Vermont Alcohol Training

For the legal sale or service of alcohol in Vermont, you'll need to complete training as outlined by the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery (DLL). Alcohol training is designed to educate bartenders, servers, and sellers on responsible alcohol service, including ID checks, refusing service, and understanding Vermont liquor laws.

The easiest way to complete this requirement is to enroll in the Vermont DLL training or a state-approved 3rd party online training course, like Learn2Serve. Just take the course, pass the final exam, and download your official certificate of completion immediately. Your certificate is valid for alcohol sale or service, depending on the training you completed, across Vermont and should be provided to your employer, who is required to keep it on file.

Vermont On and Off-Premise Training usually refers to a state-approved alcohol seller/server training program in Vermont.

• On-premise: Places where alcohol is consumed at the location
  (bars, restaurants, clubs)
• Off-premise: Places where alcohol is sold but consumed elsewhere
  (liquor stores, grocery stores, convenience stores)

Most state-approved 3rd party training courses take about 1 to 2 hours to complete. After completing the course and passing a short quiz, you’ll receive your certificate of completion instantly, making the process fast and convenient.

On and off-premise certification expires 2 years after the issue date. After that, you’ll need to enroll in and complete training again.

Anyone engaged in the sale or service of alcohol in Vermont, including bartenders, servers, and managers, must complete training. This training is required to receive your Vermont alcohol server certification or Vermont bartender license and remain compliant with state law.

Yes. To be valid, your certification must be issued by the state or a state-approved third-party training provider, like Learn2Serve.

A Vermont liquor license is required for any business or establishment that engages in the sale or service of alcoholic beverages. If you're an individual working with alcohol, you need on or off-premise training depending on your job role, not a business liquor license.

First of all, if you’re serving alcohol, you're required to take the course by Vermont law.

But you'll also learn how to protect yourself and your employer from liability.  The DLL enforces harsh penalties for serving alcohol to minors under the age of 21. 

Also, Vermont has a Dram Shop law, meaning if you violate alcohol service laws and a customer injures someone, the injured party can sue you, your employer, and even your employer's landlord.

Aside from liability, you can help reduce drunk driving in Vermont. From 2003 to 2012, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that a total of 212 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver in Vermont. Given Vermont's population, that's actually a little higher than the national average.

Vermont On and Off-Premise training covers all these topics and more.

In Vermont, on and off-premise training qualify you for many jobs. This includes servers in on-premises establishments, like restaurants and bars, as well as salesclerks in off-premises establishments, like liquor stores.

Basically, any business that needs someone to check ID cards before selling alcohol requires training.

And if you’re curious about how much money you can expect to make, here is some basic wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for bartenders and barbacks in Vermont.

However, if you are in the top 90th percentile of bartenders, you can make much more money: $26.33 an hour.

Our On and Off-Premise training courses are priced at $25. This fee includes the full course content and your certificate upon successful completion. 

You can find more about alcohol sales and regulations on the DLL’s website, including:

• Mandatory posters for display in licensed establishments
• Alcohol license types
• Press releases and the latest news

If you are looking for more course-specific information, check out our Vermont-approved 3rd party online training course.