Selling or Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor | Germantown, Bartlett & Collierville, TN

Selling to a minor. Under Tennessee’s beer statute, T.C.A. § 57-5-301, a first offense of selling beer to someone under 21 is a Class A misdemeanor — up to 11 months and 29 days and a fine of up to $2,500. A second offense can be charged as a Class E felony. Parallel provisions of the alcoholic beverage laws cover liquor and wine sales. Furnishing or buying for a minor. An adult who purchases alcohol for, or gives it to, a person under 21 faces misdemeanor prosecution as well — and where the facts suggest enabling broader misconduct by someone under 18, prosecutors can reach for contributing-to-delinquency theories that carry their own consequences. The employer’s problem runs on a separate track. A sale to a minor also exposes the business’s beer permit or liquor license to action before the local beer board or the ABC — fines, suspension, or revocation. That civil/administrative proceeding is separate from the employee’s criminal case, and what happens in one can affect the other. If you own the store or restaurant, both tracks need attention at once.

I’m a cashier who got cited in a sting. Will I go to jail?

Jail is unlikely on a first offense with a prepared defense — but a conviction is the real risk, because it is permanent and follows you into background checks. The goal is a dismissal or an outcome that can be expunged, and in the suburban courts that is a realistic target on a clean record.

Can my employer be punished too?

Memphis Criminal Defense The business faces a separate proceeding before the beer board or the ABC that can fine or suspend the permit. That administrative case runs independently of the criminal charge, and the two should be handled with a coordinated strategy.

Can a selling-alcohol-to-a-minor conviction be expunged in Tennessee?

A dismissal or certain non-conviction outcomes can be expunged, and many first-offense convictions of this type are within the categories eligible for expungement after the statutory waiting period — but the far better path is avoiding the conviction in the first place. Eligibility depends on your full record; we evaluate it at the first consultation. Brooks Law Firm, 2299 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104. Office (901) 324-5000 · Criminal direct line (901) 412-2973. This page provides general information about Tennessee law and is not legal advice.