How long a Tennessee ABC card is good for

Tennessee changed how long an alcohol server permit lasts. Permits issued on or after January 1, 2025 are valid for two years from the issue date. Permits issued before that date were five-year permits, and they keep their original expiration.

That leaves most venues with two kinds of cards on the same roster for the next few years. The only reliable way to know which is which is to read the issue date on each card.

Which rule applies to your card

Two cards issued one day apart can expire three years apart. That gap is why a binder that was set up once and left alone is now likely to be wrong.

What happens when it expires

Nothing carries over. There is no grace period on an expired permit. The person cannot legally serve alcohol until they complete an approved server training course again and are issued a new permit. The 61-day grace period that new hires sometimes get does not apply here; see who actually gets the grace period.

Renewing

Renewing works like applying the first time: finish an approved course, then apply through the state's RLPS portal. The steps are in how to get a Tennessee server permit. Start well before the expiration date. The course certificate is good for one year for applying, so there is no advantage to waiting.

For owners

The licensee, not the employee, is responsible for keeping a current copy of every required permit on file. If you're tracking expirations by hand, recheck any card issued in 2025 or later: its expiration is three years sooner than a five-year card would have been. EasyABC TN reads the issue date on each card and applies the right term automatically.