Washington Bartender License (MAST Permit): Class 12 vs. 13 and How to Get It

If you serve, pour, or mix alcohol at a Washington restaurant or bar, you need a MAST permit, usually within 60 days of your hire date (RCW 66.20.310). It's what people mean by a Washington bartending license or alcohol server permit; the state doesn't issue a separate one. Servers as young as 18 can get one. The permit lasts five years (WAC 314-17-020) and works at any restaurant or bar in the state. This guide covers which class you need, how to get it, and the Washington alcohol laws the course tests you on.

As with anything legal, this is a general guide, not legal advice. When in doubt, check with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) or your employer.

What a MAST Permit Is

A MAST permit is Washington's required alcohol server permit: proof that you passed Mandatory Alcohol Server Training from a provider certified by the Liquor and Cannabis Board (RCW 66.20.310). A Class 12 permit covers bartenders and managers 21 and older, and a Class 13 permit covers servers 18 and older. It's what people call a Washington bartending license.

MAST stands for Mandatory Alcohol Server Training. Private training providers certified by the LCB teach the course, give the state's standardized exam, and issue the permit when you pass. The course covers Washington alcohol law, checking IDs, spotting intoxication, and refusing service.

MAST is separate from the state food worker card. Many Washington restaurant workers need both: see our Washington Food Worker Card: How to Get Certified Step by Step for the food side.

Class 12 vs. Class 13

Washington has two MAST permits, and the one you need depends on your age and your job.

• Class 12 (21 and older): for bartenders and managers. It covers everyone who mixes drinks, pours or draws from a tap or other dispensing device, manages an on-premises licensed business, or supervises Class 13 servers. It also covers everything a Class 13 permit allows.
• Class 13 (18 and older): for servers. It covers taking drink orders, carrying drinks to customers, and opening or pouring beer or wine at the table, but not in areas that are off limits to anyone under 21.

Servers aged 18 to 20 may take orders for, serve, and sell alcohol only in areas open to people under 21, and only while a supervisor who is 21 or older is on duty. They may not do bartender work: no pouring spirits, mixing cocktails, or drawing beer or wine from a tap. An 18-to-20-year-old can take the Class 12 course, but gets a Class 13 permit until they turn 21, when the provider can upgrade it.

Who Needs One and When

Anyone who sells or serves alcohol for on-premises drinking needs a Class 12 or Class 13 permit, including staff who pour samples. You have 60 days from your date of hire to get it (RCW 66.20.310(1)(d)), and there's no temporary permit. Some jobs get no 60 days at all:

• Alcohol delivery drivers need a Class 12 permit before they start delivering.
• Tasting and sampling staff need a Class 12 permit before they pour, according to the LCB.

Grocery store clerks who only sell sealed bottles to go don't need a permit, but grocery employees who pour tastings or fill growlers do.

How to Get Your Permit

Step 1: Pick an LCB-certified provider

Only providers on the LCB's certified list count. Courses can be in person or online and must run at least three hours, not counting the exam (WAC 314-17-060). The LCB doesn't set prices, so costs vary by provider; ask your employer first, since some pay for it.

Step 2: Take the course and pass the exam

You have to finish the whole course before the exam. The exam is the LCB's standardized test, it's closed book, and the passing grade is 80% (WAC 314-17-060). Warm up with our free Washington MAST Practice Test before you start.

Step 3: Get your permit and keep it at work

Your provider issues the permit and mails it to you; permits aren't emailed. While you work, you must have your MAST permit on the premises along with one form of ID, and the names must match. The permit belongs to you: the LCB says to give your employer a copy and keep the original yourself.

Minors and Checking IDs

You must be 21 to buy or drink alcohol in Washington, and a parent can't give permission on a licensed premises. Selling or serving alcohol to anyone under 21 is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 66.44.270), so check ID whenever there's any doubt about a customer's age.

Washington accepts only these IDs, and each one must show a photo, date of birth, and signature (a federal ID may skip the signature):

• A driver's license, instruction permit, or ID card from any U.S. state, territory, Washington, D.C., or Canadian province.
• A U.S. armed forces ID, including dependent and retired cards.
• A passport, passport card, Global Entry card, permanent resident card, or NEXUS card.
• A U.S. Coast Guard merchant marine ID.
• A tribal enrollment card from a federally recognized tribe, if approved by the LCB.

Rules to remember when you check:

• Expired means no. An ID can't be used to prove age after its expiration date.
• Look for the under-21 format. Washington licenses and ID cards for people under 21 are vertical, with "AGE 21 ON" and the date printed in red below the small second photo.
• Still unsure? You may ask the customer to sign an LCB certification card, which the business files that day. When in doubt, you can always refuse.

Apparently Intoxicated Customers

You may not sell or serve alcohol to anyone who is apparently intoxicated, and you may not let an apparently intoxicated person hold or drink alcohol on the premises. Signs the LCB lists include slurred speech, swaying or stumbling, glassy or bloodshot eyes, loud or argumentative behavior, spilling drinks, being careless with money, buying rounds for strangers, and drowsiness.

When you see the signs, remove the drink and refuse further alcohol service, politely and without accusing, and bring in your manager. The LCB says an intoxicated customer may stay if they don't have any alcohol, but disorderly customers can't stay. Offer water or food and help arrange a safe ride.

How Alcohol Affects the Body

• One standard drink holds 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, according to the LCB: 12 ounces of beer, 8 to 10 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits.
• The liver processes about one standard drink per hour, the LCB says. Drinks served faster than that build up in the blood.
• Only time sobers someone up. Coffee, cold showers, and fresh air don't lower blood alcohol content (BAC).
• BAC rises faster when someone drinks on an empty stomach, drinks quickly, weighs less, or has strong mixed drinks. Food slows absorption.

Free pouring makes it easy to serve two drinks' worth of alcohol in one glass. Bartenders who measure every pour keep drinks at one standard drink each:

The 1.5-ounce side is exactly one standard drink of 80-proof spirits, and the 1-ounce side handles smaller measures.

Hours of Sale and Other Rules

• No alcohol from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. (WAC 314-11-070). During those hours you can't sell or serve it, customers can't drink it or hold it, and no one can take it out the door. Drinks have to be finished or collected by 2 a.m., and some cities set earlier closing times.
• No drinking on the job. Staff may not drink alcohol while working or be intoxicated on the premises.
• Minors stay out of 21-and-over areas. Serving a minor in an off-limits area, or letting one stay there, is a misdemeanor. Taverns can't allow anyone under 21 on the premises, with narrow exceptions such as musicians and kitchen staff.
• Enough light to check IDs. The law requires lighting bright enough to check identification.

Penalties

Serving a minor is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine (RCW 66.44.270 and RCW 9A.20.021); the LCB can instead fine the server $200, then $400, then $500. Your permit can also be suspended: 5 days (or $200) for a first sale to a minor, rising to revocation on the fourth within three years (WAC 314-17-105). Serving an apparently intoxicated person, serving after hours, and disorderly conduct carry their own suspensions or fines, also ending in revocation, and working without a required permit is a misdemeanor. The business faces separate license suspensions and fines.

How Long It Lasts

A MAST permit is valid for five years and expires on the first day of the month after the five-year mark (WAC 314-17-020) (pass on June 15, and it expires July 1, five years later). It can't be renewed: you take a new course and pass the exam again.

The LCB advises taking the new course 45 days before your permit expires, because there's no grace period after it does. Our expiration calculator works out the exact date and adds a reminder to your calendar.

Check or replace your permit

To check that your permit is still valid, or to find its number, use the LCB's MAST permit checker. Search by your last name and date of birth, or by your MAST permit number. If your permit doesn't show up, it may have expired.

Lost a permit that's still valid? Your course provider or the LCB can replace it, and the replacement keeps the original expiration date. From the LCB, mail the Application to Replace MAST Permit (form LIQ-1357) with a $5 check or money order made out to LCB; the LCB doesn't take online payments (WAC 314-17-035 sets the process).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a MAST permit the same as a bartending license?

Yes. Washington doesn't issue a separate bartending license or liquor server license; the MAST permit is it. Bartenders need a Class 12 permit (21 and older), which covers mixing drinks and pouring from a tap. Servers can work with a Class 13 permit from age 18.

Is a Class 12 a liquor license?

No. A Class 12 is an employee's MAST permit, the one bartenders and managers need from age 21. A liquor license is issued by the Liquor and Cannabis Board to the business, not to the people who work there (RCW 66.24). If you'll be pouring or mixing drinks, get the Class 12 permit; the bar or restaurant holds the liquor license.

How long do I have to get a MAST permit?

60 days from your date of hire. Alcohol delivery drivers need a Class 12 permit before they start, and the LCB says tasting staff get no grace period either.

Can I serve alcohol in Washington at 18?

Yes, with a Class 13 permit, in areas open to people under 21 and while a supervisor who is 21 or older is on duty. You can't pour spirits, mix drinks, or draw from a tap until you're 21 and hold a Class 12 permit.

Can I take MAST online?

Yes. LCB-certified providers can teach the course in person or online. It runs at least three hours, and the exam is closed book with an 80% passing grade.

How do I look up my MAST permit?

Use the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board's MAST permit checker at lcb.wa.gov. Search by last name and date of birth, or by permit number. Employers use the same search to verify a server's permit. If nothing comes up, the permit may have expired.

How long is a MAST permit good for?

Five years. It can't be renewed, so take a new course and exam before it expires.

Do I need a MAST permit to work at a grocery store?

Not to ring up sealed bottles. Grocery employees who pour tastings or fill growlers need a Class 12 permit.

Bottom Line

Get the right MAST permit within 60 days of hire: Class 13 if you're 18 to 20 or only serve, Class 12 if you're 21 or older and pour, mix, or manage. Keep it at work with your ID, and retake the course before it expires in five years. Learn the rules the exam is built on: 21 to drink, only the listed IDs and never expired ones, no alcohol for apparently intoxicated customers, and nothing served or consumed from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Then check yourself with our Washington MAST Practice Test.

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