drunk.
- Oklahoma 21 18
Beer with more than 4% alcohol must be served at room temperature.
- Oregon 21 18
If you are 18, 19, or 20 years old, you can get a minor service permit and then you may serve, pour, and draw alcoholic beverages only in areas of the business not prohibited to minors where alcohol service is secondary to food service. You may not mix drinks nor work as a bartender or cocktail server.
- Pennsylvania 18 18
- Rhode Island 18 18
- South Carolina 21 18
- South Dakota 18 18
- Tennessee 18 18
- Texas 18 18
Texas state law prohibits taking more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
- Utah 21 21
No patron may have more than two drinks of 2 ½ ounces (total) of liquor in front of them at one time, or more than one liter of beer. A two liter beer pitcher must be shared by at least two patrons. Drinks must be poured out of sight of non-drinking patrons to minimize temptation.
- Vermont 18 18
- Virginia 21 18
- Washington 21 18 (adult supervision required)
Anyone serving alcohol in Washington must take an approved MAST alcohol course and be in possession of either a class 12 permit or a class 13 permit to serve alcohol in licensed premises.
- West Virginia 21 18 (adult supervision required)
In West Virginia, bars can advertise alcohol beverage prices, but not brand names.
- Wisconsin 18 (State license required) 18
In Wisconsin, an adult under the age of 21 who is married to one age 21 or older can legally drink with his or her spouse.
- Wyoming 21 18
It is illegal for women to stand within five feet of a bar while drinking.
** Note: There must be a legal-age manager or supervisor present when the underage person is tending bar and/or that the underage bartender must undergo beverage server training beyond that otherwise mandated in the state.