TABC Compliance Checklist for Bars and Restaurants

A useful TABC compliance checklist separates three kinds of items: what the Alcoholic Beverage Code and TABC’s rules require of every bar and restaurant that serves alcohol, what applies only to certain permits or situations, and what is good practice but not a legal requirement. Seller-server certification belongs in the third group: TABC’s certification FAQ states that “there is no requirement to be certified under state law,” although it is one of the conditions for the employer’s Safe Harbor protection. The annual TABC compliance report, filed in AIMS between January 1 and June 30, belongs in the second group: it applies to listed permits, including MB, BG, and BE.

Required of every on-premises retailer

Item	Requirement	Source
Permit display	The license or permit displayed in a conspicuous place on the premises at all times	Section 11.04
Complaint sign	Posted in a publicly visible place, such as near the door or the register	Section 5.53(d); TABC Rule 31.4
Health risks warning sign	Warning of the risks of drinking during pregnancy, posted at each restroom exit, for on-premises permits	Sections 11.042, 61.111; TABC Rule 31.4
Hours	Sales and consumption only during the hours Chapter 105 allows for the permit	Chapter 105
No service to minors or intoxicated persons	No sale or service to anyone under 21 or to an intoxicated person	Sections 106.03, 106.13, 101.63
Breach of the peace reports	Reported to TABC as soon as possible and no later than five days after the incident, with a shorter deadline for a shooting, stabbing, murder, or incident involving serious bodily injury	TABC Rule 35.1; TABC public safety FAQ
Inspection	TABC and peace officers may enter at any time; refusal is a crime and a violation	Section 101.04
Records on request	Records, including video, provided to TABC on time	Section 5.32; TABC public safety chart
Exclusive control	The permit holder controls all alcohol on the licensed premises	Section 109.53
Changes reported	New or departing principals within 30 days after the change; phone or email within 30 days; mailing address within seven business days; a new trade name before the change; a change of location approved before moving	TABC <a href="https://www.tabc.texas.gov/services/tabc-licenses-permits/manage-report-changes-to-an-existing-license/">license changes page</a>
Renewal	Filed in the window TABC sets around the expiration date	TABC renewals page

TABC’s sign requirements page has the sign files and sizes.

Required for certain permits or situations

Item	Who it applies to	Source
Annual compliance report	BW, BB, BC, BE, BF, BG, BQ, D, G, MB, N, NB, NE, P, Q, W, and X permits issued at least one year before the reporting period; filed in AIMS from January 1 to June 30 with answers and real-time photos of the premises	TABC <a href="https://www.tabc.texas.gov/services/audits-investigations/compliance-reporting/">compliance reporting page</a>
Human trafficking warning sign	Holders of BG, BQ, MB, N, BE, and BF permits and licenses without a Food and Beverage Certificate; English and Spanish, at least 8.5 by 11 inches, visible to the public and employees	Section 104.07
"51%" handgun warning sign	Businesses TABC determines earn 51% or more of revenue from on-premises alcohol sales, except FB holders	Government Code Section 411.204; Section 104.06
Annual opioid antagonist training	MB and private club permit holders and each employee the permit holder requires to take seller training, unless the business is a restaurant	Sections 28.21, 32.26
Mixed beverage records	Source records and daily summaries of mixed beverage sales, kept at least four years	Comptroller rule, 34 Texas Administrative Code Section 3.1001
Food and Beverage Certificate records	Separate totals for alcohol, food, and other sales, purchase invoices, and complimentary drinks recorded as sales, kept four years; alcohol not sold outside food service hours	TABC Rule 33.5
Conduct surety bond	MB and BG holders without an FB certificate or a statutory exemption	Section 11.11
On-premises promotions	No two-for-one drinks; happy hour prices end at 11 p.m.; no drink coupons beyond one free drink per business day without a coupon	TABC Rule 45.103

The compliance reporting page warns that a late report can lead to a TABC visit, an administrative warning, or suspension or cancellation, and it identifies required signs as a common area of noncompliance. TABC’s commission voted on September 22, 2026, to propose amendments to Rule 41.12 (compliance reporting) and Rule 33.5 (Food and Beverage Certificate), for publication in the Texas Register on October 9, 2026; the requirements in these tables are those in effect as of October 2, 2026.

Good practice, not legally required

Item	Why it matters
TABC seller-server certification for everyone who sells or serves	An employer that requires TABC-approved training, whose employee attended it, and that did not encourage a violation keeps the employee's sale to a minor or intoxicated person from being attributed to the permit (Section 106.14)
Written responsible-service policy with signed acknowledgments	TABC Rule 34.20 presumes indirect encouragement of a violation when these are missing
Training and acknowledgment records kept after employees leave	Rule 34.20 expects them for at least one year after employment ends
A house rule for checking ID	State law sets the age, not the ID policy; checking a government-issued ID is what makes the seller's defense in Section 106.03(b) available
An incident log	Supports breach of the peace reports and Safe Harbor records
ID scanning for on-premises sales	TABC recommends it on its age verification page

How do the three groups fit together?

The first group applies every day the business is open. The second changes when the permit type, the ownership, or the reporting period changes. The third is what TABC asks to see after something goes wrong, under Section 106.14 and Rule 34.20. For permits that file it, TABC’s annual self-inspection is the yearly point at which the business answers TABC’s questions and photographs the premises in real time.

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.