Author Note: SSC Seller Server Classes for California is an approved Training Provider. www.SellerServerClasses.com/California
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s (ABC) Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Program is encouraging those who initially signed up for the start of the program in the summer of 2022 to recertify by August 31, 2025, in order to stay up to date with state regulations. You must be within 90 days of your expiration date to recertify.
Assembly Bill 1221, signed into law in 2017, created the Responsible Beverage Service Training Program Act with the intention of reducing alcohol-related harm to local communities. The bill required ABC to create a program to ensure on-premises servers of alcoholic beverages and their managers are educated on the risks of serving alcohol and related responsible practices.
As of July 1, more than 600,000 alcohol servers and managers are trained and certified in responsible beverage service within California. RBS certification lasts three years.
RBS training is legally required for servers and managers of establishments with on-sale ABC licenses, which account for approximately 56,000 ABC-licensed businesses. If you’re a server, get certified in the RBS Portal, which has the tools you need to ensure compliance with the mandatory RBS training requirements.
To renew your certification, you must pay your recertification fee, take training from an authorized RBS Training Provider, and pass the ABC Alcohol Server Certification exam within 30 days of your confirmed training. Log in to your RBS Server account and click Pay Renewal from the Renewal Notice. Once your payment is complete, return to your Server dashboard to search for a training provider.
If you are a new alcohol server, have not yet obtained certification or are looking to recertify, please visit www.abc.ca.gov/education/rbs.