State file
Tennessee alcohol server card
Officially the Server permit. Your manager probably called it ABC card.
August 1, 2026
Tennessee requires a server permit for on-premise service, earned through a course of at least three and a half hours from an entity the state certified. The permit lasts five years. You get 61 days from the day you start serving, and that grace period is once in your life.
The rule, field by field
Does it cover you?
- Server / waiterYesYes, for on-premise service
- BartenderYesYes, for on-premise service
- Door / ID checkNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
- Manager or supervisorNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
- Cashier (store, off-premise)Not statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
- Busser / hostNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
- DeliveryNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
What the other sites get wrong
- The 61 day grace does not reset when you change jobs. Nobody explains this and it is the part that catches people out.
The courses Tennessee 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.
A course of at least 3.5 hours from an entity certified by the Tennessee ABC
| Provider | Price | Format | Language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIPS360training.com | — | In person, Online | English | Provider site |
| AIM To Serve | — | In person, Online | English | Provider site |
| Top Notch Alcoholic TrainingD.R.A.P.E.R.'s | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| RAJAClassroom only, by phone: 865-258-4912 | — | In person | English | |
| Server Permit Training | — | In person, Online | English | Provider site |
| ServSafeNational Restaurant Association | — | In person, Online | English | Provider site |
| SPIRITS | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| Tennessee Alcohol & Beverage Academy | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| TEAM Coalition | — | In person | English | Provider site |
| TopShelf Responsible Beverage Service | — | In person, Online | English | Provider site |
| A+ Server Education | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| ABC Server Training | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Certification Experts | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Responsible Training | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| RservingProfessional Server Certification Corp | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Serve Safely Tennessee | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Serving Alcohol Inc | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| AboveTraining / StateFoodSafety | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| Tennessee ABC Cards | — | Online | English | Provider site |
| US Liquor Laws | — | Online | English | Provider site |
This is the list TABC certified server permit training programs published, read on September 2, 2026, in the order the state publishes it. 20 of these 20 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 Tennessee? 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
I changed jobs. Do I get another 61 days?
No, and this is the part nobody explains. The 61 day grace is once in your life, not once per employer. If you used it at your first serving job, you need the permit in hand before you start at the next one.
Can I take any course?
It has to be at least three and a half hours long and run by an entity the Tennessee ABC certified. A course that satisfies another state's requirement does not satisfy this one.
What we still do not know
- How recent the course has to be relative to your application is not stated in the state FAQ.
Written by Luciano Canziani. Updated September 2, 2026. Every requirement above was read in Tennessee ABC server permits on August 1, 2026. Check it yourself before you pay for anything: that is the point of publishing it.