The Texas Regulatory Quick-Reference Card

1Enter details

2Review result

3Print or save

Before you print or use this Tool

I understand that this is an educational sample, not legal, tax, financial, safety, medical, licensing, regulatory, or other professional advice. I accept the Terms of Use, Professional Disclaimers, and applicable Tool warnings. I will obtain professional review before real-world use.

Step 1

Fill out the form

Type directly into the boxes and check any items that apply.

Laminate It and Post It Behind the Bar

This card gathers, in one place, the regulatory basics a Texas honky tonk lives by — the license types, the hours, the big liabilities, the music and gaming and drink-special rules, and the numbers to call. It is a quick reference , not the law itself: the rules summarized here are simplified, they change, and they apply differently to different venues. Use it as a memory aid and a starting point, confirm the current specifics with the relevant agency, and consult a qualified Texas attorney for your situation. The fuller explanations live in the chapters noted, and the complete disclaimers in Appendix G.

TABC License & Permit Types

Which permit you hold governs what you can sell, when, and how. (Chapter 28.)

Permit / Certificate	What it allows
Mixed Beverage (MB)	On-premise sale of distilled spirits, wine, and beer — the full-bar permit most honky tonks hold.
Wine & Malt Beverage Retailer’s (BG)	Beer and wine only (no liquor) for on-premise consumption.
Food & Beverage Certificate (FB)	Subordinate certificate tied to a food-serving operation; enables alcohol-to-go; carries food-to-alcohol sales-ratio rules.
Retailer Late Hours Certificate	Extends sales to 2 a.m. (where local option allows) instead of the standard midnight.

Permits are location- and owner-specific and non-transferable ; apply through TABC’s online AIMS system; post the public-notice sign; renew on schedule.

Hours of Sale

When	On-premise sale allowed
Mon–Sat	7:00 a.m. – midnight (to 2:00 a.m. with a Late Hours Certificate, where allowed)
Sunday	Noon – midnight (10:00 a.m.–noon only with food service; to 2:00 a.m. with Late Hours, where allowed)
After last call	Consumption allowed for a short, fixed window (generally ~15 minutes) after sales end

The Big Liabilities — Know These Cold

Don’t serve minors (under 21). Among the most aggressively enforced violations; TABC runs stings. Penalties escalate to suspension or cancellation. Check IDs every time. (Ch. 28.)Don’t over-serve. Serving a visibly intoxicated person is a TABC violation and the trigger for dram-shop civil liability — potentially millions if an over-served patron harms someone. Train staff to cut people off. (Ch. 27/28.)Safe Harbor:Carry insurance:

Drink Specials & Promotions — What’s Prohibited

Under TABC Rule 45.103 and related law (Chapter 17), you generally may not :Offer two-for-one or “all you can drink” pricing, or sell more than one drink at a time to one person.Offer volume discounts that encourage over-consumption, or run “ladies’ night” / gender-based pricing (a public-accommodation problem).Run a happy hour past 11:

Music Licensing — The Four PROs

If live or recorded copyrighted music is performed, you owe public-performance licenses to the four performing-rights organizations: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR. Karaoke also needs licensed tracks . Livestreaming your shows may require separate licenses. Willful infringement runs up to $150,000 per work. (Ch. 28; Appendix E.)

Games of Chance — Bingo, Raffles, Prize Games

Gambling = consideration + chance + prize. Remove any one and it’s generally legal. (Chapter 13.)Charitable bingo is legal only under the Bingo Enabling Act, licensed through the Texas Lottery Commission, and only for qualified organizations.Raffles (50/50, queen of hearts) are restricted to qualified nonprofits under the Charitable Raffle Enabling Act — a for-profit bar generally cannot run one.Free-to-play contests (no purchase or “consideration” required to enter) fall outside gambling — the usual safe path for a bar’s own prize games.

Key Numbers & Contacts

Fill in your local specifics, then post this card where the staff can see it.

Contact	Number / note
TABC (state)	_______________ · tabc.texas.gov
Your TABC attorney	_______________
Your insurance agent	_______________
Local police (non-emergency)	_______________
Local fire marshal	_______________
Local health department	_______________
Emergency	911

REMEMBER — This Card Is a Starting Point, Not the Law

Everything here is simplified and subject to change, and none of it is legal advice. The rules vary by permit, by city, and over time. Verify the current specifics with TABC, your local government, and the other agencies named, and keep a qualified Texas alcoholic-beverage attorney, an accountant, and an insurance agent as standing parts of your operation. When in doubt, don’t guess — call the right professional before you act. The consolidated, plain-English version of every legal caution in this book is in Appendix G.

Additional notes

Finished?

Print or save this form

Back to Venue Work Tools

From the free book library

Read the complete source and context.

This working version preserves the source’s terminology and structure while making it easier to complete. Read the original appendix and related chapters before relying on the tool.

Read Appendix A Open Volume 1

Permitted use

You may complete, print, and use this tool for your own venue, act, teaching practice, organization, or personal planning. Free access does not place the content in the public domain. Do not resell, republish, scrape, or distribute the blank templates as your own product.