Tennessee TABC Alcohol Server Permit Training
If you are a bartender, server, or looking to get a job as one, you must have a valid Server Permit or ABC Card from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). To get your ABC Card or TABC certification, you must pass a Certified Alcohol Awareness Training approved by the Tennessee TABC.
Our Tennessee TABC Alcohol Server Seller Training program is approved by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to meet Tennessee ABC license training requirements. As a bartender or server in Tennessee, you must be certified with a TABC Server Permit every five years. To get your TABC Server Permit quickly, take this course.
Our Tennessee TABC certification online course is created using the standards set by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverages Control (TABC). To abide by the Tennessee alcohol laws, the Tennessee Liquor Control Act requires servers to get their ABC license certification. Before taking the course, you must get your Tennessee RLPS ID. Within one year, applicants of an RLPS must complete a Tennessee TABC Certified Alcohol Awareness Training. Tennessee alcoholic beverage commission rules and regulations are more accessible with our course. This Tennessee bartending certification is often called Tennessee Alcohol Server & Seller Training, Tennessee Alcohol Certification, or Tennessee Tips Certification.
Server Permit FAQs
Staff handling or serving food should have a Tennessee Food Handler certificate and Tennessee Server Permit.
3 Steps To Get Your Tennessee TABC Alcohol Certification
RLPS ID: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an RLPS ID?
Only the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Control (TABC) can issue the Regulatory Licensing and Permitting System (RLPS) ID (i.e. 24X-XPER-SER-XXXXXX)
Why Do I need a RLPS ID?
The RPLS number or ID is used to process all Server Permit Classes. You will need it in order to obtain your Tennessee server permit.
How Do I Get An RLPS ID?
For more information on how to apply for a server permit, please visit the RLPS tutorial page.
Do I need the RPLS ID before taking the course?
Yes. We need your RPLS ID so we may process your course completion for your Tennessee TABC certification.
How much does it cost to get my RLPS ID?
The state of Tennessee TABC charges $20 to obtain your RPLS ID. You can pay with a credit or debit card (Visa or Mastercard)
Do I need a state-issued ID to apply?
Yes. To get your RLPS ID, you will need a government-issued ID
- State Driver's License ( any US state)
- State ID (any US state)
- US Passport
- Green card
If I am not a US citizen, can I apply for an RLPS ID?
If you are a non-citizen, you must have a green card. If you have your green card, please use our Contact Us page. You will need to upload pictures of the front and back of your green card.
Can I get my RLPS ID using a cell phone?
No, the RLPS system will not work with mobile devices. Apply and register yourself through the RPLS from a computer (Windows or Mac computer).
After you get your RLPS ID, yes, you can take our TABC certification course on a cell phone or tablet.
What if I lose my login on Tennessee's state website?
Call the Tennessee TABC at (615) 562-2297 or email them at TABC.helpdesk@tn.gov. We do not have access to the state's system to help so you will need to contact them directly.
How To Get ABC License In Tennessee
Tennessee TABC alcohol certification by the state is required for anyone who is a Tennessee bartender, server & manager. Most employers and liquor liability insurance carriers, as well as requiring Tennessee food handler certification, require all sellers and servers of alcoholic beverages to be certified to sell and/or serve alcohol in bars, restaurants, nightclubs, sports bars, or anywhere alcohol can be purchased or served. This course teaches you to serve responsibly by former bar and restaurant managers, bartenders, and servers.
First, you must get your RLPS ID from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission website. From their website, click on Apply For A Server Permit. We are the most preferred Tennessee bartending license certification for responsible service of alcohol.
The Most Recommended TABC Course
We have been alcohol training hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses for over 35 years. Our Tennessee TABC Alcohol Server & Seller Training is a state required for bartenders, servers, and managers to serve alcoholic beverages. Our training incorporates decades of research on Tennessee alcohol laws. Over the decades, we have worked diligently with the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverages Control and liability lawyers to create the most reputable and recommended TN alcohol server certification training. Select Enroll Now and quickly complete the course in a couple of hours.
For Owners And Managers Addendum To Your State Certification
Responsible Alcohol Manager Course
Only $29.99
We recognize that you are busy and alcohol training may not be at the forefront of your mind. We aim to give you accurate knowledge and quickly bring you "up to speed" with the most recent laws. Some of our information may seem common knowledge. But, as you do, we take your profession very seriously. Your decisions, while serving alcohol, could make a dramatic difference in another person's life. With a little of your time and our training, we will help you become a safer alcohol seller or server and increase your tips. Select your course, click Enroll Now, complete the course, and print your free certificate and wallet card all within a couple of hours.
Quick and Easy Tennessee Alcohol Server Certification
Our Tennessee alcohol server training course makes enrolling in and earning your Tennessee bartender license easy. Begin the self-paced training in one sitting or leave and return to the course as often as needed. The course guides you with voiceover reading of each page. The speed of the voiceover can be increased or slowed down to suit your needs.
Quickly Get Your ABC Card Today
Need to be compliant in a hurry? Our Tennessee Alcohol Server On-Premise Course, to earn your Tennessee bartender license, is available to you immediately upon completion as an emailed PDF file. Complete it tonight and email it to your manager before work tomorrow.
Completion & Pass Is 100% Guaranteed
We give you multiple chances to take the course. Busy? Multi-tasking? No worries. Come back until you get it completed; it's guaranteed.
What's Covered In The Course
Serving Alcohol, Inc. has over 35 years of experience in teaching alcohol awareness, intervention techniques, server duties, carding procedures, and state laws. Our course will teach you:
- How to protect yourself and your establishment from liability
- How alcohol affects your customers
- How to recognize the effects of alcohol on your customers
- How to prevent customers from becoming overly intoxicated
- How to intervene when you need to refuse a sale
- How to avoid and deal with disturbances
- How to accurately check IDs and recognize minors with fake IDs
- How to prevent second-party transactions
- How to react to authorities when a problem arises
The Most Preferred State Approved
Tennessee TABC Certification
Our courses are recommended and endorsed by liability insurance carriers. Most liability insurance carriers for alcohol-serving establishments (restaurants, bars, taverns, and nightclubs) require all employees to hold an alcohol certification. Therefore, they will need your staff to remain current with state rules, regulations, and Tennessee alcohol laws. As a result, more businesses are requiring our server certification as a condition of employment.
We cover topics in our Tennessee bartender course about how old you need to be to become a bartender. Another frequently asked question from us is how to get your Tennessee bartending license. For reference, we have a web page dedicated to some helpful bartender career statistics in the US. For general information on obtaining a bartending license (not specific to any state), see our Ultimate Guide to Getting a Bartending License.
Server Permit FAQs
A TABC-issued server permit authorizes an individual to serve alcoholic beverages or beer at an establishment with an on-premise consumption license. Anyone who wishes to serve or sell alcoholic beverages or beer for on-premise consumption at a TABC-licensed establishment must obtain a server permit. Once issued, a server permit is valid for five (5) years. Server permits are not transferable to other individuals.
You must be at least eighteen (18) years old to obtain a server permit. If the establishment permits smoking on the premises, the server must be at least twenty-one (21) years old.
A server has sixty-one (61) days from the time he or she begins serving at any establishment to obtain a server permit from the TABC. A server permit expires after five (5) years, at which time a server must apply for a new permit. An individual who held a server permit in the past is not eligible for the sixty-one (61) day grace period if he or she has allowed the server permit to expire.
Yes. Each on-premise manager, assistant manager, and/or any individual working in such capacity and having duties which directly or indirectly impact on the selling and dispensing of alcoholic beverages must have a valid server permit.
In order to obtain a server permit from the TABC, an individual must do the following:
1. Create and complete a server permit application online:
a. Create an RLPS account;
b. Create a new server permit application;
c. Upload the required documentation and
d. Pay the $20.00 non-refundable application fee.
2. Complete an alcohol awareness training program for persons involved in the direct service of alcohol, wine, or beer by an entity certified by the commission to have an adequate training curriculum for alcohol awareness. The training program must be at least three and one-half (3.5) hours long. The certificate indicating successful completion of the program is not a TABC server permit.
3. For additional information about applying for a server permit, please consult the TABC’s video tutorials at https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/abc/rlps/rlps-tutorials.html
A current list of approved training programs, including online training programs and server training trainers, can be found at https://www.tn.gov/abc/permitting/server.html. Someone wishing to attend server permit training should seek additional information about the class times and costs from the specific training program or trainer. The TABC does not set the price for training programs, and the TABC does not employ trainers.
The TABC reviews applications for licenses and permits to determine whether the applicant has a criminal history that directly relates to the occupations under the regulation of the Commission. The TABC will not consider any convictions expunged from an applicant’s criminal history. To facilitate the review of your application, please attach judgment forms for all convictions to your application. The judgment forms should indicate the court where the conviction occurred, the conviction date, the conviction offense and statute violated, and the resulting sentence. You may obtain copies of the judgment forms from the courts where the convictions occurred. For further information regarding how the TABC reviews criminal convictions, please follow the below link to a Director’s Memo on this topic:
https://www.tn.gov/abc/public-information-and-forms/director-s-memos.html
Yes. A server permit may be suspended or revoked by the Commission for any violation of Title 57 of the Tennessee Code Annotated or the rules and regulations of the TABC. In lieu of suspension or revocation, the Commission may require the server to retake and complete a program of alcohol awareness training conducted by an entity certified by the Commission.
Yes. An individual with a server permit may also seek a manager’s permit from the TABC.
No. Applicants are responsible for printing out their server permits from the associated RLPS account once the permit has been approved.
Please see the TABC’s RLPS tutorial for instructions on how to print a server permit.
No. Submitting the application does not guarantee approval of the application. The TABC reviews the application information to determine if an applicant qualifies for the permit. Permits will be issued to those who qualify for the permit and will be denied to those who do not qualify.
Yes. Servers are required to have a copy of their server permit on their person while they are working. For this requirement, server permits in electronic format are acceptable if they are readily available and easily accessible.