Columbia Server certificate required ordinance (§ 4-102)
Chapter 4: Alcoholic Beverages · Article V. Server Certificate
In short: Anyone working as a server must hold a valid server certificate from the director, and licensed employers can't let servers work without one deposited with them. Servers with multiple licensed employers get duplicates. It's a defense if the server had worked there under 30 days.
Our plain-English summary, not the official text or legal advice. The ordinance below is what counts.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to work as a server without a valid server certificate issued to that person by the director.
(b) It shall be unlawful for any person holding a license under this chapter to permit any person to work as a server unless the server has deposited with the license holder a valid server certificate issued to the server by the director.
(c) Each person holding a server certificate who is employed by a person licensed under this chapter shall deposit the certificate with such employer during the tenure of the holder's employment. The director shall issue duplicate certificates to persons employed by more than one employer licensed under this chapter.
(d) It shall be an affirmative defense to a charge of violating this section that the person working as a server, at the time of the alleged offense, had been employed at the place of business for less than thirty (30) days.
Official source: City of Columbia official Code of Ordinances (online): look up Sec. 4-102
Text from Supplement 139 (September 3, 2026).
Last checked November 1, 2026. The city's official copy controls; this page is a reading copy, not legal advice.