ID to consume alcohol

mpbarber

mpbarber

Member
Jurisdiction
South Carolina
Must I be in possesion of a valid form of ID to consume alcohol in a bar or restaurant? Of course this assumes that I was served a drink without being asked for my ID.
 
You need to be at least 21 years of age and the only way to prove that is with valid, government issued identification.

What is the point to your question?
 
mpbarber said:
Must I be in possesion of a valid form of ID to consume alcohol in a bar or restaurant? Of course this assumes that I was served a drink without being asked for my ID.
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At my advanced age TODAY, I occasionally get asked for ID.

I sometimes simply smile and say, "Never mind, bring me iced tea."
Waiter says, "Are you sure?"
I say, "Quite sure, thank you for asking."

Sometimes I simply say, "Never mind, I'll go elsewhere."

Life is about choices mate.

No one can make you show ID to purchase or be served an adult beverage.
They can deny you service.
You can also deny them your custom.
 
If you don't have ID, or fail to show ID, at a premises serving alcohol you can be told to leave.
If you are in possession, or have consumed alcohol, and fail to provide ID, you can be detained or arrested.
 
mightymoose said:
If you don't have ID, or fail to show ID, at a premises serving alcohol you can be told to leave.
If you are in possession, or have consumed alcohol, and fail to provide ID, you can be detained or arrested.
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Carding laws vary from state to state.
 
Whether or not a particular establishment cards a particular patron depends upon state law, the establishment's policies, and common sense application of both. Being served a drink does not make it legal to possess or consume it, no matter the laws/policies/common sense violations of the server.

How you prove you are old enough to consume the beverage is between you and person asking.
 
Highwayman said:
You need to be at least 21 years of age and the only way to prove that is with valid, government issued identification.

What is the point to your question?
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Mostly for information, to get the facts and know more about SC law. I have had a conversation with the manager at the local Buffalo Wild Wings and she was full of miss-information which got me thinking..... Since it not a law to carry your ID with you in SC, what if I didn't have my ID, went into a bar, was served a drink without being asked for my ID... would I be breaking some SC law.

I'm curious to why there must be a "point to my question". What's wrong with just trying to be better educated.....
 
I sometimes simply smile and say, "Never mind, bring me iced tea."
Waiter says, "Are you sure?"
I say, "Quite sure, thank you for asking."

Sometimes I simply say, "Never mind, I'll go elsewhere."

Life is about choices mate.

No one can make you show ID to purchase or be served an adult beverage.
They can deny you service.
You can also deny them your custom.[/QUOTE]

I like it.... great answer! Thanks for not questiong my question. Yes... choices.... and I find that the older I get the more choices I have.
 
mightymoose said:
If you don't have ID, or fail to show ID, at a premises serving alcohol you can be told to leave.
If you are in possession, or have consumed alcohol, and fail to provide ID, you can be detained or arrested.
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I'm not aware of a law that says you can't have a Coke in a bar without having/showing ID. I would think you coud be asked to leave for a meriad of reasons but that doesn't really answer my question. Detained or arrested..... Is this the law in South Carolina? If so, would you be willing to provide me with the source? As Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday used to say... "the facts ma'am, just the facts"
 
mpbarber said:
Absolutely... As I'm sure you noticed I indicated South Carolina in the "Jurisdiction" field... And thank you also for not questing my question.
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SC law is silent as to what age someone is to be carded.

Statutorily the law doesn't authorize private citizens to card those wishing to purchase adult beverages.

In fact, the police can't demand ID for ID's sake.
A drivers license must be displayed upon demand if operating a motor vehicle upon the public roadways.

This is a very interesting read, my friend:

http://www.phoenixcenter.org/mydocuments/southcarolinastatelaws.pdf
 
ElleMD said:
Whether or not a particular establishment cards a particular patron depends upon state law, the establishment's policies, and common sense application of both. Being served a drink does not make it legal to possess or consume it, no matter the laws/policies/common sense violations of the server.

How you prove you are old enough to consume the beverage is between you and person asking.
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Yes. I agree completely. The issue I am trying to resove is if it is, strictly and specifically, according to South Carolina law, illegal to be in possesion of a drink without having proof of age. Seems like an obvious answer but as I have learned in my "old age", things are not always obvious or logical. Inquiring minds want to know..... Does being served a drink without having your ID make it illegal...
 
army judge said:
SC law is silent as to what age someone is to be carded.

Statutorily the law doesn't authorize private citizens to card those wishing to purchase adult beverages.

In fact, the police can't demand ID for ID's sake.
A drivers license must be displayed upon demand if operating a motor vehicle upon the public roadways.

This is a very interesting read, my friend:

http://www.phoenixcenter.org/mydocuments/southcarolinastatelaws.pdf
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THANK YOU!
Being aware of the "stop and identify" statutes in many states as well as South Carolina, was instrumental in prompting my question on this site.

I was also aware that it wasn't mandatory to "card" which was clearly not understood by the restaurant/bar manager I spoke with and also not understood by any of the several servers I questioned.

Your link is just the kind of thing I am looking for.

Thanks again my friend.
 
I am going to go at this from a bit of a different perspecitve.....Please also realize that many employers/establishments claim things as "law" that are truly employer/establishment policy but it is easier to get employees/bartenders to obey the "law " than a policy. Or they train on it all and don't take the time to mark which are laws and which are "laws"/employer policies. And in the end there are laws that do affect alcohol sales and the establishment can be held responsible and/or have liability.

I can't tell you the number of time employees (or even HR pros) have quoted the "law" based on their knowledge, their state, their prior employer policies, etc. There are however a lot of things that are "best business practices" and can be chosen by the establishment/employer.
 
mpbarber said:
THANK YOU!
Being aware of the "stop and identify" statutes in many states as well as South Carolina, was instrumental in prompting my question on this site.

I was also aware that it wasn't mandatory to "card" which was clearly not understood by the restaurant/bar manager I spoke with and also not understood by any of the several servers I questioned.

Your link is just the kind of thing I am looking for.

Thanks again my friend.
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It is impossible to educate the unwilling, and the disbelievers.

That said, I prefer to vote with my feet when interacting with dummies.

I was purchasing groceries and a six pack of beer at a local grocery store.

I always use the self-checkout to minimize my contacts with dummies.

Once I scanned the beer, an alleged customer service associate approached and DEMANDED to see my ID.

I smiled, because I knew I was going to enjoy my "right to choose".

I said, "Sorry, I'm leaving your goods right where they are because your accusatory attitude displeases me."

I calmly left the store empty handed, drove about a mile and bought my items with Gestapo intervention.

We still have the "right to choose", and that right has nothing to do with one's gender.
 
mpbarber said:
Does being served a drink without having your ID make it illegal
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No, it is entirely legal if you are 21 years of age, or older.

In fact, a parent can allow his or her child(ren) to sip adult beverages under his, her, or their supervision.

Furthermore, an adult spouse can allow his or her 15 year old spouse to consume "John Barleycorn", "demon rum", or "witch's brew" as long as the adult spouse is present.

There are penalties for minor in possession, minor in consumption al across the land; as well as penalties for selling to minors.

I lecture high school students, and high school JR. ROTC students on the perils of "demon rum" and his many kin.

I also spell out the exemptions, such as a 16 year old bagger and carry-out who carries liquor or beer to the customer's car. The law exempts such transactions.

That's one of many examples I use to inform them and keep them from ruining their lives.
 
hrforme said:
I am going to go at this from a bit of a different perspecitve.....Please also realize that many employers/establishments claim things as "law" that are truly employer/establishment policy but it is easier to get employees/bartenders to obey the "law " than a policy. Or they train on it all and don't take the time to mark which are laws and which are "laws"/employer policies. And in the end there are laws that do affect alcohol sales and the establishment can be held responsible and/or have liability.

I can't tell you the number of time employees (or even HR pros) have quoted the "law" based on their knowledge, their state, their prior employer policies, etc. There are however a lot of things that are "best business practices" and can be chosen by the establishment/employer.
Click to expand...

YES! The problem I had was that the "manager", who I think should know the difference between "law and policy", clearly did not and only perpetuated the miss-information to her staff. Her perported knowledge of the law outside of the workplace exasperated the sitiuation and was detrimental to the development of her fellow employees. Perhaps my expectations of her knowledge/professionalism was too high.
 

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