Tennessee ABC server permit laws, explained

A server permit issued on or after January 1, 2025 is valid for two years from its issue date. A permit issued before that keeps its original five-year term. Most venues will have a mix of both for the next few years, so read the issue date on each card rather than assuming.

No. Once a server permit expires, that person cannot legally serve alcohol until they complete an approved training course again and get a new permit. The 61-day grace period only applies to brand-new servers.

Someone who has never held a Tennessee server permit can work in a serving position for up to 61 days from their hire date (or from the date they're moved into a serving position) while they get one. Each person gets it once in their life. It does not restart when they change jobs, and it is not available to anyone who has held a permit before, even an expired one.

Anyone whose duties directly or indirectly affect selling, serving, or dispensing alcohol at an on-premise licensee: servers, bartenders, barbacks, managers, and assistant managers. Hosts, bussers, and kitchen staff generally do not, unless their duties include alcohol service.

At least 18. At a venue that permits smoking, the minimum age to serve there is 21.

Complete a TABC-approved alcohol server training course, then apply for the permit through the state's RLPS portal and pay the $20 state application fee. Your course completion certificate can be used to apply for one year from the date you finish.

The state application fee is $20, paid directly to the state through RLPS. The training course is a separate cost set by whichever approved provider you use.

Yes. On-premise licensees must keep a readily accessible copy, paper or electronic, of the server permit for every employee required to have one, available whenever TABC asks to see it.

No. The grace period is tied to the person, not the job. If someone used it at another venue, or already held a permit at any point, they need a valid permit before they serve at yours.

No. The certificate shows you finished an approved course. It is what you use to apply for the permit through RLPS, and it can only be used for that for one year. You need the permit itself to serve.

Server permits apply to on-premise licensees that sell liquor, wine, or high-gravity beer. Places that only sell regular beer are permitted by their local beer board, which sets its own requirements. Check with your county or city beer board.

Yes. Since July 1, 2026, every hemp THC sale in Tennessee needs a valid photo ID showing 21 or older. Unlike some alcohol sales, there's no exception for customers who look over 50.