Peace Officer Powers

Inspection Powers:

Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and ABC Agents are all sworn law enforcement officers (peace officers) with powers of arrest. Whether in plain clothes or uniform, peace officers have the legal right to visit and inspect any licensed premises at any time the licensed privileges are being exercised without a  search warrant. This includes inspecting the bar and back bar, store room, office, closed or locked cabinets, safes, kitchen, or any other area within the licensed premises.

It is legal and reasonable for licensees to exclude the public from some areas of the premises. However, licensees cannot and must not deny entry to, resist, delay, obstruct, or assault a peace officer. (Sections 25616, 25753 and 25755 B & P Code; Sections 148 and 242 Penal Code)

B & P Code 25755.
Peace Officer Powers

1. The director and the persons employed by the department for the administration and enforcement of this division are peace officers in the enforcement of the penal provisions of this division, the rules of the department adopted under the provisions of this division, and any other penal provisions of law of this state prohibiting or regulating the sale, exposing for sale, use, possession, giving away, adulteration, dilution, misbranding, or mislabeling of alcoholic beverages or intoxicating liquors, and these persons are authorized, while acting as peace officers, to enforce any penal provisions of law while in the course of their employment.
2. The director, the persons employed by the department for the administration and enforcement of this division, peace officers listed in Section 830.1 of the Penal Code, and those officers listed in Section 830.6 of the Penal Code while acting in the course and scope of their employment as peace officers may, in enforcing the provisions of this division, visit and inspect the premises of any licensee at any time during which the licensee is exercising the privileges authorized by his or her license on the premises.
3. Peace officers of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, members of the University of California and California State University Police Departments, and peace officers of the Department of Parks and Recreation, as defined in subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (f ) of Section 2 of the Penal Code, may, in enforcing this division, visit and inspect the premises of any licensee located on state property at any time during which the licensee is exercising the privileges authorized by his or her license on the premises.