Louisiana Responsible Vendor Server Permit: $25 Cap

Yes — Louisiana requires a responsible vendor server permit: $25 cap, valid 4 years. Who needs one, approved providers, and local exceptions — verified from Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC).

Quick answer

Louisiana requires every server, meaning retail permit holders' employees who sell or serve alcohol or deal with customers buying it, plus all security staff, to complete an approved Responsible Vendor course and hold a server permit within 45 days of starting work; temporary or casual banquet and catering staff of a bona fide hotel or motel are excluded. The permit is valid 4 years.

Take a course from a provider on ATC's Responsible Vendor Provider List.
Complete the course within 45 days of commencing employment.
Obtain the permit card; online printing is currently unavailable, so copies are requested from ATC by email or public records request with full name, date of birth and the last four digits of the social security number.

Official cost: The course fee is set by the provider but capped at $25 per course by regulation (the statute sets a $50 ceiling). Replacement permit: $5. Each establishment separately pays a $50 annual program fee.
How long: Within 45 days of commencing employment; valid 4 years.
Where to apply: Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC), through an ATC-approved provider.

At a glance

Responsible Vendor Server Permit

Requirement: Required statewide
Who must hold one: Every "server" — any employee of a Class "A"/"B" retail or Retail Dealer permit holder who is authorized to sell or serve alcoholic beverages (or tobacco/vapor products), or who deals with customers who buy or consume… full text
Every "server" — any employee of a Class "A"/"B" retail or Retail Dealer permit holder who is authorized to sell or serve alcoholic beverages (or tobacco/vapor products), or who deals with customers who buy or consume them — plus all security personnel, must complete an approved Responsible Vendor course and hold a server permit within 45 days of commencing employment. Temporary/casual banquet or catering staff of a bona fide hotel or motel are excluded. The minimum age to sell or serve alcohol is 18. The establishment itself separately holds its own retail alcohol permit and its Responsible Vendor certification.
Valid for: 4 years
Cost: The server training-course fee is set by the approved provider but is capped at $25 per course by regulation (LAC 55:VII.509(G)); the enabling statute sets a higher $50 ceiling (R.S. 26:936(B))… details below
Approved training: Training must be taken from an "approved provider" — an individual or company approved by the nine-member Responsible Vendor program administrator committee and the commissioner to give server-training courses… full text
Training must be taken from an "approved provider" — an individual or company approved by the nine-member Responsible Vendor program administrator committee and the commissioner to give server-training courses (R.S. 26:932(1), 26:933). ATC publishes the current Responsible Vendor Provider List. ATC's Responsible Vendor Handbook (2021 edition, still published and linked from the program page) says the RV card is available on the ATC website 7-10 days after the course and can be printed there. As of September 2, 2026 the ATC Responsible Vendor Information page states that online printing of RV permits is 'currently unavailable' and directs servers to request a copy by public records request or by emailing ATC with their full name as given to the provider, date of birth, and the last four digits of their social security number; requests missing any of that, or sent to ATC's complaint line, are rejected or delayed. The print address the handbook names now redirects to the ATC home page.
Issuing agency: Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC); the Responsible Vendor Program is overseen by a nine-member program administrator committee, and training is delivered by ATC-approved providers.
Verify a license: Official license lookup — Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC)

Legal basis

Reviewed regulatory changes affecting this page

August 10, 2026 (official page revised) — Louisiana ATC turned off online printing of Responsible Vendor server cards - servers must now request a copy by email or public records request
Corrected the same day. la-alcohol-server said the RV card 'is available to print from the ATC website about 7-10 days later'; it now carries both official sources with dates - the 2021 handbook's 7-10-day online statement and the program page's notice, read 2026-09-02, that online printing is currently unavailable and a copy must be requested by public records request or email with the three identifiers ATC names. A watch on the phrase 'currently unavailable' catches the restoration.
Before: The Responsible Vendor Information page went straight from its heading to the provider list with no notice about card copies, and the agency's Responsible Vendor Handbook told servers their card would be on the ATC website 7-10 days after the course and could be printed from a dedicated page at atc.la.gov.
After: A block at the top of the page reads: 'Online Printing availability of your Responsible Vendor (RV) permits is currently unavailable. To obtain a copy of your ATC RV Server card, you may submit a public records request or send the request directly to [the address ATC gives on the page]. In order for ATC to process the request, you MUST in your email the following information: your full name (the name as provided to your provider), your date of birth, and last four (4) digits of your social security number. Failure to provide all required information, or submitting your request to ATC's complaint line will be rejected or further delay processing of your request.' The page also gained a standing link, 'How to Request A Copy of your RV Server Card?'. The print address the handbook names now redirects to the ATC home page. Confirmed still in place on 2026-09-02.
Who this affects: Every Louisiana alcohol server and seller who holds, or has just earned, a Responsible Vendor permit and needs the card itself - most immediately anyone who has just finished an approved course and expected to print the card, and anyone who has lost a card and must produce it for an ATC agent. The requirement to hold the permit within 45 days of hire, the four-year term, the $25 course cap and the $5 replacement fee are unchanged; only the way to obtain a copy of the card has changed. Note that ATC's own handbook still describes self-service printing, so the two official sources disagree and both are stated here.
Primary source: Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC)

Every entry above was read and verified by a person against the official instrument before it was published. Full record, with what changed and the primary source: the change log.

Louisiana requires a Responsible Vendor Server Permit (Required within 45 days of hire; certified servers also give the licensee a first-offense safe-harbor defense.). Every figure below is verified against the official source and dated.

What it’s called

Louisiana issues a Responsible Vendor Server Permit, not a license. La. R.S. 26:934 sets the certification requirements and La. R.S. 26:932 defines the “server permit” under the state’s Responsible Vendor Program. “Bartender license,” “servers license,” “serving license” and “alcohol server license” are common informal names for the same permit. In Louisiana the license to sell alcohol belongs to the establishment — the responsible vendor — while the individual who serves holds the server permit.

Quick facts

Requirement level: State-mandated — Required within 45 days of hire; certified servers also give the licensee a first-offense safe-harbor defense.
Valid for: 4 years
Cost: The server training-course fee is set by the approved provider but is capped at $25 per course by regulation (LAC 55:VII.509(G)); the enabling statute sets a higher $50 ceiling (R.S. 26:936(B)); a replacement permit costs $5 (LAC 55:VII-507). Separately, each licensed establishment pays a $50 annual Responsible Vendor program fee.
Who needs it & when: Every “server” — any employee of a Class “A”/“B” retail or Retail Dealer permit holder who is authorized to sell or serve alcoholic beverages (or tobacco/vapor products), or who deals with customers who buy or consume them — plus all security personnel, must complete an approved Responsible Vendor course and hold a server permit within 45 days of commencing employment. Temporary/casual banquet or catering staff of a bona fide hotel or motel are excluded. The minimum age to sell or serve alcohol is 18. The establishment itself separately holds its own retail alcohol permit and its Responsible Vendor certification.
Who issues it: Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC); the Responsible Vendor Program is overseen by a nine-member program administrator committee, and training is delivered by ATC-approved providers.

Who does NOT need this — exemptions

The statutory exclusion is for temporary or casual banquet and catering staff of a bona fide hotel or motel — they fall outside the Responsible Vendor Act’s definition of ‘server’ (La. R.S. 26:932) and so outside the server-permit requirement entirely. Everyone else who fits the definition — employees of Class “A”/“B” retail or Retail Dealer permit holders authorized to sell or serve alcoholic beverages (or tobacco/vapor products), or who deal with customers who buy or consume them, plus security personnel — must hold the permit; the 45-day period after commencing employment (La. R.S. 26:934) is a compliance window for new hires, not an exemption. On the security side, La. R.S. 26:932(5) narrows the definition: “‘Security personnel’ shall not include persons employed by hotels or motels which consist of sleeping rooms, cottages or cabins unless the person works primarily in an area on the licensed premises of a hotel or motel where the principal commodity sold is alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises” – so a hotel/motel lodging-area security worker falls outside ‘security personnel’ and needs no permit. Source: La. R.S. 26:932; La. R.S. 26:934.

Approved training providers

Training must be taken from an “approved provider” — an individual or company approved by the nine-member Responsible Vendor program administrator committee and the commissioner to give server-training courses (R.S. 26:932(1), 26:933). ATC publishes the current Responsible Vendor Provider List. ATC’s Responsible Vendor Handbook (2021 edition, still published and linked from the program page) says the RV card is available on the ATC website 7-10 days after the course and can be printed there. As of September 2, 2026 the ATC Responsible Vendor Information page states that online printing of RV permits is ‘currently unavailable’ and directs servers to request a copy by public records request or by emailing ATC with their full name as given to the provider, date of birth, and the last four digits of their social security number; requests missing any of that, or sent to ATC’s complaint line, are rejected or delayed. The print address the handbook names now redirects to the ATC home page.

County exceptions

The Responsible Vendor bar card is a single statewide credential valid with any Louisiana vendor (R.S. 26:933(B)(3)). Parishes and municipalities set their own local alcohol ordinances (hours, zoning, local occupational licenses) but do not issue a separate server card.

Verify a certificate in Louisiana

Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) publishes a public certificate search , searchable by Last Name, Last 4 SSN, Date of Birth, Start Date or End Date. It covers Individual Responsible Vendor server permits (RV “bar cards”) issued by ATC to alcohol servers and sellers.

Results come from the operator’s own system, through the search above. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.

Frequently asked questions

Does Louisiana require a responsible vendor server permit?

Yes. Every “server” — any employee of a Class “A”/“B” retail or Retail Dealer permit holder who is authorized to sell or serve alcoholic beverages (or tobacco/vapor products), or who deals with customers who buy or consume them — plus all security personnel, must complete an approved Responsible Vendor course and hold a server permit within 45 days of commencing employment. Temporary/casual banquet or catering staff of a bona fide hotel or motel are excluded.

How long is a responsible vendor server permit valid in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, a responsible vendor server permit is valid for 4 years.

How much does a responsible vendor server permit cost in Louisiana?

The server training-course fee is set by the approved provider but is capped at $25 per course by regulation (LAC 55:VII.509(G)); the enabling statute sets a higher $50 ceiling (R.S. 26:936(B)); a replacement permit costs $5 (LAC 55:VII-507). Separately, each licensed establishment pays a $50 annual Responsible Vendor program fee.

Where do you get a responsible vendor server permit in Louisiana?

Are there local exceptions in Louisiana?

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Louisiana.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: September 2, 2026.

We re-check cited sources on a weekly schedule wherever a source can be fetched automatically; 1 of the sources above cannot be (marked "re-verified by hand" — hover for why) and is checked by a person instead. See what changed at the agencies, or every correction we have ever made.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.