Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 006 - Department of Finance and Administration
Division 02 - Alcoholic Beverage Control Division
Rule 006.02.19-011 - Persons Under 21 Exceptions - ABC Rule 3.19(10)(B)

3.19(10)B. Persons Under Twenty-One (21); Exceptions. Any person less than twenty-one (21) years of age in the mixing, serving, selling or handling of controlled beverages. Provided, that nothing in this Regulation shall prohibit a minor eighteen (18) years of age or older to be employed as a musician or entertainer or to be employed in the preparation or serving of food or in the housekeeping department of any establishment permitted by this Agency; and nothing in this Regulation shall prohibit a minor eighteen (18) years of age or older, with the written consent of a parent or guardian, to be employed in the sale of beer, wine, and small farm wine at retail grocery establishments, nor from being employed by permitted liquor and beer wholesalers and by permitted small farm wineries to handle alcoholic beverages at the place of business of the permitted wholesaler or winery; and further, nothing in this Regulation shall prohibit a minor of any age to be employed as an entertainer when the minor and his parent or guardian perform together as part of the same show and the parent or guardian remains with the minor in a supervisory capacity. Provided further, minors sixteen (16) and seventeen (17) years of age may be employed at those permitted outlets that qualify as retail grocery establishments, but may not handle alcoholic beverages. (Amended 1-22-20)

For purposes of this Regulation, retail grocery establishments shall not include those establishments engaged in the sale of motor fuels which do not maintain an inventory of human consumables (not including alcoholic beverage products) in an amount in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). The burden of providing this inventory requirement shall be on the permittee.

Any person or organization which holds a public restaurant mixed drink permit, a public hotel-motel-restaurant mixed drink permit, a restaurant wine permit, or a private club permit may employ persons 19 years of age or older to sell and handle alcoholic beverages. Provided, that persons 19 years of age and older may not act as bartenders but they may otherwise open bottles of wine and beer and serve the alcoholic beverages and take payment for the same.

(Amended 8-21-13)