Updated November 8, 2026. This article was first written in mid-January 2025, shortly after ABC launched its online entertainment zone notification tool. It reflects the law and ABC guidance as of that time. The “Current context” section near the end notes what to recheck today. It is general information, not legal advice.
From one city to the whole state
For years, walking down a California street with an open drink was something you saw at a few special events, not on an ordinary Friday night. That began to change when state law allowed San Francisco to create entertainment zones. Starting January 1, 2025, Senate Bill 969 opened the door statewide: any city or county may now adopt an ordinance creating an open-container entertainment zone.
On January 9, 2025, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) launched its Entertainment Zone Participation Notification tool. Eligible licensees must use it to file a notice of intent before letting patrons leave with open containers. This guide focuses on that operational step and what venues should prepare before their city’s first zone night. For background on San Francisco’s earlier law, see our SB 76 entertainment zones article.
What an entertainment zone is
ABC’s entertainment zone participation page describes an entertainment zone as a defined public area, such as a roadway or sidewalk, within a local jurisdiction that allows open consumption of specified alcoholic beverages during specified days and hours. Zones are established by city, county, or city and county ordinance, not by ABC.
During a zone’s approved days and hours, eligible licensees may allow patrons to leave the premises with open containers. ABC says patrons must exit directly into the entertainment zone, and only the alcoholic beverages specified by the ordinance may be permitted.
Who can participate
According to ABC, on-sale licensees, beer manufacturers, and winegrowers whose premises are within the defined boundaries of an established zone are eligible, unless statutory restrictions or operating conditions say otherwise. That last phrase matters. A license with a condition prohibiting sales for off-premises consumption or limiting hours may restrict participation. Check your license conditions before filing.
ABC’s January 9 announcement explains that the tool checks whether the license type entered is eligible. It does not determine whether the premises are inside an active zone. That responsibility belongs to the licensee, working from the city’s ordinance and maps.
Filing the notice of intent
ABC’s announcement sets out the key mechanics:
- The notice must be filed before participating.
- The licensee must be located within a locally approved entertainment zone.
- Licensees can begin exercising the privileges immediately after submitting the notice.
- The notification must be renewed annually.
ABC encourages licensees to review its Requirements and Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions before submitting. A practical approach is to print or save a copy of the submission confirmation and keep it with your license documents, along with a copy of the local ordinance and zone map.
Assign one person, often the general manager or owner, to file the notice and to track its renewal date. A calendar reminder a month before the anniversary of filing prevents a lapse. If ownership or management changes, make sure the new team knows the notice exists and when it expires, because participating after a notice lapses is a risk no venue needs.
What the city must do
Under Business and Professions Code section 25690, as amended by SB 969, a city or county that establishes a zone must set up a process by which people possessing alcoholic beverages in the zone can be readily identified as 21 or older. It must also provide ABC with a copy of the ordinance, information identifying the zone’s boundaries, its days and hours, the types of alcoholic beverages permitted, and the approved nonglass and nonmetal containers.
That list tells venues what to look for in their own city’s rules: the hours, the permitted drinks, the approved containers, and the age identification method, such as wristbands.
Operational questions to answer before zone night
Containers
Section 25690 refers to approved nonglass and nonmetal containers. Venues will need a supply of approved cups and a way to transfer drinks served in glassware before guests step outside. Bartenders should know which drinks may leave and which may not.
Age identification
The city’s identification process, such as wristbands, does not replace your own ID check at the bar. Staff still need to check identification before serving, as required by section 25658. If the city’s method relies on venues to apply wristbands, train door staff on who receives one and when.
Hours and boundaries
The privilege exists only during the zone’s approved days and hours. Post the hours behind the bar and at the door. If your venue is near a boundary, make sure staff know where the zone ends so they can tell guests.
Permitted beverages
The ordinance specifies which beverages are allowed. If a city permits only beer and wine in the zone, a cocktail may not leave even in an approved cup.
Intoxication
Open containers add a new challenge: a guest who leaves with a drink is harder to observe. Under section 25602, it remains unlawful to sell to an obviously intoxicated person. Bartenders should watch for guests ordering “one for the road” and refuse service to anyone showing obvious signs of intoxication.
Staffing a zone night
Zone nights tend to bring crowds that move between venues. A venue may want:
- A door host who checks IDs, explains container rules, and watches guests leaving with drinks.
- A bartender assigned to pour into approved cups for guests heading outside.
- A manager who walks the frontage periodically to see how guests are behaving near the venue.
- A plan for collecting glassware that wanders outside despite the rules.
Make sure every server and bartender is RBS certified. ABC’s RBS FAQ explains that on-premises alcohol servers and managers must be certified, with a 60-day window from the first date of employment for new hires.
Working with neighbors and other venues
An entertainment zone is a shared space. Neighboring venues may have different policies, music levels, and crowds. It helps to coordinate with nearby businesses on trash, restroom access, and how to handle guests who are clearly intoxicated or causing trouble. Many cities create zones with business improvement districts or merchant associations, and those groups may set expectations for participating venues beyond the ordinance itself.
Keep a log of zone nights: attendance estimates, refusals, incidents, and complaints. Notes like these help when renewing the annual notice and if the city reviews the zone.
Is participation right for your venue?
Participation is optional. Consider:
- Whether your license conditions allow it.
- Whether your clientele and staffing fit an open-container environment.
- The cost of approved containers and extra staff.
- Whether participation might bring complaints that affect your relationship with neighbors or police.
Some venues may choose to participate only on specific nights or not at all. That is a legitimate business decision.
A scenario on a downtown block
A city adopts an ordinance creating a zone on a downtown street on Saturday evenings, permitting beer and wine in approved plastic cups, with wristbands issued at designated checkpoints. A wine bar on the block reviews its license conditions, files its notice of intent through ABC’s tool, and saves the confirmation. Before the first Saturday, the manager orders approved cups, briefs staff on the hours and the beer-and-wine-only rule, and assigns a door host to stop guests from leaving with cocktails or glassware. Bartenders keep checking IDs at the bar even for wristbanded guests.
A preshift briefing for zone nights
A short briefing before each zone night keeps staff consistent. Cover:
- The hours. When the zone opens and closes tonight, and what happens to drinks in hand at closing time.
- The drinks. Which beverages may leave and which must stay inside.
- The cups. Where approved containers are stocked and who transfers drinks.
- The ID plan. Who checks IDs, how wristbands work, and the rule that a wristband never replaces a bar ID check.
- Refusals. Who makes the call on cutting off a guest and how to communicate it calmly.
- Help. How to reach the manager, venue security, and, when necessary, police.
Repeat the briefing every zone night for the first few weeks. New routines take time to stick, and turnover means someone on the schedule may be hearing the rules for the first time.
Telling guests the rules
Most guests will not know the details of a new zone. Simple, friendly communication helps. Staff can say, “You are welcome to take that outside in this cup until ten o’clock, but cocktails stay inside.” Table cards, menu notes, or a sign by the door can repeat the basics without legal language. If your city publishes a map of the zone, a printed copy at the host stand helps staff answer questions about where guests may walk with a drink.
Keep the tone welcoming. The goal is to help guests enjoy the zone without creating problems for the venue or neighbors.
Incidents outside the door
When guests carry drinks outside, conflicts can spill onto the sidewalk. Venues covered by California’s workplace violence prevention law should consider whether zone nights create new hazards for staff, such as door hosts dealing with crowds or employees collecting glassware outside. Our workplace violence prevention guide explains how to evaluate and respond to new hazards. Staff should never be expected to physically confront guests in the street. The safer approach is to step back, alert the manager, and call for help when needed.
Frequently asked questions
Does filing the notice mean my venue is in a zone?
No. ABC’s tool checks license type eligibility, not location. Confirm the boundaries with your city.
How long is the notice good for?
ABC says the notification must be renewed annually.
Do I still need to check IDs?
Yes. Selling to minors remains prohibited under section 25658.
Current context as of November 8, 2026
Local rules can change after a zone is created. Before your next zone night, recheck ABC’s entertainment zone participation page, confirm your annual notice is current, and review your city’s ordinance for any changes to hours, boundaries, beverages, or containers.
The bottom line
Entertainment zones can bring energy and foot traffic, but participation starts with paperwork and continues with careful service. File the notice, know your city’s rules, and keep checking IDs and watching for intoxication at the bar.
Keep Zone Nights Safe
Open containers still need careful service. ServeTrain’s ABC-approved online RBS course helps California servers and managers check IDs and spot intoxication. Before enrolling, register or log in to your RBS Portal account with ABC and confirm your chosen course appears in the portal’s training provider search.
Sources
- ABC: Entertainment Zone Participation Notification Tool (Jan. 9, 2025)
- ABC: Entertainment Zone Participation
- California BPC 25690
- California BPC 25658
- California BPC 25602
- ABC: RBS Frequently Asked Questions
This article is general information, not legal advice.
