Mandatory Responsible Beverage Service Training by Aug. 31

Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training under the requirements of AB 1221 (Gonzalez, 2017) will become mandatory on July 1, 2022. Any California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) licensee who has an “ABC On-Premises License,” including winery tasting rooms, will need to have their staff (alcohol servers and their managers) trained and certified in RBS no later than Aug. 31. New staff will have 60 days from the date of initial employment to receive certification.

All alcohol servers and managers will need to register with the ABC, take an approved RBS training course and pass an online exam administered by ABC. ABC has created a FAQ web page with specific information on the RBS program and has created a portal web page with a list of approved training providers.