Riverside Alcohol Beverage Compliance Lawyer

Riverside Alcohol Beverage Compliance Attorney

For business owners who sell beer, wine, and liquor, maintaining proper licensing for alcohol beverage compliance, also called ABC, is essential to the success of their business. However, understanding the laws that regulate ABC licensing can be tough. A Riverside alcohol beverage compliance lawyer can help ensure your business adheres to the proper standards set forth by California alcohol beverage compliance laws.

Hire an Alcohol Beverage Compliance Lawyer With Experience

Whether you have a new business or you are updating the license for your existing business, Blake & Ayaz can help you get up to code. We have over 100 years of combined legal experience in successfully helping both businesses and individuals stay compliant with California ABC regulations. We understand what needs to be done, and we can explain that to you so you can have clear knowledge about how to stay compliant.

What Is the Purpose of the ABC Laws?

ABC laws exist in every state to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, as well as to maintain a certain level of public safety. All business owners who wish to sell alcohol must obey rigorous legal restrictions. Some of these include establishing hours of operation and keeping those hours, maintaining specific inventory, providing entertainment according to their alcohol license, and many others.

For some business owners, keeping up with all these requirements is tiresome, especially when they get denied for a license, which does happen. This is one reason many business owners hire a Riverside alcohol beverage compliance lawyer to worry about the specific laws for them. Their attorney advises them on staying compliant and handles the paperwork for them. This alleviates stress and frees up precious time for business owners.

Losing the privilege to sell alcohol can affect your business’s bottom line. Whether your business is new or a well-established one, a loss of income from alcohol and sales can really impact the likelihood of your business surviving. Not only do you lose the sales, but you also lose repeat customers. Staying compliant should be a top priority, and this starts with having the right license for your purposes and keeping it up-to-date.

Types of Alcohol Licensing

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control offers up to 99 different types of alcohol-related licenses. Each license has its own required conditions. Types of alcohol licenses include:

• Beer manufacturer
• Veer and wine importer
• Wine broker
• Industrial alcohol dealer
• Club owner
• Veterans’ club owner
• Beer and wine for a hospital
• Portable bar
• Restaurant
• Wine tasting

The scope of licenses available is wide, but the ABC laws that define them are very similar. Many of them require servers to be RBS certified. Thus, ensuring that servers are maintaining their proper certification is part of compliance. Failure to have this certification could result in the loss of a business’s alcohol license.

To get your alcohol license for a specific type of business, you can apply online. Alternatively, you may visit the Riverside district office located at 3737 Main Street, Suite 900, Riverside. The Palm Desert location serves the Riverside desert areas district, located at 34-160 Gateway Drive, Suite 120, Palm Desert.

The department licenses nearly 3,800 businesses in Riverside County each year. These licenses allow businesses to store, package, distill, distribute, manufacture, sell alcohol, and more. There is a lot of competition for alcohol sales among businesses in Riverside County. This makes it even more important to maintain compliance so you don’t lose customers.

A Riverside Alcohol Beverage Compliance Attorney Can Help

A Riverside alcohol beverage compliance lawyer can be a great asset to any business owner who doesn’t want to take chances by losing their alcohol licensing privileges. It is in the interest of a business owner to be transparent with their attorney, having them check over business contracts and even review their books. When ABC agents show up at a business and ask to see the books and records for the business, refusal is a misdemeanor crime.

ABC Violations

It’s no secret that the liquor laws in California are difficult to abide by. It’s important to remember, though, that they’re not impossible. In order to maintain your business, you must remain in compliance with these laws. Many businesses think they can get away with skipping little details here and there regarding compliance. They may even go undetected and stay under the radar for a while.

Eventually, though, ABC agents can come knocking on your business door. When they do, you want to be ready.  The only way to do this is to keep your license up to date and ensure that you are in compliance with all California liquor license requirements.

If you have been cited for violation of your license conditions, you will definitely incur penalties against your license, but you can also be charged criminally for some violations. For instance, many of the conditions attached to a liquor license involve the prohibition of selling or giving alcohol to minors.

Selling to a minor will earn the individual who served or bought the alcohol for the minor a $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service. If a minor causes injury or death to themselves or others, the penalty is increased to six to 12 months in jail.

In addition to this criminal penalty, selling to anyone under the age of 21 will get your alcohol license suspended for 15 days. A second violation within 36 months will warrant a 25-day suspension. After a third violation within 36 months, your alcohol license will be revoked permanently. If minors are found on 21-and-up premises or are found to be working there, the establishment’s liquor license will be suspended for 10 days.

Hire a Riverside Alcohol Beverage Compliance Lawyer

If you are a new business starting out in need of legal counsel regarding your alcohol and beverage license, or you’re trying to bring your current business up to the standards of the California alcohol and beverage compliance laws, Blake & Ayaz can help. Our practice has represented countless alcohol beverage complaint cases, and we can offer you the resources and legal know-how necessary to expedite your case.

Contact our office by phone or online and speak with a representative of our legal team. We would love to schedule an appointment with you. Let’s get started and discuss your case.