March 19, 2025
South Carolina lawmakers are currently debating changes to liquor liability laws—a move that could have major effects on bars, restaurants, and alcohol servers. While the goal is to reduce high insurance costs for businesses, some fear the new laws may hurt victims of drunk-driving incidents and fail to fix the real problem: preventing over-service and drunk driving.
Let’s break down what’s happening and what it means for you.
Bars and restaurants in South Carolina pay some of the highest liquor liability insurance costs in the country. Many small businesses are struggling to afford these policies, leading to closures. To address this, lawmakers are proposing two bills (S-244 and H-3497) to reform liability laws.
However, victim advocates and attorneys worry these changes may make it harder for victims to seek justice while not doing enough to prevent drunk driving.
The two proposed bills focus on limiting liability for bars and restaurants and reducing their insurance costs. However, a key part of both bills is a new requirement for mandatory alcohol-server training.
This means that if the laws pass:
✅ All alcohol servers in South Carolina will be required to complete training on responsible alcohol service.
✅ This training will teach servers how to recognize intoxicated customers and prevent over-service.
✅ Insurance costs may go down for businesses that comply with training regulations.
Many experts believe that requiring alcohol-server training should have been the law long ago. They argue that training could:
Reduce overservice of alcohol and help prevent drunk-driving incidents.
Lower insurance costs for bars and restaurants, just like worker-safety training lowered workers’ compensation costs.
Provide clear guidelines for servers on how to handle intoxicated customers.
The bills are still being debated in the South Carolina Senate, and their final form could change. If passed, mandatory alcohol-server training would become law, making it essential for businesses and employees to stay informed.
At LIQUORexam.com, we provide state-approved alcohol server training that helps servers comply with regulations and protect their businesses. We’ll continue to monitor this law and update you on how it affects the industry.
For more information on responsible alcohol server training, visit:
LIQUORexam.com
