California · Business and Professions Code - BPC

BPC §25659: For the purpose of preventing the violation of Section 25658, any licensee, or his or her agent or employee, may refuse to sell or serve alcoholic beverages to any person who is unable to produce adeq

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Alcohol licensees may refuse service to customers without valid age identification and may seize false or underage IDs, provided they issue a receipt and deliver the ID to local law enforcement within 24 hours.

Read the full statutory text

For the purpose of preventing the violation of Section 25658, any licensee, or his or her agent or employee, may refuse to sell or serve alcoholic beverages to any person who is unable to produce adequate written evidence that he or she is over the age of 21 years. A licensee, or his or her agent or employee, may seize any identification presented by a person that shows the person to be under the age of 21 years or that is false, so long as a receipt is given to the person from whom the identification is seized and the seized identification is given within 24 hours of seizure to the local law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over the licensed premises. A licensee, his or her agent or employees decision to not seize a license shall not create any civil or criminal liability.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

Start your matter free Ask Law Link about this code

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.