Is it Legal for a Minor to Drink Alcohol in Texas? Well…Kinda

One milestone every young person looks forward to is their 21st birthday. Obtaining that age allows that young person to legally buy a 12 pack of beer at the store or a bottle of spirits at the liquor store. Before that, however, the law states that you cannot drink or buy any kind of alcoholic beverage if you are under the age of 21. Believe it or not, though, there is an exception to this law. But there is an exception to that exception, too.

Texas Alcoholic & Beverage Commission (TABC)

I spent a few years working in the bar business to earn a little extra money. Because I was around alcohol and watching over those who were drinking alcohol, I had to go through training from TABC. In that training, I had to learn the laws associated with drinking in a public setting. Those included how many drinks one person could buy at a time, how to prevent minors from drinking and, what drinkers hate we learn, when to cut someone off.

Preventing minors from drinking can be tricky. They will find any way possible to sneak a drink or find someone who will buy them a drink. In my time working in bars, I had to kick out several minors, and the people buying it for them, on several occasions. I also encountered a couple of situations where a parent came to the bar with their minor and would want to buy a drink for that minor.

That is Perfectly Legal to Do So

What!?

Yes, if a parent or guardian wants to buy a minor an alcoholic drink, it is perfectly legal to do so as long as the parent or guardian stays with that minor. Where I worked, however, the policy of the bar was to not allow the parent or guardian to purchase a drink for the minor or even let them have a sip of the drink.

It is left up to the establishment to determine if they will allow a parent or guardian to buy that drink for their minor. The main reason why is simply liability. Most responsible bars do not allow this even if it is legal under Texas law. It's not worth the risk to that establishment.

Minors at Home

If a parent or guardian allows their minor to drink at home, that is perfectly legal. However, if something were to happen to that minor, or if they serve alcohol to a minor that is not their child, that parent or guardian can face serious legal consequences.

You can get a full rundown of all the penalties associated with underage drinking at tabc.texas.gov. You can read the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code at statutes.capitol.texas.gov.

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