General Program Update

We are less than one month away from RBS training and certification for on-premises alcohol servers and their managers becoming mandatory. The Department has been working diligently on making sure that our licensees, servers, and community partners are aware of the new law and are working to promote training and certification information to those who need to be RBS trained and certified by the August 31, 2022 deadline. The Department has developed our informational multi-language flyer on the RBS requirements.

RBS training and certification is a three-step process:

1. Register with ABC as an alcohol server (this includes the managers of alcohol servers) on the RBS Portal.
2. Take RBS training from an ABC Approved Training Provider.
3. Take our alcohol server certification exam on the RBS Portal.

The exam is currently available in English, Spanish, and Korean languages. The Department is in the process of making the exam available in Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, and Punjabi.

RBS Training Offered in Languages other than English and Spanish

The RBSTP is still accepting and processing RBS training provider applications. If minimal to no edits are required, the estimated time for approval is 8-12 weeks. Foreign language course approvals can take longer. We are currently in the process of approving online programs in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean. We are looking to provide additional RBS Courses both online and in-person for non-English language servers. Persons and parties interested in becoming a Department authorized RBS training provider may contact rbstp@abc.ca.gov for more information.

To date, we have 40,087 alcohol servers trained and certified in RBS. We also have 44 approved training providers and RBS programs (30 online, 13 in-person, 1 in-house, 3 foreign language: Spanish).

Frequently Asked Questions

 The Responsible Beverage Service Training Program (RBSTP) has updated our RBS frequently asked questions as a way to better acquaint our valued stakeholders and community partners with the requirements for RBS training and certifications. Please take time to review our updated response to our frequently asked questions.

ABC’s Online Services are Now Available!

The Department is mailing out letters to licensees announcing the release of ABC’s online services. The letters include information on how to create license administrator accounts and provides licensees with a validation code for their license number. Please see our license administrator frequently asked questions for more specific details.

Online Licensing Services Statistics

ABC launched online licensing services on September 22, 2021, with the ability to make online license renewal payments. We have expanded licensing services to now provide the services essential to RBS training and certification. To date, we have successfully processed 10,282 ABC license renewal payments.

Need Assistance with RBS or Online Licensing Services?

Servers and Licensees are encouraged to contact their local district office for assistance.

Contact

For alcohol server registration assistance or general assistance with RBS contact:

Online Services
Phone: (916) 318-6435
Email: onlineservices@abc.ca.gov

Translation Services
Email: eeo@abc.ca.gov

For training provider assistance or questions about RBS requirements contact:

RBSTP Team
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: rbstp@abc.ca.gov

Program Update

Happy New Year! The Responsible Beverage Service Training Program (RBSTP) team would like to wish all of our training providers, servers, licensees, and stakeholders a prosperous and safe 2022!

2021 Year in Review

RBSTP had a busy 2021 that included the launch of our online training provider application on February 23, 2021 (and the Department’s ability to take its first online payment); the Go-Live of compliant server training on April 5, 2021; and the approval of our first online Spanish language RBS training program on December 17, 2021.

To date, we have 7,076 alcohol servers that have been trained and certified in RBS. We also have 26 approved training providers and RBS programs (17 online, 7 in-person, 1 in-house, 1 foreign language: Spanish).

Spanish Language Programs and Spanish Language Exam

RBSTP approved their first online Spanish language RBS training course on December 17, 2021. The alcohol server certification exam is also available in Spanish. We will be approving more Spanish language programs as they are received and processed. The external Approved Training Provider list on the RBS Portal landing page is updated daily at 3:00 a.m. PT.

We are also accepting other foreign language RBS training course applications in addition to Spanish.  If you know a foreign language training provider who has an RBS course or would be interested in developing one, please have them email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

Update to Online Training Provider API

Beginning on February 9, 2022, an updated API for our approved online training providers will be available. GET and POST method parameters are being updated to provide better search result returns.

Training Providers Can Still Apply

An estimated 1,000,000 servers in California will need to be RBS trained and certified by August 31, 2022. There are currently 7,076 certified alcohol servers in the RBS Portal.  If you teach a responsible beverage service training course in California and are not yet approved by the Department, we want you to apply to become an authorized training provider. We strongly encourage non-profit training providers to submit their applications to ensure that RBS training is available and accessible to all servers. For more information on becoming an authorized training provider, please email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

Reminders Regarding Certificates, Paying for RBS Training, and Training Confirmation (Exam Access)

We will not be issuing physical or downloadable certificates of completion. Upon completion of training and the certification exam, the alcohol server will be issued a certification number which is valid for three years. The alcohol server certification number is recorded on the Alcohol Server’s Dashboard in the training history at the bottom of the page of the RBS Portal. Licensees will be able to verify that their servers are RBS certified using the (certification number and the server’s name) as we get closer to the legal requirement for the mandatory statewide training.

Servers must pay $3.00 to the Department as part of their server registration in the RBS Portal. This fee is non-refundable. Additionally, servers may also need to pay a separate fee to the authorized RBS training provider that they select. The cost of RBS training varies depending on the authorized training provider. Questions about training costs, including corporate or group pricing, must be directed to the training provider.  

Training providers have up to 24 hours following training to update a server’s training status in the RBS Portal. Servers whose training status has not been updated within 24 hours of the completed training must follow up with the training provider. When following up with the training provider, the server should be prepared to provide their server ID number. The server ID number is located in the upper left of the server’s dashboard in the RBS portal in the table that reads Server Certificate Details. When emailing the customer service for the training provider, it is encouraged that rbstp@abc.ca.gov is copied in the email. One of the most common reasons why a training provider can be delayed in confirming the server’s training in the RBS Portal is that the server’s last name and server ID number as provided to the training provider do not match what is listed in the RBS Portal. The training provider will reach out to the server to obtain the correct information. Once the correct information is obtained, the training provider will confirm the date training was taken in the RBS Portal, and the server will be granted access to the alcohol server certification exam.

Important Dates

July 1, 2022 – AB 1221 (Responsible Beverage Service Training Program Act) goes into effect. RBS training for alcohol servers and the managers of alcohol servers for ABC On-Premises licensed establishments becomes mandatory.

ABC On-Premises Licensees have 60 days from July 1, 2022, to have their staff trained and certified by an approved RBS training provider. This includes the successful completion of an ABC administered RBS exam.

September 1, 2022 – Enforcement of AB 1221 may begin.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

Contact

For alcohol server registration assistance or general assistance with RBS contact:

Online Services
Phone: (916) 318-6435
Email: onlineservices@abc.ca.gov

Translation Services
Email: eeo@abc.ca.gov

For training provider assistance or questions about RBS requirements contact:

RBSTP Team
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: rbstp@abc.ca.gov

General Program Update

We currently have 20 RBS training programs approved. There are 13 online courses, 5 in-person courses, and 2 in-house course approved. Approved courses are available on the RBS Portal Landing Page.

There are currently 4529 alcohol servers/managers of alcohol servers registered in our RBS Portal. 2211 are now certified, meaning they have completed RBS Training from one of our Department approved training providers and have passed the Department’s alcohol server certification exam with a 70% or better.

Online Training Provider API for Approved Training Providers is Now Available

The online training provider API is now available for approved RBS online training providers. It is accessible from the provider’s dashboard via the Developers Tool link. For more information on the online training provider API please do not hesitate to email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

Hablamos Español y tu?

The RBSTP team is looking for foreign language training providers interested in creating and teaching an RBS training program. Our alcohol server certification exam is currently available in both English and Spanish languages. We want to offer RBS training courses in a language other than English in the near future. By July 1, 2022, we will need to have at least a Spanish language online and a Spanish language in-person RBS training course approved and available to the public.

If you or someone you know teaches a foreign language RBS Training program, please encourage them to apply via the RBS Portal.

As a Reminder

We are using digital certificates for alcohol servers who have completed training and passed the alcohol server certification. The Alcohol Server training certificate is recorded on the Alcohol Server’s Dashboard in the training history at the bottom of the page of the RBS Portal. Upon completion of training and the certification exam, the alcohol server will be issued a certification number, and that will serve as their training certificate and is valid for three years. The digital certificates are housed in the RBS Portal and will be available for review by the server’s employer as we get closer to the legal requirement for the mandatory statewide training.

Training providers have up to 24 hours to confirm Server Training in the RBS Portal. If it has been more than 24 hours since the server has completed training, we encourage the server to contact the training provider and follow-up with why their training has yet to be confirmed. When following up with the training provider, the server should have their server ID number (the server’s server ID number is located in the upper left of the server’s dashboard in the RBS portal in the table that reads Server Certificate Details), If emailing the customer service for the training provider, it is encouraged that rbstp@abc.ca.gov is included in the CC.

Important Dates to Remember

• July 1, 2022 – AB 1221 (Responsible Beverage Service Training Program Act) goes into effect and RBS training for alcohol servers and the managers of alcohol servers for ABC On-Premises licensed establishments becomes mandatory.
  ABC On-Premises Licensees have sixty (60) days from July 1, 2022 to have their staff trained and certified by an approved RBS training provider. This includes the successful completion of an ABC administered RBS exam.
• September 1, 2022 – Enforcement of AB 1221 begins.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

Contact

For alcohol server registration assistance or general assistance with RBS contact:

Online Services
Phone: (916) 318-6435
Email: onlineservices@abc.ca.gov

Translation Services
Email: eeo@abc.ca.gov

For training provider assistance or questions about RBS requirements contact:

RBSTP Team
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: rbstp@abc.ca.gov

Answering Server FAQs

The Server functionality of the RBS Portal is now fully operational! To date we have 638 registered servers and 187 servers who have completed training and the alcohol server certification exam!

With the implementation of the Server functionality, we have received several frequently asked questions about certificates, how to search for training providers, how to find your server identification number, and how to access the alcohol server certification exam. This month’s program update will focus on addressing those frequently asked questions.

For more frequently asked questions for Servers, Licensees, and Training Providers please visit the FAQs on our website. If you don’t see the answer to your question in our FAQs please email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

Important Dates to Remember

• July 1, 2022 – AB 1221 (Responsible Beverage Service Training Program Act) goes into effect and RBS training for alcohol servers and the managers of alcohol servers for ABC On-Premises licensed establishments becomes mandatory. ABC On-Premises Licensees have sixty (60) days from July 1, 2022 to have their staff trained and certified by an approved RBS training provider. This includes the successful completion of an ABC administered RBS exam.
• September 1, 2022 – Enforcement of AB 1221 begins.

Contact

For alcohol server registration assistance or general assistance with RBS contact:

Online Services
Phone: (916) 318-6435
Email: onlineservices@abc.ca.gov

Translation Services
Email: eeo@abc.ca.gov

For training provider assistance or questions about RBS requirements contact:

RBSTP Team
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: rbstp@abc.ca.gov

Now Accepting Training Provider Applications

The Responsible Beverage Service Training Program (RBSTP) team is pleased to announce that they are now for all application entities. The training provider application for entities that qualify as a government entity is now available, in addition to the previously offered private sector business entity applications.

Training Provider Application Process

On Friday, February 5, 2021, the RBSTP team hosted a virtual stakeholder meeting via Zoom, which provided a high-level overview of the RBS Program and focused on the specifics of the training provider application. A demo of the online Training Provider application was also provided. A recorded copy of the meeting is available on the February 2021 Program Update. Our responses to the questions that were asked during the meeting by our stakeholders will be posted later this week. The training provider application is now available and is accessible via a portal link on the ABC RBSTP page.

Updated RBS Project Timeline

The RBSTP team is planning to host virtual stakeholder meetings for RBS training providers, licensees, alcohol servers, and law enforcement to discuss the RBS Training Program’s progress and the database’s features for the Spring of 2021. 

The RBSTP team is planning to host virtual stakeholder meetings for RBS training providers, licensees, alcohol servers, and law enforcement to discuss the RBS Training Program’s progress and the database’s features throughout 2021-2022.

• February 23, 2021 – Begin accepting RBS Training Provider Application.
• Spring 2021 – Design and development of the database to be completed.  Public outreach campaign to begin and approved RBS Training becomes available.
• Spring/Summer 2021 – ABC approved RBS Providers continue training throughout the state.
• Summer 2022 – RBS Training is mandatory in the State of California.

Frequently Asked Questions

The RBSTP team has been hard at work, answering all of your questions and concerns regarding the implementation of AB 1221. We have received questions from “who must be trained” to “how to become a training provider.” To help ease any confusion during the transition, we have put together a list of the commonly asked questions and their answers on the RBS Frequently Asked Questions section of our website. If you have any additional questions about the Responsible Beverage Service Training Program that were not addressed on the FAQ page, please do not hesitate to email us at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.

To receive RBS updates via email, sign up to subscribe to our mailing list.

We would like to thank our stakeholders and the industry for their continued patience and cooperation as we implement this mandatory training requirement for alcohol servers and their managers.

Contact

For alcohol server registration assistance or general assistance with RBS contact:

Online Services
Phone: (916) 318-6435
Email: onlineservices@abc.ca.gov

Translation Services
Email: eeo@abc.ca.gov

For training provider assistance or questions about RBS requirements contact:

RBSTP Team
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: rbstp@abc.ca.gov