In South Carolina there aren’t any state regulations in place that require a server or bartender to be licensed in order to sell or serve alcohol.
With that being said, there are individual situations in which training is required which we will cover below.
Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that some employers will require bartenders to complete alcohol beverage training regardless of state law.
This post was updated on August 31, 2023.
When is Alcohol Server Training Required in South Carolina?
As stated above, alcohol server training is not required for every individual in South Carolina, but there are individual circumstances when it is. The following individuals are required to receive training by an ABL approved provider:
- Employees who have been in violation of ABL laws and regulations. This includes selling or serving underage individuals
- Individuals who serve beer at breweries for on-premises consumption
- Employees who serve liquor at a manufacturing ​location or micro-distillery for on-premises consumption
As you can see, these are very specific situations in which alcohol server training is required. Your average bartender starting out is not required to be licensed by the state.
South Carolina Recognized Alcohol Server Training Programs
Although alcohol server training is not required in South Carolina, the South Carolina Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) board still keeps a list of approved training providers.
- Serving Alcohol (Our Recommendation)
- TIPS
- Learn2Serve
- ServSafe Alcohol
- ABC Server Training
- Alcohol Risk Reduction Training (ARRT)
- Palmetto Retailers Education Program (PREP)
As we stated above, regardless of the fact that bartender training is not required in South Carolina, many employers will still require their employees to be certified. If your employer requires certification or you just want to get a leg up on the competition and make your resume more attractive, we suggest the training provided by Serving Alcohol.
Minimum Age To Serve Alcoholic Beverages In South Carolina:
In order to work as a bartender who handles beer, wine, or alcoholic liquors in the state of South Carolina, you must be 21 years old.
On the other hand, servers of beer, wine, and liquor in South Carolina only need to be 18 years old.
Additional Information Regarding Sunday Alcohol Sales in S. Carolina
South Carolina is one of only four states who still have laws regarding the sale of beer, wine, and liquor on Sundays. This generally only impacts liquor stores, as opposed to restaurants and bars, but it is still something to be aware of as it can impact wholesale delivery schedules and overall clientele numbers.
Individual county laws can be found here by scrolling down to “Sunday Sales”.