Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 26-1-1, it shall be unlawful for a person less than 21 years of age to purchase, consume, possess, or to transport any alcohol, liquor or malt or brewed beverages within the State of Alabama. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, it shall not be unlawful for any Alcoholic Beverage Control Board licensee to employ any person under the legal drinking age to work, provided there is an adult in attendance at all times. It shall be permissible to employ persons in an on-premise licensed establishment under legal drinking age such as professional entertainers, show people, musicians, cashiers, hostesses, ushers, waiters and waitresses, busboys or girls, and the like, provided they do not serve, dispense or consume alcoholic beverages and there is an adult in attendance at all times. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, persons who are 19 years of age or older and working as a waiter, waitress, or server may serve alcoholic beverages during normal dining hours in a restaurant which holds an Alcoholic Beverage Control Board restaurant retail license. An employer who employs a person between the ages of 19 and 21 to serve alcoholic beverages as provided in the preceding sentence shall be a licensee of the board who has been annually certified as a responsible vendor under the Alabama Responsible Vendor Act as provided in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 28-10-1) of this title.
Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than $25.00 nor more than $100.00, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than 30 days or both; provided further, that juvenile offenders shall not be held in the county jail, but shall be held, either before or after sentencing, in a juvenile detention facility pursuant to the guidelines of the Department of Youth Services, which shall be separate and apart from adult offenders.
Last modified: May 3, 2021