What Tennessee requires of the bar, not the bartender

Server permits belong to employees, but the obligation to keep them current sits with the business. TABC Rule 0100-08 requires on-premise licensees to keep readily accessible copies of the permits of all employees required to hold one.

What to keep on file

• A copy of the current permit for every employee in a position that requires one.
• For new servers inside their 61-day grace period, the hire date that starts the clock.
• Copies kept somewhere a manager can reach on any shift, not locked in an office no one has keys to.

What an agent will ask for

Expect to be asked for the permits of the staff who are working. Be ready to show that each one is current, or that a new hire is inside a valid grace period. An expired card on the floor is a violation, whatever the reason it lapsed.

A monthly routine that holds up

1. List everyone in a position that requires a permit.
2. Note each card's issue date, and work out its expiration under the two-year or five-year rule.
3. Flag anyone expiring in the next 90 days and tell them.
4. Check every new hire's grace-period eligibility before their first shift.
5. Pull the copies of anyone who left, and add copies for anyone who started.

EasyABC TN does all five continuously and prints the whole file as an auditor packet when you need it.

Dram shop liability

Separately from permits, Tennessee law can hold a business liable for injuries caused by serving a minor or a visibly intoxicated person, under a high standard of proof. Trained, permitted staff are the first defense, which is part of why the training requirement exists. Talk to your attorney or insurer about your exposure.