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Smart Serve overview

Smart serve study guide: key rules on all 13 topics

Free Smart Serve study guide: 208 key points from the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 and AGCO guidance in plain words, organised by topic, each topic linked to its practice questions.

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  • 13 topics
  • 208 key points
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This study guide collects our notes on every topic of the Smart Serve Ontario Certification Test on one page: 208 short points in our own words, grouped by topic and by handbook section. Read it from top to bottom before your first practice test, or jump to a topic from the list below.

Each topic ends with a link to its practice questions, so you can check what you just read straight away, and a link to the official chapter for the full wording. The notes summarise the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 and AGCO guidance from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO); they do not replace it, and where our notes and the official source differ, the official source wins.

Study these notes as flashcards →

Training and certification

Who must hold an AGCO Board-approved certificate (servers, bartenders, order-takers, delivery staff, managers, security), the three types of approved programs, five-year renewal and proof of certification.

Practise Training and certification questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Responsible liquor sale, service and delivery training (agco.ca, retrieved 2026-10-16)

  • Anyone involved in selling, serving, sampling or delivering liquor, or taking liquor orders, must hold a valid certificate from an AGCO Board-approved course.
  • Three types of Board-approved programs: liquor retail programs (retail stores only: grocery, convenience, offsite winery retail), licence-to-deliver programs (delivery licensees and their staff/contractors), and the Smart Serve program (all licensees: bars, restaurants, retail, delivery).
  • A worker holding only a retail certificate may not sell, serve, deliver or take orders outside a retail store setting.
  • Smart Serve remains the only Board-approved program for the broader sector, including liquor sales licensees.
  • A valid Smart Serve certificate lets the holder sell in retail and deliver until it expires; after that, recertify or get another approved certificate that fits the role.
  • All liquor training certificates must be renewed every 5 years.
  • Licensees are advised to keep copies of certificates; AGCO inspectors may ask for proof at any time.
  • Listed Smart Serve Full Course fee: $44.95 (no HST); online and in person; English, French, Chinese, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish. Retail course $24.95.

Completion of training

  • Licensees must ensure valid certificates are held by: everyone involved in sale, service, sampling, delivery or order-taking; security staff the licensee employs (for a stadium, uses); golf-course motorized vending cart staff and course marshals; every large quadricycle chauffeur (amended July 2026).

AGCO information sheets (recognizing intoxication; karaoke tip sheet)

  • Requirement covers managers, security staff employed by the licensee and employees handling liquor; certificate must be non-expired.
  • Staff must hold the certificate before they start working.
  • Best practice: contracted third-party security also certified before their shift.
  • To check a certificate's status, contact the issuing organization.

Vending machines (added September 2026)

  • A certified employee must be physically present, control patron access and oversee the machine continuously while it sells liquor.

O. Reg. 745/21 s. 23

  • The AGCO Board may approve training courses on responsible sale, service, delivery and consumption of liquor.

Checking ID

What counts as valid identification, acceptable ID examples, Ontario driver's licence features, spotting fake ID, when ID must be inspected and how to refuse politely.

Practise Checking ID questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

O. Reg. 746/21 s. 9

  • "Item of identification": shows the person's photo and date of birth and reasonably appears issued by a government or the LCBO.
  • ID of a person who appears under 19 must be inspected before: sale/service, delivery, admission (if licence bars under-19s), pickup of online grocery/convenience/wine boutique orders, ferment-on-premises use.

LLCA ss. 33 (5), 35

  • Good-faith reliance on prescribed ID with no apparent reason to doubt it is a defence to the "appears under 19" offences.
  • Offence to present as proof of age any document not lawfully issued to you.

Tips for identifying minors

  • Valid ID: government-issued, current (expired not valid), photo, date of birth. Copies and photos of ID not acceptable.
  • Examples: Ontario driver's licence with photo; Photo Card (Photo Card Act); Canadian permanent resident card; Secure Indian status card; Canadian passport; LCBO BYID card; Canadian Armed Forces ID; Canadian citizenship card with photo.
  • Suspect fake: ask birthday, spelling of middle name, postal code; ask for a second ID.
  • Saying no: decline, state the law prohibits sale to minors, be courteous, point to signage, get a supervisor if needed.
  • Abusive customer: stay calm, stand your ground, refer to supervisor, note descriptive details. "No ID = No sale".

Tips for checking ID

  • Citizenship card with photo valid only if issued before February 1, 2012.
  • Passports issued after July 1, 2013: hard cover, valid 5 or 10 years.
  • Ontario licence number starts with first letter of last name; 9th and 10th digits = last two digits of birth year; last two digits = day of birth.
  • Security features: UV ink Ontario logo (front) and trillium (back); raised licence number and birth date; secondary photo and signature bottom right; barcode.
  • Cards issued to ages 16–18 carry an "AGE 19" banner with the date the holder turns 19, near the date of birth.
  • Fake ID tips: hold the ID yourself, check photo, birth date and expiry, never accept ID without a photo, feel for extra thickness at photo/lamination edge, check letters and numbers for consistent weight and colour.

Legal drinking age and photo ID; karaoke tip sheet

  • Be consistent: check anyone who appears underage every time; no assumptions from appearance, familiarity or frequency of visits.
  • Only original ID; no digital ID is currently accepted as valid ID in Ontario.

Alcohol and the body

Standard drinks in Canada, how the body absorbs and removes alcohol, factors that speed intoxication, alcohol poisoning signs and Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health.

Practise Alcohol and the body questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Alcohol (Do You Know... pamphlet text)

  • Alcohol (ethanol) is a depressant: slows brain areas for thinking and behaviour, plus breathing and heart rate.
  • Beer and wine: 4–15% alcohol; spirits typically over 25%.
  • Canadian standard drink = 17.05 mL / 13.45 g pure alcohol = 341 mL (12 oz) 5% beer or cider; 142 mL (5 oz) 12% wine; 43 mL (1.5 oz) 40% spirits. Some beers are 6–7% (stronger than standard); light beer about 4%.
  • Factors: amount and frequency, sensitivity, weight, age, sex, recent food, environment, mood, health, other drugs; drinking fast speeds intoxication.
  • Females generally more sensitive; all adults become more sensitive with age.
  • Liver removes most alcohol, about one drink per hour; the rest stays in the bloodstream.
  • Early signs: flushed skin, poor judgment, reduced inhibition; then trouble focusing, slower reflexes, difficulty walking, slurred speech, blurred/double vision; severe: blackout, unable to stand, vomiting, coma, death.
  • Heavy evening drinking: may still be intoxicated next morning.
  • Hangover begins 8–12 hours after last drink, may last 24 hours or more.
  • Passed out: lay on side, watch closely. Poisoning signs: clammy skin, low body temperature, slow/difficult breathing, loss of bladder control — get emergency help.
  • Mixing with other drugs can make their effects weaker or too strong.
  • Laws: illegal to sell to someone who appears intoxicated; sellers and hosts can be held responsible for harm.

Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CCSA, funded by Health Canada; replaces 2011 guidelines)

  • 0 drinks/week: benefits; 2 or fewer: likely avoid consequences; 3–6: higher risk of several cancers; 7+: risk of heart disease or stroke rises significantly.
  • More than 2 standard drinks per occasion: more harm to self and others, including injuries and violence.
  • Pregnant or trying: no known safe amount.

Recognizing intoxication (preventing intoxication: offering food)

  • Food delays absorption of alcohol into the blood and slows drinking.
  • After-work customers likely on an empty stomach: higher risk.

Recognizing intoxication

The AGCO signs of intoxication from alcohol, cannabis or other drugs: speech, motor control, alertness, eyes, breathing, tiredness, plus drink tampering and smoke-free rules.

Practise Recognizing intoxication questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Information sheet: recognizing intoxication

  • Covers intoxication from alcohol, cannabis, other substances, or a combination.
  • Signs may appear in any sequence or clustered; monitor carefully.
  • Inappropriate speech volume: shouting or whispering without reason; sudden volume changes.
  • Fine motor control: fumbling papers or phones, trouble picking up change; poorer hand-eye coordination, misjudged distances, depth perception problems.
  • Pace of speech: alternating racing and slow speech, or consistently slow/fast.
  • Alertness: slow responses, can't follow what you say, needs simple questions repeated.
  • Inappropriate sweating for the temperature and conditions.
  • Red eyes: bloodshot to any degree; cannabis may also cause eyelid tremors and dilated pupils.
  • Gross motor control: trouble standing or walking straight, weaving, stumbling, bumping into people/furniture, hands out for balance.
  • Poor enunciation: repeated stumbling over one word or slurring several words.
  • Breathing noticeably slower or shallower; weak breath.
  • Tiredness: alcohol and cannabis are depressants; heavy or closed eyes, fixed gaze.
  • Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017: no smoking tobacco or cannabis or vaping in enclosed public places/workplaces and designated places, including AGCO-licensed establishments.
  • Initial (single) sign: may not mean intoxication; keep monitoring.

Karaoke tip sheet (controlled substances)

  • No smoking or vaping cannabis on restaurant and bar patios or in public areas within 9 metres of a patio.

Keep drugs out of your establishment

  • Patrons who arrive sober but quickly look intoxicated out of line with their drinking: possible drug mixing or tainted drink.
  • Suspected or observed drink tampering: notify police immediately.

Preventing intoxication

Monitoring patrons by stage, offering food and non-alcoholic drinks, checking at the door, drinking games, bottle service, last call and pricing of non-alcoholic options.

Practise Preventing intoxication questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Recognizing intoxication: strategies

  • Initial sign: monitor; make food, water, low- or non-alcoholic drinks available.
  • Few signs: keep monitoring carefully; offer or serve food, water, low- or non-alcoholic drinks to slow drinking.
  • Multiple signs: stop serving alcohol under any circumstances; use management-of-intoxication techniques (safe way home; call police if necessary).

Recognizing intoxication: preventing intoxication

  • Offer and advertise low/non-alcoholic drinks (menus, tent cards), price them competitively, create mocktails.
  • Offer food: free or low-priced appetizers for after-work customers; "hungry hour" two-for-one snacks; train servers to sell food.
  • Interview and assess before the first order: eaten? drinking or using cannabis elsewhere?
  • Train door staff to recognize intoxication; refuse entry to anyone who appears intoxicated.
  • Develop, post and enforce a house policy on intoxication.
  • The licence holder decides whether to serve and must monitor patrons.

Information sheet: house policies

  • Price non-alcoholic drinks lower than alcoholic drinks; promote them; serve them in clearly different containers.
  • Suggest water or food to patrons becoming intoxicated.
  • Limit the number of drinks sold to one person at one time; discourage drinking games.
  • Bottle service: pour spouts, staff or security nearby, prevent drinking from the bottle, remove the bottle if patrons don't comply.

Karaoke tip sheet

  • Discourage drinking games (dice, cards); consider not announcing last call to avoid over-ordering near closing.

Registrar's Interim Standard 5.9

  • A variety of non-alcoholic beverages must be available at moderate prices relative to liquor.

Refusing service and removing patrons

The ban on serving anyone who is or appears intoxicated, refusing entry or service, removing people with no more force than necessary, police orders to vacate and public intoxication.

Practise Refusing service and removing patrons questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Intoxication

  • No one may be intoxicated in a place the public is invited or permitted, or in common areas of multi-unit residences.
  • Police or conservation officer may arrest without warrant if necessary for anyone's safety.

LLCA s. 32

  • No selling or supplying, or permitting it, to anyone who is or appears to be intoxicated.

Removing persons

  • Licensee/permit holder must not let a person remain if reasonably believed to be there unlawfully, for an unlawful purpose or breaking the law.
  • They or an employee may require the person to leave immediately and remove them using no more force than necessary.
  • s. 45: licensee or employee may require an undesirable person to leave or forbid entry.
  • A person required to leave may not remain or re-enter that day.
  • s. 46: police may order everyone out for a disturbance threatening public safety; licensee must take all reasonable steps to vacate; no re-entry that day unless a police officer authorizes it.
  • s. 47: police may order premises vacated if the Act is being contravened (residents excepted).

LLCA s. 48

  • Police may take a person intoxicated in public to a hospital instead of starting a prosecution.

O. Reg. 746/21 ss. 10, 39 (3), 43 (1)

  • Delivery only to someone not appearing intoxicated.
  • Patron who is or appears intoxicated may not remove (take home) wine.
  • Licensee must not permit intoxication, unlawful gambling or disorderly conduct on the premises or adjacent areas under its exclusive control.

house policies; legal drinking age page

  • Post a sign that management may deny entry to intoxicated or underage people; deny entry to intoxicated people.
  • Staff should know management backs them when they deny service.
  • Upset customer: stay calm, professional and courteous; get a supervisor or manager.

Liability and penalties

Civil liability under section 52 of the LLCA, fines and jail for offences, AGCO monetary penalties and the wider legal risk of over-serving.

Practise Liability and penalties questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Civil liability

  • Applies where a person, or their agent or employee, sells liquor to someone whose condition is such that drinking would apparently intoxicate them or increase their intoxication so they are in danger of injuring themselves or others or damaging others' property.
  • If that person dies by accident or suicide while so intoxicated: action under Part V of the Family Law Act lies against the seller.
  • If that person injures someone or damages property while so intoxicated: the injured party may recover compensation from the seller.

Liability: there's more to lose than your licence

  • Illegal to serve to intoxication, permit practices encouraging immoderate consumption, or serve someone who appears intoxicated.
  • Consequences: monetary penalty orders, fines, imprisonment, licence suspension or revocation; plus civil liability for harm.
  • Well-trained staff are the best way to avoid trouble; staff must take Board-approved training and renew it.

Offences and penalties

  • Offence to contravene the Act or regulations; directors/officers who caused, authorized, permitted or participated in a corporate offence are guilty too.
  • General penalties: corporation up to $250,000; individual up to $100,000 and/or up to 1 year jail.
  • No jail for public intoxication (s. 31 (1)) or unlawful place of consumption (s. 41 (1)).

Schedule of monetary penalties (effective December 5, 2025)

  • s. 32 sale to intoxicated person: up to $50,000.
  • s. 33 (1) sale to person under 19 / appearing under 19: up to $100,000.
  • s. 36 Sandy's Law sign: up to $2,000.
  • O. Reg. 746/21 s. 24 immoderate consumption: up to $6,000; s. 37 clean-up: up to $6,000; s. 43 (1): up to $15,000.

Karaoke tip sheet (licence conditions)

  • Risk-based licensing: conditions may be imposed based on incidents or non-compliance, or proactively.

Alcohol (laws)

  • Anyone who sells or gives alcohol, including hosts at home, can be held responsible for harm by an intoxicated person.

Hours of sale and service

Service hours of 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., New Year's Eve, the 45-minute clean-up, clock changes, airports, retail, delivery, takeout and permit hours.

Practise Hours of sale and service questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Hours of sale and service

  • 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next day (any day except December 31).
  • December 31: 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. January 1.
  • Events of significance: hours specified by the Registrar.
  • Mini bars are not covered by s. 31.
  • Sterile areas of designated airports (Airport of Entry, AOE/15): any time.

Required clean-up

  • Evidence of liquor served and consumed removed within 45 minutes after the end of permitted hours (2:45 a.m.; 3:45 a.m. on New Year's).

Hours for liquor sale, service and delivery

  • All orders served before 2 a.m. (3 a.m. New Year's Eve); clearing includes glasses and bottles.
  • Licence conditions may further limit hours; permits: only hours on the permit, with the 45-minute clear-up.
  • Spring change: clocks go from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.; sales stop at that moment; 45 minutes to clear.
  • Autumn change: clocks go back to 1 a.m.; may sell until 2 a.m. new time; then 45 minutes.
  • Manufacturer's by-the-glass and caterer's endorsements: 9 a.m. to midnight.
  • Retail stores: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (includes pickup); 24-hour stores only within those hours.
  • Delivery: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

O. Reg. 746/21 ss. 10, 40

  • Delivery only between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m.
  • Takeout liquor with food removed by the patron between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Karaoke tip sheet

  • The 2 a.m. end of service applies to everyone, including staff.

Pricing and promotions

Immoderate consumption, minimum drink prices and standard serving sizes, banned drink deals, uniform pricing, complimentary drinks, contests, substitution and posted drink lists.

Practise Pricing and promotions questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

O. Reg. 746/21 ss. 24–26, 38

  • s. 24: no practices that may tend to encourage immoderate consumption.
  • s. 25: no adulterating liquor; modifying flavour (e.g. infusions) allowed if the patron is informed at sale/service.
  • s. 26: minimum price incl. taxes: spirits over 14.8% ABV $1.34; everything else $2.00, per standard serving; adjusts in direct proportion to volume.
  • Standard servings: 341 mL (12 oz) beer, cider or cooler; 29 mL (1 oz) spirits; 142 mL (5 oz) wine; 85 mL (3 oz) fortified wine.
  • s. 38: store and dispense liquor only from the container it was bought in (exceptions: single-container automatic dispensers; modified liquor under s. 25 (2)).

Pricing and promotion of liquor (Appendix 2 guidelines)

  • Price flexibility above the minimum allowed, including with food or for a set time; temporary changes must be posted or provided to all patrons.
  • Same prices for all patrons; no promotions targeting groups (students, women). Different prices in separate areas (e.g. patio) allowed.
  • No prices contingent on buying other drinks or at intervals: "2 for 1", "2nd drink half off", "every 3rd drink $2" banned.
  • Prices may be advertised outside and online, responsibly.
  • Complimentary drinks at the listed price for regulars, special events, friendship or poor service; not as a promotion, at regular intervals or indiscriminately.
  • Over-service, contests and challenges encouraging drinking are not permitted.

Registrar's Interim Standards 5.1–5.13

  • 5.1: post or provide lists of liquor varieties, amount of liquor per drink, non-alcoholic varieties, prices.
  • 5.3: no minimum drink purchase to enter or remain.
  • 5.4: no advertising or giving complimentary liquor except for customer relations consistent with not encouraging immoderate drinking.
  • 5.6: no contests involving purchase or consumption of liquor; no free liquor as a contest prize (except as Reg. 746/21 permits).
  • 5.12: no alcohol-without-liquid vaporizers.
  • 5.13: no substituting one liquor for another without the patron's consent.

Running licensed premises

Capacity, posting the licence, the Sandy's Law sign, buying liquor from the LCBO, illegal liquor, bring-your-own-wine, takeout and delivery with food, police access, drugs, noise and inspections.

Practise Running licensed premises questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Registrar's Interim Standards 1, 6

  • Post licence and endorsements in a conspicuous place.
  • During a suspension, post the Registrar's sign visible from outside for the whole suspension.
  • Capacity includes employees; may not exceed licence capacity. Building Code Act capacity, else Fire Protection and Prevention Act, else 1.11 m² per person.
  • Premises must be readily distinguishable from adjacent unlicensed premises; liquor not on sale stored securely.

house policies; karaoke tip sheet

  • Count staff in capacity; separate licensed areas' capacities cannot be combined.

LLCA s. 36; O. Reg. 745/21 s. 24; AGCO Sandy's Law page

  • Prescribed warning sign about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: "WARNING: Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects and brain damage to your baby".
  • At least 8 x 10 inches; English (French may be added); displayed prominently, visible to patrons, where liquor is sold and served (retail: where purchased).

O. Reg. 746/21 ss. 23, 35, 39–46

  • Liquor sold and served only under supervision of an employee authorized by the licensee.
  • Liquor must be bought from the LCBO or properly transferred between the licensee's premises (Beer Store / brewery purchases made before April 1, 2026 still allowed).
  • No one may possess other liquor at the premises, including kitchens and storage. Exceptions: patrons' sealed retail purchases for use elsewhere; bring-your-own-wine endorsement (sealed, commercially made wine, served to the patrons who brought it); manufacturer samples for staff; lottery prizes; auctions.
  • Opened, unfinished commercially made wine may be securely resealed and taken home (not by an intoxicated patron).
  • Takeout: securely closed, bought with food, removed with the food by the same patron, 9 a.m.–11 p.m.
  • s. 42: licensee or appointed manager maintains control over premises.
  • s. 43: no intoxication, unlawful gambling, disorderly conduct, or controlled substances; police on duty get access including washrooms, food prep and storage.
  • s. 44: reasonable measures to deter disorderly conduct nearby; s. 45: outdoor noise must not disturb residents; s. 46: comply with zoning, Building Code, Fire Code, Health Protection and Promotion Act.

Information sheet: illegal liquor

  • Illegal liquor examples: smuggled products, homemade liquor, watered-down liquor, liquor not bought from the LCBO, personal imported bottles sold or served.

Four steps for an AGCO inspection

  • Inspections may happen at any reasonable time; do not block, interfere with or obstruct.

House policies and incident logs

Written house policies, incident logs, staff drinking, emergency numbers, safe transportation plans, handling fights, signs of drug activity and preparing for an AGCO inspection.

Practise House policies and incident logs questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Information sheet: house policies

  • Put house policies in writing; communicate them; management supports them; staff backed up when refusing minors or intoxicated patrons.
  • House policies are not the law and do not override the LLCA, regulations or Interim Standards.
  • Door: valid government photo ID; adequate lighting; deny entry to intoxicated people; sign reserving right to refuse; count capacity including staff; let AGCO inspectors in; check outside periodically.
  • Staff: valid certificates; regular meetings; give staff the policies; keep an incident log and review it with staff; no drinking on the job for staff or managers; post emergency numbers; know emergency procedures.
  • Safe transportation plan: identify options, arrange with transport companies, keep taxi contacts handy, advertise it.
  • Advertise policy with tent cards and posters, website or social media; post a mission statement.
  • Staff hours reminder: sale 9 a.m.–2 a.m.; clear by 2:45 a.m.
  • Disorderly behaviour policy: illegal gambling, fighting, illegal drug use.

Karaoke tip sheet (disorderly conduct)

  • Disorderly behaviour includes fighting, unruly behaviour, permitting intoxication, unlawful gambling, controlled substances.
  • Intervene early if safe or call 911; separate groups; don't let both leave at the same time; call police if control is lost.
  • Doors with windows, good lighting, video surveillance of hallways, lounges and exterior (not washrooms), enough staff, staff easy to identify.

Keep drugs out of your establishment

  • Steps: educate staff, visible tables, good lighting, licensed security, monitor washrooms and exits, refuse entry/service to suspects, cameras, zero-tolerance policy, regular washroom patrols, call police.
  • Watch for: frequent trips in and out with different people; constant washroom visits; passing matchboxes, folded money or napkins.

Four steps for a quick and easy AGCO inspection

  • Keep licence, staff training certificates, purchase/inventory records handy.
  • Let the inspector show their badge; answer truthfully; provide records; allow walk-through, photos, samples or seizure; do not obstruct; no harassment by staff or patrons.

Impaired driving and carrying liquor

Ontario's 0.08 and warn-range limits, zero tolerance for young and novice drivers, roadside penalties, carrying liquor in a vehicle or boat and where liquor may be consumed.

Practise Impaired driving and carrying liquor questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Impaired driving (retrieved 2026-10-16)

  • Impaired driving covers alcohol, cannabis, other drugs and combinations; laws also cover boats, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.
  • Charges possible at BAC 0.08 or more, or in the warn range 0.05–0.079.
  • Zero tolerance (no alcohol): age 21 or under; G1, G2, M1, M2; vehicles needing A–F licence or CVOR; road-building machines.
  • Warn range: 1st — 7-day suspension, 8-hour course, $250; 2nd — 14-day, 16-hour treatment, $350; 3rd — 30-day, 16-hour treatment, 6-month interlock, $450.
  • 0.08+ or refusal: immediate 90-day suspension, 7-day impoundment, $550; 8-hour course first time.
  • Criminal conviction: first — at least 1-year suspension, program, interlock at least 1 year; second within 10 years — at least 3 years.
  • Avoid impaired driving: designated driver, transit, ride from friend or family, taxi or ride share, stay overnight.

LLCA ss. 40–43

  • s. 40: municipalities may ban liquor in recreational areas they own or control by by-law.
  • s. 41: have or consume liquor only in a residence, licensed/permitted premises, prescribed private place, municipally designated public place, or designated provincial park areas (closed containers excepted).
  • s. 42: no liquor in a motor vehicle or snow vehicle being driven or under care or control unless unopened with seal unbroken, or packed in closed baggage not readily available; police may search without warrant.
  • s. 43: boats underway: unopened sealed, or stored in a closed compartment.

Large quadricycles

  • Before departure, the licensee informs every passenger in writing of the dangers of operating a vehicle while impaired.

Written in our own words from: Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 and AGCO guidance

FAQ

Smart Serve study guide: common questions

What is the best way to use this Smart Serve study guide?

Read one topic, then answer that topic's practice questions while the rules are fresh. Note the questions you miss, re-read those notes, and finish with a full practice test across all 13 topics.

Is this the official Smart Serve handbook?

No. It is our own summary of the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 and AGCO guidance. Use it to review, and use the official handbook when you need the exact wording of a rule.

Can I print the study guide?

Yes, with your browser's print command. For practice questions on paper with an answer key, use our printable questions and answers page instead.

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