Bartender Licensing
States Licensed
12
of 50 states and D.C.
Burden Rank
82nd
for average burdens 1st is worst
Combined Rank
78th
for states licensed x average burdens 1st is worst
Change from 2017 to 2022, if any:
- ↑
- Burden increased
- ↓
- Burden decreased
- ↕
- Mixed burden change
- N
- New license
- E
- Eliminated license
2022 Licensing Burden Rank
How does my state compare to others?
Compare NowDefinition
Bartenders or mixologists mix and serve drinks to patrons directly or through waitstaff.2022 Snapshot
- 39 unlicensed states
- Days lost range from 0 (Kansas) to .8 (New Mexico)
- Fees range from $0 (9 states) to $45 (Indiana)
- 10 states require 1+ exam
- 12 states set minimum age
- 0 states set minimum grade
Changes Since 2017
- No licenses created or removed
- Oregon increased fees; Alabama and Tennessee decreased education
- Burden rank worsened 2 spots and combined rank stayed the same, largely because other occupations improved more
2022 Licensing Burden in Detail
Data Notes: 2022 data collected between February 3, 2020, and March 18, 2022. Fees include charges for application review and license issuance; exams; background checks, credit reports and fingerprinting; recovery fund contributions; third-party certification; and certain fees for training courses. Calendar days lost were estimated based on required education and experience; except for amounts smaller than one day, days lost are rounded to whole days and thus may not reflect very small changes between 2017 and 2022. Appendix A details methods for estimating days lost and calculating burden ranks. Complete data, including revised 2017 data, are available at https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/ltw3-data/.