Bartending License Requirements for Arkansas

Arkansas doesn’t require bartenders or servers to have a license, permit, training or certification. The Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Division says it doesn’t issue licenses or permits to bartenders, servers or other employees of a bar or restaurant. What the state does require is paperwork: when you start work, you sign a Server Awareness Form.

Arkansas also runs a voluntary training program for the businesses themselves, called the Responsible Permittee Program, and it has its own age rules for servers. Here’s how it all works.

Arkansas bartending requirements at a glance

State bartender license or permit?	No. The ABC Division doesn’t issue them
Training required by the state?	No
Paperwork when you start	Server Awareness Form, signed by every employee except kitchen and janitorial staff
Minimum age	Generally 21. 19 to serve (but not to bartend) at some restaurants, hotels and private clubs, depending on the business’s permit. 18 to sell beer and wine at a retail grocery store, with a parent’s or guardian’s written consent
Who runs it	Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Division

What does Arkansas require to work in a bar?

You don’t need a card, a course or an exam. You do need to sign the Server Awareness Form. Under the ABC’s rules, everyone who works at a business with an alcohol permit signs it when they start, except kitchen and janitorial staff. The business that holds the permit (the permittee) signs it too. The business keeps your signed form in its personnel records. If the originals aren’t kept at the business, copies must be there for inspection by ABC agents and other law enforcement officers.

The form explains the rules for selling alcohol. It warns that selling to anyone under 21 can lead to criminal charges against you, and that a clerk, server or bartender found guilty can face a fine, a misdemeanor conviction, or both. The form says you initial each section, then sign and date it, before you sell any alcohol.

How old do you have to be to bartend in Arkansas?

You generally need to be 21 to bartend in Arkansas. The ABC’s rules prohibit employing anyone under 21 to mix, serve, sell or handle alcohol, with these exceptions:

19 and older: can be employed to sell and handle alcohol at a business with a public restaurant mixed drink permit, a public hotel-motel-restaurant mixed drink permit, a restaurant wine permit or a private club permit. They may not act as bartenders, but can open bottles of wine and beer, serve drinks and take payment.
18 and older: can sell beer and wine at a retail grocery store with written permission from a parent or guardian. Stores that mainly sell fuel and keep less than $50,000 of non-alcohol groceries in stock don’t count as retail grocery stores for this rule. Employees 18 and older can also work as musicians or entertainers, in food preparation or service, or in housekeeping at permitted businesses.
16 and 17: can work at a retail grocery store but can’t handle alcohol.

These come from the ABC Rulebook (Title 3 of the Code of Arkansas Rules, Section 3-401). Which age applies depends on your employer’s permit type, so ask before you apply.

Can a criminal record keep you from serving alcohol in Arkansas?

It can. The ABC’s rules bar a business from employing you to serve or mix drinks, dispense alcohol, control crowds or entrances, or manage the business if:

you have pleaded guilty to or been found guilty of a liquor-law violation, or
you have pleaded guilty to or been found guilty of a felony and are still on probation or serving a suspended sentence for it.

If you have a felony conviction and are still on probation or serving a suspended sentence, you can work in a kitchen if no alcohol is served out of it. If your felony involved bodily harm, the threat of it, or a weapon, you can’t be employed as a manager, security guard or bouncer, or in any position that requires handling alcohol.

What is the Responsible Permittee Program?

It’s a voluntary server training program that the ABC Board oversees for businesses that hold an alcohol permit. A business that wants to qualify applies, has its employees who sell alcohol complete an approved course, and renews its certification every year. The Board certifies the business, not you personally, though you may be the one who takes the course.

To qualify, the ABC’s rules say the business has to make each employee who sells alcohol finish an approved course within 30 days of starting. That 30-day deadline is a condition of the program, not a rule for every server. The reward for the business is that the Board must consider its certification when deciding administrative penalties or fines for a violation. The program’s attendance fee is capped at $25 per person, paid directly to the course provider, with no additional fee from the provider.

The ABC Division keeps a list of course providers the Board has approved and gives it to permittees on request. We couldn’t find it published online, so if your employer is in the program, ask them which course to take.

Should you take an alcohol server course in Arkansas?

It’s up to you and your employer. The ABC says taking third-party training is completely at the discretion of the business. The ABC’s educational programs page lists independent training companies, but it says they aren’t affiliated with the ABC, the list isn’t complete, and attending a class doesn’t affect an Arkansas alcohol permit. If a job asks for a course, check with the employer which one they accept.

Our recommendation: Some employers ask for a server course, and businesses in the Responsible Permittee Program must have staff take one, so a certificate may help you get hired. Serving Alcohol offers an online Arkansas server course. Ask your employer whether they accept it before you buy. See Serving Alcohol’s Arkansas course here.

Delivering alcohol in Arkansas

Delivery has its own rules. Under Act 157 of 2025, a third-party delivery service needs an ABC third-party delivery permit, and its drivers must be:

21 or older,
holding a valid driver’s license, and
never convicted of a felony.

The ABC has to approve the service’s alcohol delivery training program before it issues the permit. The program can be run by the company or by a third party. Each driver completes it before making their first delivery and repeats it at least every 12 months. It covers spotting signs of intoxication, checking valid IDs and knowing which parts of Arkansas are wet or dry. The ABC’s permit application also says drivers must sign an ABC third-party delivery Server Awareness form and carry a copy of it, plus proof of training, while delivering. If you drive for a delivery service, ask the company which approved program to take.

Sunday sales and dry areas

Businesses with a permit for on-premises sales may sell alcohol on Sundays from 10 a.m. to midnight, or for fewer hours if a city or county ordinance sets a shorter period. Package stores and other off-premises sellers can sell on Sundays only in cities and counties where a local election approved it.

Some Arkansas counties and townships are dry. The ABC’s guide to its wet and dry map shows how to look up an area. Check the map before you assume a job is available in a particular town. Private clubs can be permitted in dry counties.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a bartending license in Arkansas?

No. Arkansas doesn’t issue bartending licenses or permits, and state law doesn’t require servers to be trained or certified. You will sign a Server Awareness Form when you start work.

Can I bartend in Arkansas at 19?

No. At 19 you can serve alcohol at certain restaurants, hotels and private clubs, but you can’t act as a bartender. Bartending generally requires being 21.

What is the Server Awareness Form?

It’s a form everyone who works at a business with an alcohol permit (except kitchen and janitorial staff) signs when they start work. It explains the rules for selling alcohol, and your employer keeps it in your personnel file.

Do I need to take a course to get a bartending job in Arkansas?

Not by state law. Your employer may ask for one, particularly if the business is in the Responsible Permittee Program, so check with them.

How much does an Arkansas server course cost?

For courses in the Responsible Permittee Program, the attendance fee is capped at $25 per person and paid to the provider. The $25 cap doesn’t apply to other courses.

Who do I contact with questions?

The Arkansas ABC Division, 101 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 401, Little Rock, at (501) 682-1105.