# Liquor law and licensee duties: practice quiz > Practise BC liquor law for Serving It Right: hours of service, the half-hour rules, serving sizes, staff drinking, delivery, records and penalties. Free, explained. Canonical: https://servingitrighttest.ca/practice/liquor-law Last updated: 2026-10-26 Questions on the parts of BC’s Liquor Control and Licensing Act, Regulation and licence terms that servers and managers deal with every shift. This page has an interactive practice test (Serving It Right practice test): a random draw from 124 questions, pass mark 80%. Every question and answer is listed below. ## Key rules - Serve only during the hours on your licence. The regulation’s widest window is 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. - Bars: patrons out of the service area within **half an hour** of the end of service. Restaurants: liquor off the tables within half an hour. - No drinking on shift, including breaks and meal periods. - Maximum single servings: 3 oz spirits, 24 oz draught beer, 10 oz wine. - Liquor delivery drivers must be 19 or older and SIR certified. - Keep staff certificate records and incident logs for at least six years. ## Study every question ### Liquor law and licensee responsibilities (32) **Under BC’s liquor regulation, the widest window a liquor primary licence can allow for liquor service is…** A. 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day B. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. C. 10 a.m. to midnight D. Any hours the licensee chooses Answer: A. The regulation says liquor service can start no earlier than 9 a.m. and end no later than 4 a.m. the next day. Your own hours are the ones printed on your licence, which can be shorter. **When are you allowed to serve liquor?** A. Until the last customer leaves B. Only during the hours shown on your licence, permit or authorization C. Until 2 a.m. everywhere in BC D. Whenever the kitchen is open Answer: B. You may sell or serve liquor only during the hours on your licence, permit or authorization. **A bar’s liquor service ends at 1 a.m. By when must every patron be out of the service area?** A. 1:00 a.m. B. 1:15 a.m. C. 1:30 a.m. D. 2:00 a.m. Answer: C. In a liquor primary, patrons must be cleared from the service area within half an hour after liquor service ends. **In a restaurant (food primary), what has to happen within 30 minutes of the end of liquor service?** A. Every patron must leave the restaurant B. The till must be counted C. Last call must be announced D. Liquor, drinks and glassware must be taken from patrons Answer: D. Food primary and catering: liquor is removed from patrons within half an hour. Diners can stay; it’s bars that must clear patrons out. **Your bar’s hours of liquor service are over. Can you let new patrons in?** A. No, patrons must not be let in outside the permitted hours B. Yes, if they only order food C. Yes, for up to 30 minutes D. Yes, if they’re regulars Answer: A. You must not allow patrons to enter outside the permitted hours of liquor service. **A server wants a beer on their break, partway through a shift. Is that allowed?** A. Yes, on unpaid breaks B. No, staff can’t drink liquor during working hours, including breaks and meal periods C. Yes, if the manager says so D. Yes, if it’s a low-alcohol beer Answer: B. Licensees and staff can’t drink liquor at work during working hours. That includes breaks, meal periods and the time between shifts on the same day. **A server’s shift is over. When may they have a drink in the service area?** A. Any time, as long as they sit at a staff table B. When the drink is given as a bonus for a good shift C. When they’re of legal drinking age, it’s during the hours of sale, and the drink isn’t given in place of wages D. Only after the bar has closed Answer: C. After work, staff may drink in the service area if they’re of legal drinking age, it’s during the licence’s hours of sale, and liquor isn’t offered in place of wages or as a bonus. **Can you refill an original bottle bought from the Liquor Distribution Branch?** A. Yes, with the same brand B. Yes, with a cheaper brand of the same spirit C. Only with house-infused liquor D. No, original containers must never be refilled Answer: D. Original containers bought from the Liquor Distribution Branch can’t be refilled with anything. That keeps unlawful liquor out of your stock. **Can a bar pre-mix a batch of drinks (for example in a Bellini machine) before anyone orders?** A. Yes, if the liquor comes from original containers bought from the Liquor Distribution Branch B. No, every drink must be poured to order C. Only at special events D. Only while a manager watches Answer: A. Pre-mixing by hand or with a device is allowed, as long as the liquor came from original containers bought from the Liquor Distribution Branch. **Where is “Bring Your Own Wine” allowed in BC?** A. In bars and nightclubs B. In food primary restaurants that choose to allow it, which may charge a corkage fee C. In liquor stores D. In any licensed establishment Answer: B. A food primary restaurant may let customers bring an unopened, commercially made bottle of wine to drink with food, and may charge corkage. **A couple can’t finish their bottle of wine before liquor service ends. What can staff offer?** A. Pour it into a takeaway cup B. Let them finish it after hours C. Re-seal the bottle so they can take it home D. Nothing; it has to be poured out Answer: C. Staff may re-seal an unfinished bottle of wine for the patron to take away. **Which unfinished drink can a restaurant seal for a patron to take away?** A. A half-full pitcher of beer B. A cocktail C. A glass of spirits D. A partly finished bottle of wine Answer: D. Wine is the only drink you may offer to seal for take-away. **In a liquor primary, what’s the largest serving of spirits one patron can have at a time?** A. 3 oz (85 ml) B. 2 oz (57 ml) C. 4 oz (114 ml) D. 6 oz (170 ml) Answer: A. Distilled liquor: single servings of no more than 3 fl oz (85 ml) per person at a time, even in a shared pitcher. **What’s the maximum single serving of draught beer for one patron?** A. 20 oz (568 ml) B. 24 oz (682 ml) C. 32 oz (909 ml) D. 60 oz (1.7 L) Answer: B. Draught beer and cider: no more than 24 oz (682 ml) per serving. A pitcher of up to 60 oz is only for two or more patrons sharing. **What’s the maximum single serving of wine by the glass?** A. 5 oz B. 6 oz C. 10 oz D. 12 oz Answer: C. Wine: single servings of up to 10 oz (284 ml). A 750 ml bottle is allowed when at least two patrons share it with food. **A patron at the bar orders a 12 oz beer and a 5 oz glass of wine, both for themselves. Can you serve both at once?** A. No, it’s one drink per patron, always B. Only if they’re eating C. Only before 10 p.m. D. Yes, because together they don’t go over two standard drinks Answer: D. The maximum serving can be split into different types of drinks as long as the total isn’t more than two standard drinks. **Can a pub give the winning trivia team a free round of drinks as the prize?** A. No, liquor can’t be offered or given as a prize B. Yes, if every winner is 19 or older C. Yes, one drink per winner D. Yes, on weeknights Answer: A. Games of skill and contests are fine, but liquor can’t be offered or given as a prize. **A group asks to play a drinking game at their table. What do you do?** A. Allow it if they’re regulars B. Say no: drinking games aren’t allowed, even played without liquor C. Allow it until 10 p.m. D. Allow it if they order food Answer: B. You must not provide or allow activities designed to encourage drinking, and that includes drinking games, with or without liquor. **Your liquor licence allows 120 people, but the venue’s occupant load set by the fire authority is 100. How many people can you have inside?** A. 120 B. 110 C. 100 D. As many as fit safely Answer: C. You must not exceed your licence capacity or the venue’s maximum occupant load, so the lower number is your limit. **Who may deliver liquor with a take-out meal on a restaurant’s behalf?** A. Anyone with a driver’s licence B. Any employee 18 or older C. Only the licensee D. A person 19 or older who is Serving It Right certified Answer: D. Anyone delivering liquor for the licensee, staff or a third-party driver, must be 19 or older and SIR certified. Common carriers like Canada Post are the exception. **You arrive with a liquor delivery and the customer at the door is clearly intoxicated. What do you do?** A. Don’t hand over the liquor B. Hand it over, since it’s already paid for C. Leave it on the step D. Ask a neighbour to sign for it Answer: A. Liquor may only be delivered to people who are 19 or older and not intoxicated. **Under the licence terms, who must complete Serving It Right in a bar or restaurant?** A. Only managers B. The licensee, managers and anyone who sells or serves liquor C. Only bartenders D. Only staff who work after 10 p.m. Answer: B. SIR must be completed by licensees, managers (staff who supervise the sale or service of liquor) and servers (staff who sell or serve liquor). **How long must a licensee keep a record of each employee’s SIR certificate number and expiry date?** A. One year B. Three years C. At least six years D. Only while the person works there Answer: C. Licensees keep records for at least six years showing each employee’s name, SIR certificate number and expiry date. **A liquor inspector asks to see your staff’s SIR certificate numbers. The licensee must…** A. Refuse without a warrant B. Mail them within 30 days C. Show only the manager’s D. Produce the record on request Answer: D. The record of certificate numbers and expiry dates must be produced to a liquor inspector or peace officer on request. **What must every licensee display in the service area?** A. At least one social responsibility poster or tent card B. A copy of the Liquor Control and Licensing Act C. Every server’s SIR certificate D. A list of nearby taxi companies Answer: A. Licensees must display at least one social responsibility poster or tent card in a prominent spot in the service area. **On New Year’s Eve, how late may a bar serve liquor if food is available?** A. 2 a.m. B. Until 4 a.m. on January 1, unless local bylaws prohibit it C. 6 a.m. D. Only until its usual closing time Answer: B. On New Year’s Eve you may serve until 4 a.m. on January 1, whatever your usual closing hour, as long as food is available and local bylaws allow it. **For an offence such as serving a minor, what’s the maximum fine for an individual who isn’t a licensee?** A. $1,000 B. $5,000 C. $10,000, and up to 6 months in jail D. $100,000 Answer: C. An individual who isn’t a licensee faces a fine of up to $10,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both. Licensees and corporations face fines of up to $50,000. **If liquor is served to a minor, what’s the minimum penalty for the licensed establishment?** A. A written warning B. A 1-day suspension C. A $500 fine D. A 7-day licence suspension or a $7,000 fine Answer: D. The minimum penalty for serving a minor is a 7-day licence suspension or a $7,000 fine. **Police on a visit find a bar overcrowded. What do they usually record the problem on?** A. A Licensed Premises Check form, with a copy sent to the LCRB B. A parking ticket C. A criminal charge against every server D. Nothing; only liquor inspectors can act Answer: A. Police record violations on a Licensed Premises Check form, leave a copy with the licensee and send one to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, which may follow up. **Who can suspend or cancel a liquor licence or impose a monetary penalty?** A. The local mayor B. The general manager of the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch C. The Serving It Right program D. The building’s landlord Answer: B. The general manager administers the Act and can impose terms and conditions, suspend or cancel a licence, and impose monetary penalties. **Staff notice a patron has brought their own bottle of vodka into the bar. What must happen?** A. Charge a corkage fee B. Keep it behind the bar for them C. Ask the patron to leave right away and record it in the incident log D. Ignore it if the patron is calm Answer: C. If a patron brings unlawful liquor into the establishment, they must be asked to leave immediately, and it goes in the incident log. **Can a caterer drop off the liquor at an event and leave?** A. Yes, if the host is 19 or older B. Yes, for events under 50 people C. Yes, if the host has Serving It Right D. No, catering staff must be there whenever liquor is consumed Answer: D. No liquor drop-off: catering staff must be present at a catered event whenever liquor is being consumed. ## Sources - [Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation, B.C. Reg. 241/2016 (BC Laws)](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/241_2016) (checked 2026-10-26) - [Liquor Control and Licensing Act, SBC 2015, c. 19 (BC Laws)](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/15019) (checked 2026-10-26) - [Liquor Primary Licence Terms and Conditions handbook, May 2026 (LCRB, PDF)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/liquor-regulation-licensing/guides-and-manuals/liquorprimary-handbook.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26) - [Food Primary Licence Terms and Conditions handbook, May 2026 (LCRB, PDF)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/liquor-regulation-licensing/guides-and-manuals/foodprimary-handbook.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26) - [Serving It Right program manual, July 2026 (Province of British Columbia, PDF)](https://www.responsibleservicebc.gov.bc.ca/files/4309-BC_SIR_FINAL-JULY-29-2026-pdf) (checked 2026-10-26) Not affiliated with the Government of British Columbia, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch or the Serving It Right program. ## Related - [Serving It Right practice test](https://servingitrighttest.ca/serving-it-right-practice-test) - [Checking ID and minors: practice quiz](https://servingitrighttest.ca/practice/checking-id) - [Intoxication and over-service: practice quiz](https://servingitrighttest.ca/practice/intoxication) - [Serving It Right for managers and licensees](https://servingitrighttest.ca/for/managers-and-licensees)