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Tennessee TABC Server Permit Requirements: Training, Application and Renewal
Training completion and a state-issued Server Permit are different. This guide explains the requirements to plan for, the documents to keep and the agency responsible for issuing your permit.
Ready to complete the training portion? View Tennessee TABC Server Permit training and enrollment .
Who needs a Tennessee Server Permit?
TABC's on-premise Server Permit guidance covers employees serving liquor, wine and high-gravity beer at establishments with an On-Premise Consumption (Liquor-by-the-Drink) License. That can include bartenders, restaurant and cocktail servers, hotel employees and catering staff when their role requires the permit.
Check the requirements for your duties and workplace rather than assuming every hospitality job has the same permit rules. Applicants must be at least 18 and meet TABC's other eligibility conditions.
Official guidance: Official Server Permit scope and eligibility (opens in a new tab) .
What does the training course provide?
ABC Server Training provides the TABC-certified online alcohol-awareness course and appropriate completion documentation after successful completion. The company appears in the online section of TABC's program list updated May 5, 2026.
Allow approximately 3.5 hours for training. That estimate describes the training course, not the time TABC needs to process an application. The required training must have been completed within one year of the Server Permit application date.
Training completion is not the state permit. TABC issues the Server Permit after the applicant satisfies its requirements. An employer cannot treat the course purchase or completion document as a substitute for the issued permit.
Official guidance: Certified online training programs (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · Training and permit requirements (opens in a new tab) .
How do training and the application fit together?
- Complete approved online training. Enroll in and successfully complete the alcohol-awareness training.
- Keep completion documentation. Retain the appropriate training record so you can follow the application and employment-record instructions.
- Complete the TABC/RLPS Server Permit process. Provide the required application information and documents, pay the state application fee and satisfy TABC's requirements.
- Maintain the state-issued permit. After issuance, keep the permit and follow the state's requirements for continued permitted employment.
Keep your RLPS application ID available and follow the training provider's instructions for providing it. TABC's training-roster reporting process uses the student's application ID to connect training with the application.
Use the official application tutorials for the state's screen-by-screen instructions. Do not assume a course completion message means that the state has issued a permit.
Official guidance: RLPS access (opens in a new tab) · Application tutorials (opens in a new tab) · Training-roster reporting (PDF) (opens in a new tab) .
How long do new servers have?
New servers have a one-time 61-day period from the original hire date to complete the requirements and obtain the permit. This is not simply a deadline to enroll in training. TABC says changing employers does not restart the period.
Plan enough time for both the course and the state application. Keep the original hire date, training completion date and permit status clear when coordinating with your employer.
Official guidance: TABC original-hire deadline (opens in a new tab) .
What is paid to the state?
TABC lists a $20 Server Permit application fee . It is paid separately to the state; the training-provider course fee is a different charge.
The Tennessee course enrollment page explains the training options. A Food Handler combination is an additional training option, not a way to avoid the separate TABC permit requirement or application fee.
Official guidance: TABC fee schedule (opens in a new tab) · Server Permit requirements (opens in a new tab) .
How long is the permit valid, and how do I renew?
Server Permits issued January 1, 2025 or later are valid for two years from issuance. Check the expiration on your existing state record, particularly when checking an older permit.
Before continuing permitted work beyond expiration, follow the TABC/RLPS renewal or application instructions. Complete approved training within one year of the application, provide the requested information and pay the applicable state fee. Completing another training course alone does not renew the state permit.
The training-recency window and the issued permit's validity are different. Keep your training documentation and state permit together so each date can be checked.
Official guidance: Permit validity and training recency (opens in a new tab) · RLPS renewal and application information (opens in a new tab) .
What should employers keep track of?
Employers can organize online training for restaurants, bars, hotels, franchise locations and multi-location hospitality teams. Employee enrollment supports training administration; every covered employee still needs to satisfy the individual state requirements.
TABC states that On-Premise Consumption licensees must maintain copies of issued Server Permits for review. Management teams should keep the distinction between course completion and issued permits clear when checking employee records.
Official guidance: Employer permit-record requirements (opens in a new tab) .
Where should I verify requirements?
Use the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission as the authority for eligibility, the original-hire deadline, permit validity, application fees and current application instructions.
Official guidance: Server Permit requirements (opens in a new tab) · State fees (opens in a new tab) · RLPS tutorials (opens in a new tab) · Certified programs (PDF) (opens in a new tab) .
Ready for Tennessee Server Training?
Choose the Tennessee course or review employee enrollment. Keep the state application and permit requirements in your plan.
