ME Alcohol Server cheat sheet

Maine uses a three-tier system: licensed manufacturers, licensed distributors, and licensed retail licensees; retailers must buy from licensed distributors, not directly from manufacturers, except where a specific license type allows otherwise.

Maine license types include Class A (off-premises, spirits/wine/malt), Class I (on-premises, all liquor), Class II (on-premises, malt and wine only), Class III (on-premises, malt only), and Class IV (club licenses); the class determines what may be sold and whether consumption is on or off premises.

A license is issued to a specific licensee at a specific premises; liquor may not be stored, sold, or served at an unlicensed location, and a change of location or ownership requires a new or amended license.

Maine requires alcohol server/seller training for on-premises licensees; servers and sellers must hold a valid certificate and carry it or have it available while working, and certificates must be renewed before expiration.

Mandatory signs must be posted: a sign stating that it is illegal to sell alcohol to a person under 21 and that a person under 21 may not consume or possess alcohol, plus the licensee's name and license type.

Acceptable ID in Maine includes a valid driver's license or state ID, a valid passport, a U.S. military ID, or a Maine liquor ID card; expired IDs, altered IDs, and IDs that do not bear a photo and date of birth are not acceptable.

Selling or furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 is a criminal offense for the server and exposes the licensee to administrative sanctions including fines, suspension, or revocation of the license.

Serving a visibly intoxicated person is prohibited; licensees and servers may face civil liability under Maine law for injuries or damages caused by an intoxicated person they served.

Records of training, incident reports, and refusal documentation support the licensee in administrative proceedings; refusal of service should be recorded with date, time, description, and the reason for refusal.

Standard drink reference: 12 oz regular beer at about 5% ABV, 5 oz wine at about 12% ABV, and 1.5 oz distilled spirits at 40% ABV each contain roughly 0.6 oz of pure alcohol.

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rises with the number of drinks, body weight, and speed of consumption, and falls with time; the body eliminates alcohol at roughly 0.015 to 0.020 BAC per hour, and nothing speeds that rate up.

Impairment begins below the legal limit; Maine's per se limit for operating under the influence is 0.08 BAC for drivers 21 and over and 0.00 for drivers under 21.

Visible intoxication indicators include slurred speech, bloodshot or watery eyes, loss of coordination, stumbling, aggressive or unusually loud behavior, and slowed or confused responses.

Refusal technique sequence: assess, count drinks and time, offer food and water, slow or stop service, offer a safe ride, and document the refusal; do not argue or accuse.

A person under 21 may not be served, sold, or furnished alcohol, and may not possess or consume it; a person who appears under 30 should be carded, and the ID should be checked for photo match, date of birth, expiration, and alteration.

Alcohol interacts with medications, pregnancy, and medical conditions; servers should not serve a person who is known to be pregnant or who shows signs of alcohol poisoning, and should call for medical help for a person who is unresponsive or vomiting.

Service controls include measuring spirits with a jigger, limiting the number of drinks per hour, stopping service before closing time, and refusing to serve a person who arrives already intoxicated.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages should be available; serving water and food slows absorption but does not lower BAC already present, so it is not a substitute for stopping service.