What is the legal drinking age in Las Vegas Nevada?
Generally, under Nevada law, any person, including a business and its employees, who knowingly sells or furnishes an alcoholic beverage to a person under 21 (a “minor”) is guilty of a misdemeanor. Local jurisdictions also establish penalties for businesses that allow minors into certain areas of the business, and in some cases, entry to minors at all. Selling alcohol and allowing entry to minors may also jeopardize your liquor license.
In unincorporated Clark County, it is unlawful for any person with apparent authority to make sales to sell alcohol to a minor. Additionally, a minor may enter a Clark County karaoke club if they are accompanied by a person over the age of 21 but are not allowed to loiter near the bar or enter the karaoke club between 10:00 pm and 6:00am—even if they are accompanied by a person of legal drinking age. Additionally, a karaoke club must establish and post a no-tolerance policy indicating that underage drinking is not tolerated. Taverns or other liquor establishments with restaurants may allow minors into the restaurant area if there is a structural barrier sufficient to exclude minors from the bar or lounge area. A licensee may only serve a person accompanying a minor in conjunction with a meal at a dining table or booth. It is also illegal to employ a minor to sell, handle, or transport alcohol, except for the limited circumstance where a minor-employee bags items at a grocery store or another similar establishment. Any business that serves alcohol and allows entry to minors must adopt an alcohol security plan as a condition to their license, this plan must include how minors will be prevented from accessing liquor.
In the City of Las Vegas, it is a defense to an establishment or employee who sold alcohol to a minor if immediately prior to furnishing the alcohol, the employee demanded and was shown a genuine identification card indicating that the minor was over the age of 21. A minor can only enter a business that sells alcohol if they are continuously accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. However, minors are never allowed entry to any bar or lounge area.
In the Cities of North Las Vegas and Henderson, a minor over the age of 18 is permitted to handle or sell alcohol when directly supervised by another employee or an owner who is at least 21 years of age. The City of Henderson also requires liquor licensees to adopt policies preventing access to alcohol by minors and licensees must keep hard copies of these policies on the premises.
Furthermore, the Cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson, and unincorporated Clark County require any employee who sells, serves, participates directly in the control of liquor service or distribution, or performs the duties of a security guard to obtain an alcohol awareness card and keep this card on their person at all times they are working. An alcohol awareness card is received upon completion of a state-certified program that teaches methods to prevent access to alcohol by minors.
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