The rules every Texas venue shares: TABC certification, the mixed beverage permit and what it costs, closing time, the two mixed beverage taxes, door staff and wages. Cities add their own steps on top.
What the State of Texas asks of every licensed room, from the staff and the door to the permit, the tax and the end of service. Liquor licenses come from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
State law does not require it, but many employers do. TABC says it is for anyone who sells, serves, dispenses or delivers alcohol, and for managers who direct that service. A certificate is valid for two years from the date it is issued.
MoreIt is also the way to qualify for safe harbor. Certify staff within 30 days of hire, keep written policies for responsible service, and stay under three violations in 12 months.
Source: Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionAnyone buying alcohol must be 21. TABC accepts driver’s licenses from any state, U.S. passports, military ID and other state or federal IDs.
MoreNo rule requires scanning IDs at an on-premises bar.
Source: Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionThe Texas Department of Public Safety regulates private security. A business with its own security department registers with DPS before it employs commissioned officers or personal protection officers.
MoreIt must also register before employing non-commissioned guards who meet all three tests: they deal with the public, they wear a uniform, badge or patch that suggests security, and they do guard duties such as controlling who comes in. Staff from an outside guard company are covered by that company.
Source: DPS securityIt authorizes selling spirits, wine and malt beverages for drinking on the premises. A new permit costs $5,300 and a renewal $2,650, and permits expire two years after they are issued.
MoreA conduct surety bond is required. A bar can add a Food and Beverage Certificate, which needs restaurant status or alcohol at 60% or less of total sales.
Source: TABC permit typesA mixed beverage permittee with this certificate may sell between midnight and 2 a.m. on any day. It is open in cities and counties of 800,000 or more.
MoreWithout it, service ends at midnight. The fee is for two years, on top of the permit. The four city guides all clear the 800,000 bar.
Source: Texas StatutesThe permit holder pays a 6.7% gross receipts tax on its drink sales and cannot add it to the price as a separate charge. It may show the amount on the receipt.
MoreIt is the venue’s cost, not the guest’s. It is due on the 20th of the month after each period, and it sits beside the guest’s sales tax on drinks.
Source: Comptroller mixed beverageTexas charges 8.25% mixed beverage sales tax on drinks served to drink on the premises. The venue collects it and passes it on, as a line on the bill or built into the price.
MoreFood on the same bill carries the ordinary sales tax: 6.25% state plus up to 2% local. A separately stated service charge of 20% or less, paid to servers and bartenders, is not taxable.
Source: Comptroller sales taxA new on-premises location not licensed for drinking in the last two years posts the 60-Day Sign outdoors for 60 days before TABC can issue the permit.
MoreOther signs: a complaint sign near the door or till, a pregnancy health-risk sign at each restroom exit in English and Spanish, and a human trafficking sign.
Source: Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionMixed beverages sell from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday. With a Late Hours Certificate, a permittee may also sell from midnight to 2 a.m. on any day.
MoreThe certificate is open in cities and counties of 800,000 or more. Check smaller places with TABC.
Source: Texas StatutesOn Sunday mixed beverages sell from midnight to 1 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to midnight. Drinks served between 10 a.m. and noon need food.
MoreThis is the standard schedule. The Late Hours Certificate adds midnight to 2 a.m. on any day.
Source: Texas StatutesIn areas with extended hours, drinking or holding a drink to drink in a public place is an offense from 2:15 a.m. to 7 a.m. It is a Class C misdemeanor.
MoreLast call is 2 a.m. and the room should be clear 15 minutes after.
Source: Section 105.06Selling spirits, wine and malt beverages to drink on the premises takes a Mixed Beverage Permit from TABC, and a Late Hours Certificate if you want to serve to 2 a.m. These are the state steps. Your city adds its own, so check them in your city guide.
Complete onboarding in TABC’s Alcohol Industry Management System and choose the retail tier. Paper forms take longer.
Source: TABC stepsRegister with the Texas Secretary of State and the Comptroller, which each give a certification you will need.
Source: TABC stepsSource: TABC license FAQsTABC asks for a certification from the city or county as well, and a newspaper publication may be required. The city sets that step, its fee and its timing.
Source: TABC license FAQsA new on-premises location not licensed for drinking in the last two years posts the 60-Day Sign outdoors for 60 days before TABC can issue the permit.
Source: Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionSend a complete, signed and notarized application with the required certifications and signs. Answer any TABC request within 10 business days.
Source: TABC stepsAsk for the Late Hours Certificate to sell from midnight to 2 a.m. It is open in cities and counties of 800,000 or more.
Source: TABC permit typesSource: Texas StatutesTABC says a new license can take 30 to 35 days from a complete application.
Source: TABC stepsIssued by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
General information, not legal advice. Laws and license conditions change and vary by venue. Confirm with TABC before acting on it.
The legal minimum wage, and the rules on tips and pay.
Minimum wage $7.25 an hourSource: U.S. Department of Labor
Texas follows the federal rules: a $7.25 minimum wage, and for tipped staff a $2.13 cash wage with a tip credit of up to $5.12 an hour, when the employee gets more than $20 a month in tips.
Source: U.S. Department of LaborA mandatory gratuity or service charge is not taxable when it is separately stated, 20% or less of the price of the drinks, and paid to servers, bartenders and similar staff. A tip the customer adds is not taxed.
Source: Comptroller FAQ
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.
DallasTexas, United States
The TABC mixed beverage permit and late hours certificate, closing time, mixed beverage and sales tax, dance hall licensing, door staff, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
HoustonTexas, United States
The TABC mixed beverage permit and late hours certificate, closing time, City alcohol certification, amplified sound limits, mixed beverage and sales tax, door staff, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
AustinTexas, United States
The TABC mixed beverage permit and late hours certificate, closing time, sales tax, the Outdoor Music Venue permit, sound hours by district, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
San AntonioTexas, United States
The TABC mixed beverage permit and late hours certificate, the City’s alcohol license and 300-foot rule, noise limits by zone, River Walk sound, sales tax, wages and the year’s big nights.
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.
Texas follows the federal rules: $7.25 an hour. For tipped staff the cash wage is $2.13 an hour, with a tip credit of up to $5.12, when the employee gets more than $20 a month in tips.
State law does not require it, but many employers do. TABC says it is for anyone who sells, serves, dispenses or delivers alcohol, and for managers who direct that service. A certificate is valid for two years from the date it is issued.
It is the protection an employer earns by certifying staff within 30 days of hire, keeping written policies for responsible alcohol service and staying under three violations in 12 months.
Apply for a Mixed Beverage Permit through TABC’s online system. The steps are onboarding, registering the business with the Secretary of State and the Comptroller, the local certification, the 60-day sign for a new on-premises location, and a complete notarized application. TABC says a new license can take 30 to 35 days from a complete application.
TABC charges $5,300 for a new Mixed Beverage Permit and $2,650 to renew it, valid two years. A Late Hours Certificate is $1,100 and a Food and Beverage Certificate is $1,100. These come from TABC’s chart effective 1 September 2021, and TABC says they should not be used to work out local fees.
It authorizes selling spirits, wine and malt beverages for drinking on the premises. A new one costs $5,300 and it expires two years after it is issued. A conduct surety bond is required.
Mixed beverages sell from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday. With a Late Hours Certificate, a permittee in a city or county of 800,000 or more may also sell from midnight to 2 a.m. on any day. Sunday’s hours begin with midnight to 1 a.m., then run from 10 a.m. to midnight, and drinks from 10 a.m. to noon need food.
Two taxes apply to a mixed beverage permittee. The guest pays the 8.25% sales tax on drinks. The venue pays a 6.7% gross receipts tax on its receipts and can’t add it as a separate charge to the guest. Both are due on the 20th of the month after the period.
The Department of Public Safety regulates private security. A business with its own security department registers with DPS before employing commissioned officers, personal protection officers, or non-commissioned guards who deal with the public, wear a security-style uniform, badge or patch, and do guard duties. Staff from an outside guard company are covered by that company.
Not when it is a separately stated mandatory gratuity of 20% or less of the price of the drinks, paid to servers, bartenders and similar staff. A tip the customer adds is not taxed.
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.
