Is it technically illegal to sell alcohol to a 21 year old without I.D.

It is legal as long as you KNOW they are of age. Such as if they had proven it to you before and you have clear memory of it. It will not stop you from being accused, if someone else knows of the sale and doubts their age.

Not in my state, but it could be different elsewhere. But practically it is nearly impossible unless you are a frequent enough regular that the clerks know you. There are too many police stings to not check.

These answers surprise me. Does this mean you are required to card everyone?

I mean, it’s legal to drink alcohol if you are 21. So what difference does it make whether you are carded or not? It doesn’t seem to make any difference. You’re still 21. The problem comes when you serve people under the age of 21 (at least in the US).

Not checking might draw unwanted attention to the store from cops as well as younger people hoping to slide. And the clerk could be out of a job if the owner is hassled. 21 years of age can be hard to gauge acurately. It has been a really long time since anyone bothered to card me, really long time

Welcome to Fluther.

The requirement to request ID from all buyers is a policy adopted by some sellers so that customers in their 20s won’t feel insulted that they “appear to be” underage. “It’s store policy, sire. We card everyone.”

The stores adopt those policies because the penalties for honest mistake can be pretty draconian.

@wundayatta – I was carded in Manahattan a couple years ago when I was about 43. I laughed at him. He said that they have to check anyone who looks like they could be 26 or younger. I laughed some more, and told him that I was older than he was. He said, “no way, I was born in 1972.” I showed him my license and he was surprised.

I have also had people in NJ say that they have the same basic guideline to check the ID of anyone who looks like they are in their 20s. Others check regardless just to be sure.

Anyone who appears to look under the age of 40 here in Illinois will be carded, unless the cashier recognizes you. I was declined a purchase of alcohol at a local Walmart because I couldn’t find my id. I was 40 when this happened. I was really upset about that because my home is 17 miles from the store.

There is no law that I can find, only store policy that requires you to show an id for alcohol purchase. Liquor licenses are expensive, as well as the fines for selling to underage customers.

I guess you mean under 21. 21 is of age, so no problem. If you don’t card you are taking a chance. If you know for a fact they are of age, do you still have to ask for ID? I don’t think so.

I’ve been carded ( I was 45 plus ) they said they had to “CARD EVERYONE FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES ”.
Later found out they had sold to minors several different times in the last year and were caught, they lost their liquor license for a couple of months for those infractions.

From what I’ve heard, if you ask for ID and they can’t produce, it’s not legal to sell them alcohol.

Once again, it depends on the state. California doesn’t require checking, just holds you responsible for selling to someone underage.

In PA, at least, if the liquor control board enters our bar and a person, any person, does not have their ID, we got trouble. You can be 70, but you better have it. And yes, we see stings frequently. So here, yes.

Yes.