RBS training, the 2 a.m. close, how a bar gets its liquor license, what the bill and the team cost, and the nights that fill the city, for anyone running a club, lounge or bar here.
The State of California sets the hours and issues the bar license through its Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the City and County of San Francisco sets its own, higher minimum wage and its entertainment permits. Liquor licenses come from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. ban is state law, so it is the same in every California city and has no New Year’s exception. San Francisco has no later local hours that were confirmed. Drinks must be finished by 2 a.m. too, and the law states no clear-up time. The legislature’s own site was blocked during research, so the text comes from ABC’s guide that reprints it. Confirm with ABC.
Every on-premises server and manager must register in the state’s RBS portal, take training from an authorized provider and pass the ABC exam within 30 days of the training. They must be certified within 60 days of their first day, and a certification is valid for three years.
MoreBuild the 60 days into hiring and renew before a card expires. Training is offered in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage ControlSelling or giving alcohol to anyone under 21 is a misdemeanor, and a Type 48 license bars minors from entering and staying, with an exception for musicians. Accepted ID is a government document with name, date of birth, description and photo, a valid passport, or a military ID with date of birth and photo.
MoreRelying on one of those documents is a defense. You may seize ID that shows a minor or is false, give a receipt, and hand it to local police within 24 hours.
Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage ControlSecurity guards register with the state’s Bureau of Security and Investigative Services: $60 to start and $44 every two years.
MoreHiring a security company puts the card on its guards. Whether your own door staff need the guard card or the proprietary officer registration wasn’t confirmed here, so ask BSIS.
Source: BSIS, registrationA guard completes 32 hours of security officer skills training in the first six months, plus power to arrest training, and 8 hours of continuing training a year. The card must be carried on duty, and a guard who carries a baton needs a baton permit.
MoreCheck that a security company’s guards are current before the first night.
Source: BSIS, trainingA bar, lounge or nightclub needs an ABC Type 48 On-Sale General license: beer, wine and spirits to drink on the premises, no minors, no food required. Type 47 is the restaurant version and must run as a real eating place, with minors allowed.
MoreThe licence belongs to a named holder at a named address. A move, a sale or a change of partners goes back through ABC.
Source: ABC, typesNew general licenses are offered once a year by drawing, in counties with room under the population quota. The latest drawing didn’t include San Francisco County, so a bar buys an existing license from a holder, by person-to-person transfer.
MoreABC publishes no price for a transferred license, so it is a private deal. Put an escrow in place before you file.
Source: ABC, drawingsABC asks for a seller’s permit from the state’s tax department, a local business license and the right zoning, and warns to check for a Conditional Use Permit. Selling without the seller’s permit is a misdemeanor. A federal TTB permit or tax stamp applies where needed.
MoreCheck zoning and any Conditional Use Permit with the City and County of San Francisco before you pay for a transfer.
Source: ABC, requirementsA service charge added to the bill, or agreed in advance, is mandatory, and a mandatory charge is part of taxable gross receipts even when it is paid on to staff. An optional tip the guest decides is not taxed.
MoreA label such as suggested tip doesn’t change that unless records show the guest asked for it. Whether a mandatory service charge is also a tip owed to staff wasn’t confirmed here, so check before you set one.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationThe Police Code has separate entertainment permits, among them Place of Entertainment, Limited Live Performance, Fixed Place Outdoor Amplified Sound and Extended-Hours Premises. A 2023 ordinance requires a new application and filing fee if a permit hasn’t been granted, conditionally granted or denied within 12 months, and lets the Director or Commission require a Security Plan for a Limited Live Performance permit.
MoreCapacity thresholds, current fees and hearing steps weren’t confirmed here, so ask the City before you plan a room.
Source: San Francisco Board of SupervisorsSelling, giving or delivering alcohol between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. is a misdemeanor, for the licensee, its staff and a buyer who knowingly purchases. Letting drinks be consumed on the premises in those hours is a misdemeanor too. On the days the clocks change, 2 a.m. means two hours after midnight of the day before the change.
MorePlan last call so drinks are finished by 2:00; the law states no clear-up time. There is no New Year’s exception, and the state grants no later-hours license.
Source: ABC, hoursAn on-sale licensee may let guests leave with open drinks into a city or county entertainment zone, after filing an annual online notice of intent with ABC. Zones are created by local ordinance.
MoreIt isn’t a later hour for selling. ABC says San Francisco already has one.
Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage ControlThe state’s ABC issues the license, through its San Francisco district office at 33 New Montgomery St., Suite 1230. In San Francisco a bar buys an existing license rather than getting a new one. The steps run in this order.
The 2026 drawings for new general licenses left out San Francisco County, so a bar buys one that exists, from its holder, by person-to-person transfer.
Source: ABC, drawingsSource: ABC, requirementsIf there is a purchase price, an escrow with a third party must be in place before the transfer is filed, with the full price held until ABC approves. Certify the deposit within 30 days of applying.
Source: ABC, requirementsApply at the district office with the person-to-person transfer fee, plus the annual fee. ABC mails a copy of the application to local officials.
Source: ABC, application feesSource: ABC, requirementsThe premises carry a 30-day posting period while the application is pending.
Source: ABC, requirementsMost investigations take about 45 to 50 days. ABC advises asking for prior approval before construction or a major remodel.
Source: ABC, requirementsHold a seller’s permit from the state’s tax department, a federal TTB permit or tax stamp if needed, and the local business license and zoning, checking for a Conditional Use Permit.
Source: ABC, requirementsA person-to-person transfer averages about 75 days from filing, and an original license 90 days. ABC says delays are common.
Source: ABC, requirementsThe license renews every 12 months, paid by the last day of the month printed on it.
Source: ABC, annual feeSource: ABC, requirementsIssued by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
General information, not legal advice. Laws and license conditions change and vary by venue. Confirm with ABC’s San Francisco district office or the City before acting on it.
How a table’s bill adds up once tax and a service charge are on it, and what guests pay at the door.
| Minimum spend | $1,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Service charge 20%, added by the venue | $200.00 |
| Sales tax 8.625% of both lines | $103.50 |
| Guest pays | $1,303.50 |
| Tip the guest chooses to add | No tax |
Food and drink in San Francisco carry 8.625% combined sales and use tax in the state’s current rate list: the 7.25% state rate plus district taxes.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationThe example taxes the 20% service charge. Under CDTFA Regulation 1603(h) a mandatory service charge, including one added to the bill automatically, is taxable; an optional tip the guest chooses is not.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationWhether a mandatory service charge is also a tip owed to staff wasn’t confirmed here, so check with the Labor Commissioner or a lawyer before you print a bill.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationWhether sales tax applies to a cover charge or whether the City adds an admissions tax wasn’t confirmed here.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationRough estimates for tickets and bottle-service tables, from public listings and venues’ own pages.
$20 to $40
Typically about $25
No San Francisco venue publishes a club night price on its own page, so this is generalized from the lowest published club night tickets in comparable US cities: Chicago $10 to $20, Brooklyn $15 to $25 and Miami $20 to $60, and Atlanta clubs that show $0 to $25. Headliner and holiday nights run higher.
$400 to $1,000
A typical table, about $600
No San Francisco venue publishes a table minimum on its own page, so this is generalized from the minimums published in comparable US cities: Chicago $400 to $600, Brooklyn $450 to $950, Houston $300 to $2,000 and Las Vegas $750 to $1,500, before tax and tip.
Figures are estimates from the sources and samples listed. They change often and may be wrong. Check with the venue or the relevant authority before relying on them. Venues and events named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Hourly wages for the roles a night runs on, and the rules on tips.
| Role | Range, low to high | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Bartenders$17.31 to $43.52 | $19.07 | |
| Servers$17.20 to $36.01 | $18.69 | |
| Hosts$18.30 to $22.66 | $19.14 | |
| Security guards$19.39 to $30.03 | $21.99 | |
| Cooks$19.58 to $28.34 | $22.13 | |
| Managers$24.97 to $73.22 | $42.45 |
Minimum wage $19.61 an hour, since 1 July 2026Source: San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
Bar: lowest to highest wage reported. Dot: median. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
San Francisco’s minimum wage is $19.61 an hour from 1 July 2026, up from $19.18 in 2025 and $18.67 in 2024, and it rises each 1 July.
Source: San Francisco Office of Labor Standards EnforcementThe state minimum is $16.90 an hour in 2026 and $17.40 from 1 January 2027. The higher of the state and local rates applies, and the City’s is higher.
Source: DIR, 2027 rateThere is no tip credit. An employer may not count an employee’s tips toward the minimum wage, so bartenders and servers get the full minimum before tips.
Source: DIR, minimum wageA tip line the guest fills in isn’t subject to sales tax. A mandatory service charge is.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
The nights that fill a room, or empty it, month by month.
A federal holiday that follows the biggest night of the year.
A federal holiday Monday makes a long weekend.
Set by the lunar calendar. The parade crowd makes a busy week around Chinatown, Union Square and North Beach.
Official siteThe dinner and date crowd. When it falls midweek, couples book the weekend before too.
A federal holiday Monday makes a long weekend.
A fixed-date bar night, whatever the weekday.
Home games bring crowds to the bars around the ballpark. Playoff dates in October are unknown in advance.
No city-wide dates
A long weekend that opens the summer season.
A weekend celebration and parade, on a late June weekend, and a big weekend for the Castro and SoMa.
Official siteWhen it falls on a weekend, the federal holiday is observed on the nearest weekday.
A holiday weekend crowd, with fireworks nights.
A street fair weekend with bar spillover in the Fillmore.
Official siteNo city-wide dates
The last long weekend of summer.
An electronic music crowd and after-parties in SoMa.
Official siteA federal holiday Monday makes a long weekend.
Warriors game nights bring crowds to Mission Bay.
San Francisco Travel lists Halloween among its events, with the Castro the party district. When it falls midweek, the parties run the weekend before.
Official siteWhen it falls on a weekend, the federal holiday is observed on the nearest weekday.
A federal holiday that starts a long weekend.
When it falls on a weekend, the federal holiday is observed on the nearest weekday.
The state’s 2 a.m. cutoff has no New Year’s exception, so plan the countdown around it.
San Francisco’s nightlife districts and the rooms each is known for.
Where the city's large clubs and venues are.
One of the country’s first gay neighborhoods, with many popular bars.
Where young locals go to shop, eat and drink, with bars and views of the bay.
Ranked by monthly Google searches in the United States for each venue’s name with the city, as Ahrefs estimates them. Few rooms publish a capacity, so this measures demand, not size. Only rooms that their own site or the tourism board shows open are listed.
| Rank | Venue | Nights | Music | Published price | Monthly searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temple NightclubClubSoMa · 540 Howard StSource: Search estimatesSource: Temple Nightclub | Fri and Sat, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Not listed | Not listed | 2,100 |
| 2 | Audio SFClubSoMaSource: Search estimatesSource: Audio SF | Fridays and Saturdays | Underground house and techno | Not listed | 2,000 |
| 3 | Public WorksClubSoMa · 161 Erie StSource: Search estimatesSource: Public Works | Event nights | DJs, house and techno | Not listed | 1,500 |
| 4 | 1015 FolsomClubSoMa · 1015 FolsomSource: Search estimatesSource: 1015 Folsom | Event nights | House, garage, bass and techno | Not listed | 1,000 |
| 5 | DNA LoungeClubSoMa · 375 Eleventh StSource: Search estimatesSource: DNA Lounge | Club nights and live shows | Not listed | Not listed | 600 |
| 6 | F8ClubSoMa · 1192 Folsom StSource: Search estimatesSource: F8 | Event nights | Not listed | Not listed | 450 |
Venues named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide. Details come from each venue’s own pages and can change; a venue can ask us to correct or remove its entry.
Who lives in the city. These describe San Francisco’s population, not any venue’s guests.
Sell tickets, take table bookings with deposits, run the guest list and check guests in at the door, in one place. Built for clubs, lounges and bars.
Food and drink in San Francisco carry 8.625% combined sales and use tax: the 7.25% state rate plus district taxes. A mandatory service charge added to the bill is taxable too, while an optional tip the guest fills in is not.
Every on-premises server and manager registers in the state’s RBS portal, takes training from an authorized provider and passes the ABC exam within 30 days of the training. They must be certified within 60 days of their first day, and a certification is valid for three years.
Selling, giving or delivering alcohol between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. is a misdemeanor under state law, and so is letting drinks be consumed on the premises in those hours. San Francisco has no later local hours that were confirmed, and there is no New Year’s exception.
The Type 48 annual fee is $1,545 in a city over 40,000 people. A person-to-person transfer costs $1,565 plus the annual fee. ABC publishes no price for a transferred license, and its fees rise 3.31% on 1 January 2027.
In San Francisco a bar buys an existing Type 48 license by person-to-person transfer, with an escrow if there is a price. You file with the district office, post a 30-day notice, wait through an investigation of about 45 to 50 days, and hold a seller’s permit. A transfer averages about 75 days.
San Francisco’s minimum wage is $19.61 an hour from 1 July 2026, and it rises each 1 July. The state’s is $16.90 in 2026 and $17.40 from 1 January 2027, and the higher rate applies. There is no tip credit.
A mandatory service charge, including one added to the bill automatically, is part of taxable gross receipts under CDTFA Regulation 1603. An optional tip or gratuity the guest decides is not taxed. Whether a service charge is also a tip owed to staff wasn’t confirmed.
Security guards register with the state’s Bureau of Security and Investigative Services: $60 to start, $44 every two years, with 32 hours of training in the first six months. Whether your own door staff need the guard card or the proprietary officer registration wasn’t confirmed, so ask BSIS.
No. The 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. ban on selling and drinking applies statewide, and the state grants no later-hours license. ABC says San Francisco already has an open-container entertainment zone, but a zone isn’t a later hour for selling.
The Police Code has separate permits, including Place of Entertainment, Limited Live Performance and Extended-Hours Premises. A permit not decided within 12 months needs a new application and fee, and a Limited Live Performance permit can require a Security Plan. Fees and thresholds weren’t confirmed.
No. An employer may not use an employee’s tips toward the minimum wage, so bartenders and servers must get the full minimum before tips.
VenueStack publishes this guide for general information. We take care to keep it accurate and list our sources and review dates, but we can’t guarantee it is complete, current or correct, and we aren’t responsible for decisions made on it. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, minimums and wages are estimates from the samples described and don’t represent any particular venue. Venues, events and organisations named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Data gathered in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
New YorkNew York, United States
Closing time, getting an SLA liquor license, temporary permits, the noise code, sales tax on service charges, door staff, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
MiamiFlorida, United States
The state closing default and city hours, quota and restaurant liquor licenses, City of Miami and Miami Beach business licenses, sales and resort tax, door licensing, wages and the year’s big nights.
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ChicagoIllinois, United States
Closing times and the Late Hour license, the City and state liquor licenses, the amusement license and tax, BASSET training, sales tax, the tipped wage and the year’s big nights.
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