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How to Respond to a TABC Violation Notice (Step-by-Step AIMS Guide)

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In this guide
  1. Step 1: Open the notice in AIMS
  2. Step 2: Read what the agreement asks you to give up
  3. Step 3, if you accept: sign, upload, and submit
  4. Step 3, if you reject: request the hearing
  5. Step 4: Acknowledge the order and pay

A TABC violation notice arrives by email to the “Primary” user on the business’s Alcohol Industry Management System (AIMS) account, and the email states how many days the business has to act. Within that window the business either accepts TABC’s settlement offer by signing and uploading the agreement in AIMS, or rejects it, which is a request for a hearing at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). If nothing is done by the deadline, TABC sends the case to its General Counsel’s Office to be set for a hearing. The settlement steps below apply when the notice includes a settlement offer; TABC’s violations page describes accepting a settlement offer “if offered,” and under TABC Rule 34.1(e) a case alleging a sale to a minor or an intoxicated person that caused death or serious bodily injury is referred to TABC’s legal services division without one.

The steps below follow TABC’s own AIMS guide for responding to an administrative notice and its violations page, as of October 2, 2026.

Step 1: Open the notice in AIMS

Log in to AIMS, select the business entity that holds the license, and open “Items Awaiting Your Action.” The settlement request is listed there. Download the document under “Copy of settlement agreement” and read it before doing anything else. If the business holds a bond that the violation affects, the request also shows a “Bond Information” section. Because the notice goes only to the “Primary” user’s email address, that address has to reach someone who reads it.

TABC’s public safety FAQ adds that a business that received an administrative notice does not need to contact TABC immediately: “A TABC representative will contact you and let you know how to respond to the notice.” The deadline in the email still governs.

Step 2: Read what the agreement asks you to give up

TABC’s settlement agreement form (LEG 5-15) has the signer acknowledge several points before any penalty is paid:

  • The signer states, in capital letters on the form, “I WAIVE MY RIGHT TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY, MY RIGHT TO AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING, MY RIGHT TO A RE-HEARING, AND MY RIGHT TO APPEAL.”
  • The violation becomes part of the license or permit history.
  • The business consents to electronic notice.
  • TABC’s executive director may reject the agreement; if it is rejected, the business has the opportunity for an administrative hearing.
  • A conduct surety bond may be forfeited. A performance bond, which applies to certain beer and wine retailers in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant counties, is forfeited, and the license stays suspended until a replacement bond is filed.

The agreement also states the sanction offered; the sample form in TABC’s guide shows a suspension with the opportunity to pay a civil penalty instead by a stated date.

Step 3, if you accept: sign, upload, and submit

  1. Initial and complete each marked place on the form, then sign, date, and save it.
  2. In AIMS, use “SELECT FILES” to upload the signed agreement.
  3. Click “SUBMIT SIGNED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT.”
  4. Wait for the waiver order. TABC then issues an order confirming the business has waived its right to a hearing and setting the penalty or suspension.

The business can change its mind briefly. The AIMS guide allows “CANCEL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT” within three days after submitting, and the form allows withdrawal by written notice to TABC within three calendar days after signing. A cancellation is treated as a request for a SOAH hearing. Before the agreement is finalized, TABC’s violations page states, the business may end settlement discussions at any time.

Step 3, if you reject: request the hearing

On the settlement request, the link “Click here if you want to rescind this Agreement,” at the bottom left of the page, rejects the offer. Rejecting is a request for a SOAH hearing, and the business then waits for instructions from TABC’s General Counsel’s Office. After the hearing a SOAH administrative law judge prepares a proposal for decision, and TABC’s commissioners issue the final order.

If the business intends to rely on Safe Harbor for an employee’s sale to a minor or an intoxicated person, TABC Rule 34.20 sets a separate deadline for the sworn affidavit, counted from receipt of the notice, that does not wait for the settlement decision.

Step 4: Acknowledge the order and pay

When the waiver order is issued, TABC sends an email. Open the order from “Items Awaiting Your Action,” download it, and use the buttons there to acknowledge it and, if a civil penalty applies, to pay. The AIMS guide lists six order types: Warning; Suspension Only; Cancellation; Civil Penalty Only; Suspension or Civil Penalty; and Suspension and Civil Penalty.

Two deadlines matter here:

  • Acknowledgment. “Failure to acknowledge the Order before the suspension or cancellation date or within 3 days of receiving a Warning Order will result in automatic acknowledgement.”
  • Payment. “Failure to pay a civil penalty by the due date could result in additional action.” Where the order lets the business pay instead of serving a suspension, the Alcoholic Beverage Code (Section 11.64) imposes the suspension if the penalty is not paid by the statutory deadline.

Payment goes through Texas.gov. A credit or debit card carries a processing fee; an ACH payment does not. A receipt can be downloaded afterward.

This article is general information about Texas alcoholic beverage law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes and TABC rules change; confirm current requirements with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the relevant city or county, or a licensed Texas attorney before acting.