Texas TABC Seller-Server Certification Study Guide: Practice Test, Minors, Intoxication and Penalties

TABC seller-server certification teaches the laws and rules of responsible alcohol sales and service in Texas, including how to prevent sales to minors and to intoxicated persons. You do not take the course through the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission itself. Instead you take it through a TABC-approved private provider, online or in person, and it can be completed in about 2 hours.[1][4]

• Certification is valid for 2 years from the date it is issued.[1]
• Anyone who sells, serves, dispenses or delivers alcohol, plus their immediate managers, should be certified. There is no minimum age to take the course.[1]
• A certificate becomes verifiable in the TABC database within about 14 days.[1]
• For on-premise jobs such as bars and restaurants an employee must be at least 18; package (liquor) store employees must be 21.[2]

The legal age to purchase or be served alcohol in Texas is 21. Under the Alcoholic Beverage Code, a minor is a person under 21. Selling an alcoholic beverage to a minor is the offense the seller-server course is built to prevent, and it carries the heaviest of the routine penalties you will be tested on.[2][3]

To confirm a customer is 21 or older you verify a valid, government-issued photo ID. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver's license, a US passport, a US military ID, or another government-issued ID that carries a photo and a physical description.[2]

• A valid ID must not be expired.[2]
• It must show no signs of alteration.[2]
• The photo must match the person in front of you.[2]
• The date of birth must confirm the person is 21 or older.[2]

Under Texas Penal Code Sec. 49.01, a person is legally intoxicated when they do not have the normal use of their mental or physical faculties, or have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. Either condition meets the definition; you do not need a breath or blood test to refuse service.[3]

• Slurred speech.[3]
• Impaired coordination or staggering.[3]
• Bloodshot or glassy eyes.[3]
• Belligerent behavior.[3]
• Noticeable changes in behavior, such as becoming unusually loud.[3]

When you decide to refuse service to an intoxicated customer, TABC publishes a sequence of steps to follow so the refusal stays calm, safe and defensible.[3]

1. Keep calm.[3]
2. Tell management right away.[3]
3. Politely refuse the sale without judgmental statements such as "you're drunk."[3]
4. Remove alcohol from the customer's reach.[3]
5. Offer help and express concern for their safety, such as calling a cab.[3]
6. If the customer will drive, call law enforcement.[3]

You have the right to refuse a sale and to insist a customer prove their age. Do not rely on appearance or behavior alone. A real Texas ID has raised lettering and a sturdy feel; a thin, smooth or peeling card is a red flag, and most fake IDs fail electronic scanning.[4]

• Check the physical feel of the card.[4]
• Look for spelling or grammar errors and blurred text.[4]
• Tilt the card to verify holograms.[4]
• Check the microprint.[4]
• Ask the customer to state their name, date of birth or address.[4]

The table below summarizes the offenses and classifications you will see most often on the certification exam. Penalty figures use "up to" because the maximum applies; the actual penalty depends on the case.[2][3]