State file
California alcohol server card
Officially the Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) certification. Your manager probably called it RBS.
August 1, 2026
California requires RBS certification for anyone serving alcohol on-premise, including the person checking IDs at the door. You have 60 days from your first day, the certification lasts three years, and the state charges $3 to register plus $3 for the exam. Off-premise sellers are exempt.
Mandatory since July 1, 2022 under AB 1221, covering roughly 56,000 on-sale businesses.
The rule, field by field
Does it cover you?
- Server / waiterYesYes. The state defines the role by task, not by job title
- BartenderYesYes. Pouring is service, and the task defines the role
- Door / ID checkYesYes. Checking IDs for entry counts, even if you never serve a drink
- Manager or supervisorYesYes, if you train, hire or supervise
- Cashier (store, off-premise)NoOff-sale is exempt from RBS and uses a different program
- Busser / hostNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
- DeliveryYesYes. Delivering alcohol counts as service
What the other sites get wrong
- The exam is 50 questions, needs 70% to pass, and you get 3 attempts in 30 days. Fail all three and you redo the course and pay again.
- Who pays for it: the ABC declines to say. Pages claiming the employer must pay under SB 476 are citing the food handler card law, which is a different statute.
The courses California approved
This is the state’s own list, not ours. We do not rank it and we do not have a favourite: the ordering rule is published in how we check.
$3 registration plus $3 exam, paid to the state. The course is sold separately, $7.95 to $25
| Provider | Price | Format | Language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC Certified Server TrainingGregory John Hamilton | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| rbspermit-espanol.comDiversys Learning, Inc. | — | Online | Spanish | Provider site |
| Certify Fast LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| RBSPermit.comDiversys Learning, inc. | — | Online | English, Korean, Vietnamese | Provider site |
| Seller Server ClassesEduClasses® | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| American Course AcademyAmerican Course Academy, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| AffordableRBSCourse.comTraffic Safety Consultants, Inc. | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Certified Alcohol Training, Jerry R Jolly and AssociatesJerry R Jolly and Associates LLC | — | In person | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| Comedy RBSComedy Education, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Craft ServingCraft Serving, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Reach OutReach Out West End | — | In person | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| KIMBERLY BLAKELEY | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| Behavioral Health, Public Health, Environmental HealthSonoma County Department of Health Services, Behavioral Health Division | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| StateFoodSafetyAboveTraining Inc. | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| TIPS360training.com, Inc. | — | Online, In person | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| B and Hseungok Ahn | — | Online, In person | English, Korean | Provider site |
| Responsible TrainingSafeway Certifications, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Jerry R Jolly and Associates LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| A+ Server EducationWDRJR LLC | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| NAFood Service Prep LLC | — | Online, In person | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| Trouble Free TrainingCourses for Continuing Education LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Ready Training OnlineReady Training, Inc | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Pueblo y Salud, Inc. | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| $8 RBS TrainingAAA Trainers LLC | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| Office of EducationTulare County Office of Education | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| 1st Choice CE, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Budget Compliance TrainingWEBFIRE TRAINING LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Ace My TrainingAcemytraining, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| RBSPermit-Chinese.comDiversys Learning, Inc. | — | Online | Cantonese, Mandarin | Provider site |
| Serving AlcoholServing Alcohol Inc | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| RBS CaliforniaJerry Wang | — | Online | English, Chinese | Provider site |
| CertusAmerican Safety Council, Inc. | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| 1st Choice RBSServeSmart LLC. | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| AACEA.COMAmericas Alcohol Certified Education Association Inc | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| SmartTendNationwide Educators, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Get RBSMindMeld Studios, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| T.A.M.® (TECHNIQUES OF ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT)National Hospitality Institute | — | Online | Spanish | Provider site |
| LIQUORexam.comProServe Training Solutions LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| RBSTrainingCA.comBrainy Day Learning LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| CaliforniaAlcoholTraining.comAaron Stoddard | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Courses for ServersCourses for Continuing Education LLC | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| ABC PermitsAlcohol Intervention and Management LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| ServSafe AlcoholNational Restaurant Association Solutions Alcohol, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| T.A.M® (Techniques of Alcohol Management)National Hospitality Institute | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| TAP SeriesFoodservice Operators Training Achievement Program Series, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| RservingProfessional Server Certification Corp. | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Comedy Seller ServerComedy Education, LLC | — | Online, In person | English | Provider site |
| California-Bartending.com - Alcohol Server CertificationTEAM W LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Certified Alcohol Training; Jerry R Jolly and AssociatesJerry R Jolly and Associates LLC | — | Online | Spanish | Provider site |
| #1 Premiere CEAdvanced Associates | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Premier Food SafetyPremier Food Safety Corporation | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| Home of TrainingHome of Training, Inc. | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Accelerated California RBS Server TrainingMyFreeCE, Inc. | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| DRINKWISE AmericaDRINKWISE America LLC | — | Online, In person | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| CERTSUNIVERSITY LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Communities in Action CoalitionPhoenix House | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| userve.comUserve Inc | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Public HealthCounty of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency Substance Use Disorder Prevention Unit | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| PA Hospitality and Consulting, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Train 321Train 321 Holdings, LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Way To ServeWedge Communications, LLC | — | Online | English, Spanish | Provider site |
| ABC Server TrainingABC Server Training LLC | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Central Coast RBSJerry R Jolly and Associates LLC | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| National Restaurant Association Solutions Alcohol, LLC | — | Online | Spanish | Provider site |
| UServeUserve Inc. | — | Online | Spanish | Provider site |
This is the list California ABC, RBS training providers published, read on September 2, 2026, in the order the state publishes it. 65 of these 65 show no price because we have not read it at the source. A dash means we do not know, not that it is free.
Managing a team in California? The same rule from the employer’s side: how many days you get after a hire, when the card expires, and who carries the penalty.
For employersCommon questions
How do I print my RBS certificate?
You cannot, and that is not your mistake. The ABC does not issue a physical certificate: your proof is the Certified status in your ABC dashboard, with a 9 digit RBS Server ID. Employers ask for that number, not for a piece of paper.
Does my employer have to pay for it?
The ABC declines to answer that. Pages telling you the employer must pay under SB 476 are citing the food handler card law, which is a different statute and does not govern RBS.
What if I fail the exam?
The exam is 50 questions and you need 70% to pass. You get three attempts within 30 days. Fail all three and you take the course again and pay again, so it is worth not rushing the first one.
Written by Luciano Canziani. Updated September 2, 2026. Every requirement above was read in California ABC, RBS FAQ on August 1, 2026. Check it yourself before you pay for anything: that is the point of publishing it.