Alcohol Service Regulations – Ohio

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General Regulations

21	Legal age to consume alcohol
19	Legal age to serve beer
21	Legal age to serve wine and spirits
0.08	Limit for Driving While Intoxicated; 0.02 for under 21
YES	Dram Shop liability laws
N/A	Maximum alcohol per drink, no established limit
No Limit	Number of drinks served at one time, full price must be paid
No Specific Age	Recommended age to check IDs; state requires ID check for anyone who looks under legal age to drink

Server Training

Ohio currently does not regulate server training. The Department of Public Safety offers a server education programs to retail permit holders.

Acceptable Forms of ID

Any State Drivers License
Ohio ID Card
U.S. Passport
Military ID

ID Confiscation

Ohio does not have specific state laws which specify whether an establishment may or may not seize a false ID.

Policies Regarding Minors

It is unlawful to serve or sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. There are no state laws regulating the admittance of underage persons to establishments. Persons under 21 may only possess or consume alcohol if provided by parent, legal guardian, spouse over the age of 21, or for medical or religious purposes.

Liquor Liability

A determination by the Liquor Control Commission (LCC) that a permit holder has violated an Ohio liquor law, i.e., sale to an underage person or to an intoxicated person, after hours sales or gambling, etc. may subject him to a suspension of permit privileges.
Suspensions for first time violators are normally for a period of one to four days.
Permittees are often allowed to make a monetary forfeiture instead of serving a suspension.
Forfeitures are usually equivalent to $100 or $200 per day of the suspension.
The employee who actually committed the violation of law is usually charged with a criminal offense.
That charge is handled through the local courts.
Varied fines and jail time are standard penalties for violating applicable state liquor laws.

Non-Alcoholic Beer and Wine

No person under 18 years of age shall order, pay for, purchase, attempt to purchase, share in the cost of, consume or possess any low alcoholic beverages.

State Contact Information

Ohio Department of Commerce
Division of Liquor Control
6606 Tussing Road
PO Box 4005
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-9005
614-644-2360
http://www.com.ohio.gov/liqr/

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This information has been provided to us by the regulating agency and is believed to be correct. However, laws and regulations may change at any time, and the information provided should not be relied upon in place of official documents. For more information or clarification, consult the regulatory body for this jurisdiction directly.