A disorderly house in California is a liquor license premises that disturbs the neighborhood or is maintained for purposes which are injurious to the public morals, health, convenience or safety.

A liquor license outlet that:

* (a) disturbs the neighborhood with noise, loud music, loitering, littering, vandalism, urination or defecation by patrons, graffiti, etc.; or
* (b) has many crimes ongoing inside, such as drunks, fights, assaults, prostitution, narcotics, etc.
* The liquor license premises includes the parking lot (and 20 feet of sidewalk in some cases). (Calif B&P Code 25601 and 24200).

 
Show Notes — 009

* What kind of liquor license establishments can be considered a disorderly house in California?
* How does a business operating as disorderly house affect the neighborhood and local law enforcement?
* Is a liquor license owner in California responsible for patron conduct in the parking lot and front sidewalk?
* How does the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control learn about crime and nuisance complaints?
* How are liquor license owners notified about disciplinary actions against their license?
* Does a disorderly house accusation affect future liquor license suspension or revocation actions?
* What is the most common cause of a disorderly house accusation?
* What does California law say with regard to selling alcoholic beverages an intoxicated customer in a licensed establishment?
* What are some of the physical signs a person shows when they are intoxicated?
* What is the difference between obvious intoxication and legal intoxication?
* What does BAC mean?  (e.g. Blood Alcohol Content)
* What methods are there to count drinks served?
* Should a bar use a BAC chart for training how to estimate intoxication?
* Should a bar or nightclub allow patrons to reach .08 BAC?
* What if bar patron isn’t driving, can they drink past .08 BAC?
* How can a bar prevent a patron from reaching .08 BAC?
* Can a alcoholic beverage server sell to an obviously intoxicated person if on foot?
* May an intoxicated patron be permitted to enter or remain in a licensed establishment?
* Is a server responsible for knowing a patron’s BAC level?
* Use the CARE system for not over-serving bar patrons

* C = Counting number of standard-size drinks
* A = Be attentive to patron consumption, mood, changes in behavior
* R = Rating your guest sobriety level (green, yellow, red)
* E = Executing your duty to serve alcoholic beverages responsibly

BAC chart (e.g. 160 lb. man takes 3 standard drinks to hit .07 BAC)

* What is considered to be a standard drink in California?
* Are alcohol beverage servers required to know how many standard drinks are in each drink they serve?
* Do large drinks and multi-liquor drinks increase BAC at a faster rate?
* What factors affect intoxication?
* Are liquor license owners expected to be “My Brother’s Keeper”?
* Why is having an adequate number trained staff important?
* Does the servers job include taking care of the obviously intoxicated patron?
* Do other states have the same or similar liquor license laws?
* How do liquor control agents or local law enforcement officers investigate and enforce liquor law violations?
* What drives ABC investigations, undercover, and task force work?
* Did you use of undercover investigators to prove actual notice of a violation to bar staff?
* Recommends having a security plan ready to defend a disorderly house accusation at the hearing.

About our Guest Lauren C. Tyson
Lauren C. Tyson

* Lauren Tyson is CEO and founder of