Law on Minors

• Under the guidelines of Section 25665 of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, anyone under the legal drinking age is prohibited from entering and remaining inside a California bar. Minors may occupy and be employed in restaurants that also have a bar attached but are prohibited from being employed as bartenders under Section 25667 of the act.
  
  

Punishment

• Minors in California who are caught consuming alcohol in a bar will be fined a minimum of $200. Bartenders who knowingly serve a minor will be fined a maximum of $1,000 and/or be sentenced to six months in jail if the minor is injured as a result of being served.
  
  

Warning

• Bartenders should always make sure to check an ID before serving an alcoholic beverage, even if the consumer looks of age. In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled that police officials may use a decoy program to catch bartenders who are attempting to serve minors. The Minor Decoy Program grants law officials the right to use a person under the age of 20 as a decoy. The minor must have her actual ID on her or be truthful about her age if questioned by a bartender.