RBS training, the 2 a.m. close, how the ABC licenses a bar, the sales tax base rate and the minimum wage that every venue in the state shares, before the city rules start.
The State of California sets the hours, the server training and the license through its Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the state sets the base sales tax and the minimum wage. Cities add their own rules on top. Liquor licenses come from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Every on-premises server and manager must register in the state’s RBS portal and take training from an authorized provider. They must be certified within 60 days of their first day of work, 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. The Bureau also registers proprietary private security officers, who work for one employer, at the same fees.
MoreHiring a security company puts the card on its guards. Ask the Bureau which registration your own door staff need.
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. Type 42 sells beer and wine only.
MoreThe license belongs to a named holder at a named address. A move, a sale or a change of partners goes back through ABC.
Source: ABC, typesThe Type 48 annual fee is $1,545 in a city of more than 40,000 people, including ABC surcharges. A person-to-person transfer costs $1,565 in application fees, plus the annual fee.
MoreFees rise 3.31% on 1 January 2027, rounded to the nearest $5, with surcharges added on top. Check the schedule for your city size.
Source: ABC, annual feeThe state base sales and use tax rate is 7.25%, and most areas add district taxes of 0.10% to 2.00%. A mandatory service charge, including one added to the bill automatically, is taxable even when it is paid on to staff. An optional tip the guest decides is not.
MoreLook up your exact rate by address with the CDTFA before you set prices. A label such as suggested tip doesn’t change the treatment unless records show the guest asked for it.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationSelling, 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. Ask your city whether it has a zone.
Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage ControlThe state’s ABC issues every bar license in California. Where a county has room under its population quota, new general licenses are offered once a year by drawing; elsewhere a bar buys an existing license from its holder. The steps run in this order.
New general licenses are offered by drawing, only in counties with room under the quota. Where there is none, buy an existing license 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 ABC district office that covers the premises 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, officesSource: 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 the ABC before acting on it.
The legal minimum wage, and the rules on tips and pay.
Minimum wage $16.90 an hour, since 1 January 2026Source: DIR, minimum wage
The state minimum wage is $16.90 an hour in 2026 and $17.40 from 1 January 2027.
Source: DIR, 2027 rateWhere a city sets a higher minimum wage, the higher rate applies. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego each do, and their guides show the figure.
Source: DIR, minimum wageThere 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
Each city guide adds the local layer: closing time, the city’s own licences, noise rules, the year’s big nights and the nightlife districts.
Los AngelesCalifornia, United States
RBS certification, the state’s 2 a.m. close, the Type 48 license by transfer, 10.25% sales tax, the City minimum wage and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
San FranciscoCalifornia, United States
RBS certification, the state’s 2 a.m. close, the Type 48 license by transfer, entertainment permits, 8.625% sales tax, the City minimum wage and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
San DiegoCalifornia, United States
RBS certification, the 2 a.m. close, the Type 48 license by transfer, police permits for entertainment, 7.75% sales tax, noise limits and the City minimum wage.
Read the guide
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.
It is the state’s Responsible Beverage Service training. Every on-premises server and manager must register in the RBS portal and take training from an authorized provider.
Any on-premises alcohol server or manager. That covers bartenders, servers and the managers of a bar or club.
Staff must be certified within 60 days of their first day of work. A certification is valid for three years, so renew before it expires.
An ABC Type 48 On-Sale General license. It covers beer, wine and spirits to drink on the premises, with no minors and no food required.
The ABC issues it. New general licenses are offered by drawing in counties with room under the quota; elsewhere you buy an existing license by person-to-person transfer. Expect escrow, a 30-day posting period, an investigation of about 45 to 50 days and about 75 days in all for a transfer.
The Type 48 annual fee is $1,545 in a city of more than 40,000 people. A person-to-person transfer costs $1,565 in application fees, plus the annual fee. ABC publishes no price for the license itself.
Alcohol can’t be sold, given or consumed on the premises from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. This is state law, with no New Year’s exception and no later-hours license.
It is $16.90 an hour in 2026 and $17.40 from 1 January 2027. Cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego set higher rates, and the higher rate applies.
No. There is no tip credit, so bartenders and servers get the full minimum wage before tips.
The state base rate is 7.25%. Most areas add district taxes of 0.10% to 2.00%, and a mandatory service charge is taxable.
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.
