Server Permit in Tennessee — Requirements, Cost & Validity

Does Tennessee require a server permit? Who needs one, how long it's valid, what it costs, and the approved training providers — verified from official sources.

Legal basis

T.C.A. Sec. 57-4-203 -- an on-premise-consumption licensee (licensed under Sec. 57-4-101) may not employ any person in serving beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages who does not possess a server permit from the Commission; the licensee must ensure each serving employee holds the permit and keeps it available for inspection
T.C.A. Sec. 57-3-704 -- Application requirements for server permits (applicant at least 18; must complete not less than 3.5 hours of alcohol-awareness training from a Commission-certified program within one year before applying); subsection (h): a person employed pursuant to Sec. 50-5-106(b)(2) -- a 16- or 17-year-old lawfully employed at the establishment -- who is not permitted to take orders for or serve intoxicating beverages is not required to obtain a server permit
T.C.A. Sec. 57-3-707 -- a new server may work 61 days after being hired without the permit, after which the permit is required
Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0100-01-.03 (Conduct of Business) -- on-premise managers/assistant managers and individuals whose duties affect alcohol sales must hold a valid server permit under Sec. 57-3-707

Tennessee requires a Server Permit (TABC server permit required within 61 days of hire to serve at liquor-by-the-drink establishments). Every figure below is verified against the official source and dated.

What it’s called

Tennessee issues a server permit to the individual and a license to the establishment. The Alcoholic Beverage Commission states: “A Server Permit (On-Premise Permit) is required to serve liquor, wine and high gravity beer at an establishment that holds an On-Premise Consumption License (Liquor-by-the-Drink License).” “Bartending license,” “servers license” and “serving license” are common informal names for the server permit, whose application requirements are set by T.C.A. § 57-3-704. What a searcher calls a “liquor license” is the establishment’s On-Premise Consumption License — the liquor-by-the-drink license that the server permit presupposes.

Quick facts

Requirement level: State-mandated — TABC server permit required within 61 days of hire to serve at liquor-by-the-drink establishments
Valid for: 2 years for permits issued on or after January 1, 2025; permits issued before that date remain valid 5 years from issuance
Cost: The TABC server-permit application fee is $20.00, paid through RLPS. The alcohol-awareness course is a separate charge set by the Commission-certified training provider and is not fixed by the state.
Who needs it & when: Any person employed to serve or dispense alcoholic beverages at an establishment holding an on-premise consumption (liquor-by-the-drink) license must hold a TABC Server Permit. The two official sources scope the covered beverages differently, and both are stated here: TABC’s guidance says the permit is required to serve liquor, wine, and high-gravity beer, while the statute’s employment bar is broader – T.C.A. Sec. 57-4-203(h) forbids the licensee from employing any person ‘in the serving of beer, wine or other alcoholic beverages’ who does not possess a server permit. Rule 0100-01-.03 extends the requirement to on-premise managers and assistant managers whose duties directly or indirectly affect alcohol sales. The applicant must be at least eighteen (18) and must complete a Commission-certified alcohol-awareness program within the year before applying. Two official tiers set the length differently and both are stated here: T.C.A. Sec. 57-3-704 sets the applicant’s statutory floor at not less than 3.5 hours, while the Commission’s own rule requires a certified program to run at least five (5) hours of classroom instruction, excluding breaks (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0100-08-.02(7) and .04(1)(d)1). Because the statute requires the training to come from a Commission-certified program, the five-hour rule governs the class you actually sit. A newly hired server may work up to sixty-one (61) days from the original hire date before holding the permit; this one-time grace period does not reset with each change of employer. The licensee must ensure every serving employee holds the permit and keep it available on the person or on the premises for inspection. Employees aged 16-17 who are not permitted to take orders for or serve alcohol do not need the permit – see the exemption below.
Who issues it: The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), Nashville, issues the Server Permit. Applicants apply through the state’s Regulatory Licensing and Permitting System (RLPS). The underlying alcohol-awareness course is delivered by training programs the Commission certifies, and the Commission publishes the approved-programs list, but the permit itself is issued by the TABC, not by the training provider.

Who does NOT need this — exemptions

Not required: an employee aged 16 or 17 who is lawfully employed under T.C.A. Sec. 50-5-106(b)(2) and is not permitted to take orders for or serve alcoholic beverages does not need a server permit. T.C.A. Sec. 57-3-704(h) says so directly: ‘A person employed pursuant to Sec. 50-5-106(b)(2) and not permitted to take orders for or serve intoxicating beverages is not required to obtain a server permit.’ In practice this covers 16- and 17-year-old bussers, hosts, and food runners at liquor-by-the-drink establishments: they may lawfully work there without a permit (which they could not obtain anyway, since applicants must be at least 18) so long as they never take drink orders or serve alcohol. No other individual exemption appears in the statutes and rules cited on this page (T.C.A. Secs. 57-3-704, 57-3-707, 57-4-203; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. chapters 0100-01 and 0100-08); the 61-day new-hire grace period in T.C.A. Sec. 57-3-707 is a timing allowance, not an exemption.

Approved training providers

Training is delivered by TABC-certified alcohol-awareness programs; the Commission publishes the approved-programs list and the applicant obtains the permit itself from the TABC via RLPS after completing an approved course.

County exceptions

No Tennessee county or city issues a substitute for the TABC Server Permit – for liquor-by-the-drink service the permit is uniform statewide and issued only by the TABC. Local beer boards separately license beer sales by establishments, and at least one locality adds its own individual registration on top: Shelby County’s beer-permit page states that ‘all employees who serve, sell, or handle beer in these establishments must also register with the Shelby County clerk’ (beer-permit establishments outside municipal boundaries in Shelby County). Check the local beer board where the establishment operates for any employee-registration duty.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee require a server permit?

Yes. Any person employed to serve or dispense alcoholic beverages at an establishment holding an on-premise consumption (liquor-by-the-drink) license must hold a TABC Server Permit. The two official sources scope the covered beverages differently, and both are stated here: TABC’s guidance says the permit is required to serve liquor, wine, and high-gravity beer, while the statute’s employment bar is broader – T.C.A. Sec. 57-4-203(h) forbids the licensee from employing any person ‘in the serving of beer, wine or other alcoholic beverages’ who does not possess a server permit.

How long is a server permit valid in Tennessee?

2 years for permits issued on or after January 1, 2025; permits issued before that date remain valid 5 years from issuance.

How much does a server permit cost in Tennessee?

The TABC server-permit application fee is $20.00, paid through RLPS. The alcohol-awareness course is a separate charge set by the Commission-certified training provider and is not fixed by the state.

Where do you get a server permit in Tennessee?

Are there local exceptions in Tennessee?

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Tennessee.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 22, 2026.

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.