State-by-State Guide: The Legal Age to Serve Alcohol, Bartend, and Other Minimum Age Stipulations

Determining the legal age to serve alcohol in your state can get confusing…

So we’ve made it simple.

And instead of copying some bogus chart found online, we personally reached out to every state in the U.S. to find out the exact minimum age restrictions and regulations for bartenders and servers.

You’d think this would be an easy topic to cover, but it’s actually quite comprehensive…

Just like bartending licenses – which may be required depending on which state you are located in – bartending age restrictions vary throughout the nation.

For example, while you only have to be 18 years of age to pour or serve alcohol in Florida… in Nevada, you must be at least 21 years of age.

And it’s not always that straightforward…

Some states have different age restrictions for those who work behind a bar versus those who serve alcoholic beverages at a table in a restaurant. And some states have legal age limits on serving beer versus employees serving liquor.

After all the research, one thing is significantly clear: The legal age to serve alcohol greatly depends on your state’s jurisdiction. And most bartending age regulations aren’t as black and white as you’d think!

So here’s what we’re going to do…

First, we’d like to say thank you for finding this research. As always, not only is it important to follow state guidelines… but it’s also vital for you, as the reader, to be looking at updated and ACCURATE information.

Secondly, for those who need a quick reference, we put together a list of all 50 states and their minimum legal age to serve alcohol and bartend.

Lastly, underneath the data table, we will break down certain state serving and bartending age requirements. This section is for the states that are a little more confusing than others. This is where you’ll find our simplified breakdown of minimum age laws.

If you’re state is NOT located in this section, that’s a good thing. It means your local regulatory bodies got it together and created bartending regulations that are actually straightforward… without tricky frameworks and rarities.

A Note on the Difference between “Servers” and “Bartenders”

Below we will break down the age requirements based on two similar but different points.

1. Servers: The best way to think about “servers” is as “waiters”. Servers transport the alcoholic beverage to the customer but don’t actually create, mix, or dispense the alcohol. Generally, states are more lenient regarding the minimum age for employees to serve alcohol as opposed to being a bartender.
2. Bartenders: Sometimes referred to as “sellers,” bartenders are individuals who actually create, mix, or dispense alcoholic beverages behind the bar.

Although these might sound like the same thing, states actually treat them differently.

Note: If there’s an asterisk (*) next to your state, this means we’ve provided additional details at the bottom of this post. It most likely means there is some tricky alcohol legislation currently in place. But don’t worry – we provided the information you actually need to know without all the legal gibberish. 🙂

Legal Age to Serve and Bartend Alcohol State Specifics

Below we provided additional context on states with a little more complexity regarding minimum ages for on-premises servers and bartenders.

Alabama

The minimum age to bartend in Alabama is 21 years old. In other words, you must be at least 21 years of age in order to sell or mix alcoholic beverages behind the bar. If you are 19 or 20 years old, you can only serve alcoholic beverages as long as someone at your workplace is certified by Alabama’s Responsible Vendor Program and holds a retail restaurant license. You can learn more here.

Arizona

The minimum age to manufacture, sell, or dispose of liquor in Arizona is 18 (source). Pretty straightforward here. But it’s worth mentioning Arizona’s minimum bartender age changed from 19 to 18 in 2017.

Arkansas

In Arkansas, you must be at least 19 years old to serve alcohol in a restaurant as long as any person within the organization holds a public restaurant mixed drink permit, a public hotel-motel-restaurant mixed drink permit, a restaurant wine permit, or a private club permit.

If you are 19 or 20 years old, you may open bottles of wine and beer, serve, and take payments.

Regardless, you have to be 21 years of age to tend a bar. That means all bartenders MUST be at least 21 years of age.

California

In the state of California, anyone who prepares or serves alcohol at a bar must be 21 years old.

However, an employee aged 18-20 may serve alcoholic beverages to customers only if the service occurs in an area designated for the service and consumption of food. Furthermore, the employee's primary duty while on the job must be the service of meals to guests, not the service of alcohol.

The law states: “You may not employ a person under age 21 on the portion of any premises which is primarily designed and used for the sale and service of alcohol for consumption on the premises.”

Colorado

Regarding bartending or selling alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in Colorado, the rules vary based on the establishment's offerings. If the tavern serves meals regularly, an individual can start bartending or selling alcohol at the age of 18. However, this is only permissible if they are directly supervised by someone who is at least 21 years old. On the other hand, if the tavern does not serve meals on a regular basis, then one has to be at least 21 to bartend or sell alcoholic beverages.

Delaware

In Delaware, you must be 18 years of age to solicit and serve alcoholic beverages. In order to open, mix, or pour an alcoholic beverage, you must be 21 years old.

It's worth noting that on July 17, 2018, Title 4 of the Delaware Code relating to alcoholic liquors was adjusted, resulting in the minimum legal age for serving alcohol moving from 19 to 18 years of age.

Hawaii

The minimum age to serve and bartend in Hawaii is 18. But in Maui, specifically, if you’re between the ages of 18-20, you can only serve or bartend as long as there is a fellow worker present who is both above the age of 21 and has a certification from the Maui Liquor Control Department. Learn more here.

Illinois

In Illinois, if you want to sell or serve alcohol, you need to be at least 18 years old. However, the catch is that the state gives local areas, like cities or counties, the power to set their own age limits. This means that while the state's general rule is 18, some places in Illinois might require you to be older.

For instance, in Chicago, you must be 21 years old to sell or serve alcohol. And it doesn't stop there. Some local areas have even more specific age rules for various tasks related to alcohol, like pouring or opening bottles. To check the rules for a specific place in Illinois, there's a handy "Local Survey" provided by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission on their website.

Indiana

In order to work as a bartender in Indiana, you are required to be 21 years old.

Individuals aged 19 or 20 years old may serve alcoholic beverages to customers as long as they follow the rules as provided by Indiana’s Restricted Server Guidelines, which we have simplified on our Indiana State Page.

Iowa

As of July 1, 2023, Iowa made some significant updates to its laws about the minimum age for serving alcohol. In a nutshell, anyone 18 and up can sell or serve alcohol throughout Iowa.

But there are specific rules in place for younger teens working in restaurants.

Here's a breakdown:

• If you're 16 or 17 and working in a restaurant (a place that primarily serves food along with alcohol), you can serve/deliver alcohol during the hours that the restaurant serves food.
• However, if the main focus of the place is serving alcohol, like in a bar, you must be at least 18 to serve and sell alcohol. Just offering snacks like peanuts or popcorn doesn't make a place a restaurant.
• Some places might have both a restaurant and a bar, like a golf course. In these cases, the rule of thumb is if food is cooked and served where alcohol is sold, then it's treated like a restaurant. But always double-check with management.

Extra Rules for 16- and 17-Year-Olds in Restaurants:

• A parent or guardian must give their okay for you to serve or sell alcohol.
• There must be at least two employees who are 18 or older watching over the younger server or seller.

Kansas

According to the Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, servers of alcohol must be at least 18 years old. With that being said, any server who is under the age of 21 must be supervised by someone 21 years or older.

Bartenders in the state of Kansas must be at least 21 years old.

Kentucky

In Kentucky, the rules regarding the minimum age to serve and bartend have seen some changes recently.

• Bartending: If you want to bartend, you must be at least 20 years old. Plus, there must be someone 21 or older supervising you.
• Serving Alcohol: As of March 5, 2022, 18-year-olds can serve alcoholic drinks, but they need supervision from someone who's at least 20.

Before 2022, the age requirement to serve alcohol was 20 years old across the state. However, many restaurants had difficulty finding staff due to the pandemic. To address this, Kentucky introduced House Bill 252. This bill lowered the age to 18, and it became effective on July 14, 2022. So, younger individuals now have more opportunities in Kentucky's hospitality sector, thanks to the recent changes.

Maine

In order to either bartend or serve alcohol in the state of Maine, you must be the age of 17. There is a small catch, though. If you are between the ages of 17-20, you must be supervised by someone 21 years or older.

Maryland

Maryland's rules for the minimum age to bartend and serve alcohol can be a bit intricate, so let's break them down:

For starters, the type of drink matters:

• Beer or Wine: Whether you're serving or bartending, you need to be at least 18 years old.
• Spirits/Liquor: If you're serving the drink, the minimum age is still 18. However, if you're crafting the drink as a bartender, you must be 21.

Lastly, local rules can vary. Maryland allows its local governments to set their own age regulations for selling or serving alcohol. This means some places might be stricter or more lenient than the state guidelines.

Mississippi

In Mississippi, all bartenders must be 21. If someone is at least 18 years of age, they may wait tables, take orders and deliver alcohol products to the table.

For ABC or alcohol licensed premises (most common), employment to persons under 21 is prohibited. For beer-only licensed premises, those at least 18 years of age may sell or handle beer.

To make it easy, just remember that you must be 21 in order to POUR.

Missouri

The minimum age to bartend in Missouri is 21 years old. The minimum age for servers of alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, is 18, as long as the establishment makes more than 50% of its revenue from serving food.

North Carolina

• Beer or Wine: Whether you're serving or bartending, you need to be at least 18 years old.
• Spirits/Liquor: If you're serving a drink with liquor, the minimum age is still 18. However, if you're crafting the drink with liquor as a bartender or behind the bar, you must be 21.

Because of this, most bartenders in the state will be at least 21 years old. However, 18 year olds can sell packaged liquor.

North Dakota

In North Dakota, the rules for handling alcohol are quite specific:

• Bartending: If you want to mix drinks, you must be at least 21 years old. No exceptions here.
• Serving Alcohol: Here's where it gets interesting. If you're between 18 and 20 years old, you can serve alcohol and even collect payment for it. However, there's a requirement: there must be a manager or supervisor on duty who is at least 21 (the legal drinking age).

Even with the above exception, those aged 18 to 20 cannot mix or pour out the alcohol themselves. In essence, younger servers can serve and handle payments for drinks, but the actual preparation or pouring of those drinks is reserved for those 21 and older.

Ohio

In Ohio, age plays a significant role in what one can and cannot do regarding alcohol. Let’s unpack the rules step by step.

If you want to be a full-fledged bartender mixing and selling spirits, wine, or mixed drinks, you must be 21 or older. However, if you're just serving or selling beer across the bar, you can start at 19.

Age-Specific Limitations:

• 18: You can sell sealed containers of beer, wine, mixed drinks, or spirits. This means no open bottles or poured drinks.
• 19: You can act as a waiter/waitress, handling open containers of any alcoholic beverage. Plus, you can sell beer across a bar.
• 21: You have the green light to sell or serve any alcoholic beverage, including wine, mixed drinks, or spirits, across a bar.

Regardless of age, anyone can handle alcoholic beverages for tasks like stocking shelves, bagging purchases, clearing tables, etc.

Oklahoma

While younger individuals (18-20) can serve alcohol in some settings, depending on the type of establishment, the privilege of bartending or being in a designated bar area is reserved for those 21 and up.

Oregon

Technically, the minimum age to bartend and serve alcohol in Oregon is 18. But state laws make your role as a bartender under the age of 21 super limited. Here's a simplified breakdown:

Unrestricted Service: To serve and sell alcohol without any limitations or restrictions, you need to be 21 or older.

For Those Aged 18-20: If you fall within this age range, you'll need a special permit, known as a 'minor service permit'. With this permit, you can:

• Serve, pour, and draw alcohol, but only in places primarily focusing on serving food.
• However, even with this permit, some tasks are off the table: You can't mix drinks or take on the role of a bartender.

In a nutshell, while 18 to 20-year-olds in Oregon can serve alcohol in certain food-oriented settings with a permit, the full range of bartending activities is reserved for those 21 and up.

South Carolina

In South Carolina, bartenders must be at least 21 years old. For those aged between 18-20, while you legally cannot bartend, you can handle and serve alcohol to customers. For what it's worth, to add, you must be 18 years of age to even work in establishments that sell or serve alcohol for consumption.

South Dakota

In South Dakota, the minimum bartending age is 18 years of age. However, those under the age of 21 and above the age of 18 can only bartend under certain circumstances. Those aged 18-21 can only sell or serve alcohol if:

• the sale of alcoholic beverages constitutes less than 50% of the business revenue OR
• if there is an employee who is at least 21 years old on the premises OR
• if they have been certified by a nationally recognized alcohol management program.

At 21 years old, an individual may sell or serve alcohol in South Dakota without such limitations.

Virginia

Only workers 21 years and older can work behind the bar in Virginia, but exceptions do exist.

Virginia alcohol laws permit adults aged 18 or older to serve and sell in venues exclusively selling beer. Additionally, as of March 4th, 2009, those 18 and up can also serve and sell wine in venues that only offer wine.

Washington

Individuals aged 18, 19, or 20 years old who have a Class 12 Servers Permit can legally take orders for, serve, and sell alcoholic beverages as long as a manager is present. This includes carrying drinks to a customer or pouring beer or wine at the customer’s table. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 21 may not mix drinks or pull alcoholic beverages from a tap.

Individuals aged 21 years or older may sell, mix, and serve beverages as long as they have a Class 13 Mixologist Permit.

West Virginia

Since May 2021, the rules around bartending ages in West Virginia shifted. Now, 16-year-olds can serve and sell alcoholic drinks as long as they're supervised by someone at least 21 years old. Once bartenders turn 18, they can serve without any supervision.

Before these changes in May 2021, you had to be 18 years of age to bartend.