The Bar School

Colorado · Updated Oct 2026

How to become a bartender in Colorado

Colorado doesn't require a state bartender license, but you still need to know how to do the job. Here's your path from zero experience to your first shift, plus the rules and pay to know.

Quick answer

Colorado doesn't issue a bartender license. The bar or restaurant holds state and local liquor licenses, not the bartender. You can serve and bartend at 18 as long as a supervisor 21 or older is on the premises. Learn the job first. Server training such as TIPS is optional, but many employers like it.

Start step 1: learn to bartendBar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time

Your path

5 steps to bartending in Colorado

  1. Learn to bartend

    Take Bar Ready online: tools, pours, spirits, cocktails, service and how to get hired.

  2. Earn your certificates

    Watch every lesson in full to unlock each course's certificate of completion in your dashboard. It shows employers you trained. It isn't a license.

  3. Consider server training

    Colorado doesn't require it, but many employers prefer a course such as TIPS or ServSafe Alcohol. Your city or county may add its own rules.

    See local rules ↓

  4. Go apply

    Put your training and certificates on your resume and apply to bars and restaurants near you.

  5. Start pouring

    Pour, serve and earn tips. In Colorado, tipped staff get at least $12.14/hr, and tips must bring them to $15.16/hr.

Colorado rules

Colorado bartending rules at a glance

Age

You can serve and bartend at 18 in Colorado as long as a supervisor who is 21 or older is on the premises. At taverns and entertainment venues that don't regularly serve meals, you must be 21 to sell alcohol.

C.R.S. §44-3-901(6)(p), 2026 Colorado Liquor Code

Training

Colorado doesn't require all servers and bartenders to take alcohol training. Venues that choose to be designated responsible vendors must have every server and bartender trained by a state-approved trainer within 90 days of hire, with recertification every 2 years. Many other employers ask for training too.

Colorado Liquor Rule 47-605 Colorado LED responsible vendor trainers

Tipped pay

Employers can pay tipped staff $12.14 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.16 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference, and some cities and counties set a higher local minimum. On January 1, 2027, the minimum wage rises to $15.71 an hour and the tipped base pay to $12.69.

Colorado CDLE wage and hour laws U.S. DOL tipped minimum wages

Rules change and can vary by city or county. Last checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division (LED), Department of Revenue and your employer before you apply.

Local rules

Where to check the rules

Every bar needs approval from its local licensing authority (the city, town or county) as well as the state, so local rules can differ. Ask your employer or local liquor licensing office what applies.

C.R.S. §44-3-304, 2026 Colorado Liquor Code

State alcohol agency

Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division (LED), Department of Revenue

The agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in Colorado.

Open the official website

Your employer can also tell you which rules apply where you'll work.

Pay

How much do bartenders make in Colorado?

Median hourly$18.35$38,170 a year
Average hourly$24.64$51,250 a year
Top 10% earn more than$45.62$94,880 a year
Bartenders employed17,000May 2025 estimate
Tipped base pay$12.14/hrTips must bring you to $15.16/hr

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (Colorado, Bartenders 35-3011) and Colorado CDLE wage and hour laws. BLS wages include tips reported by employers. What you earn depends on the venue, your shifts and your location, and isn't guaranteed.

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Jobs

Where to find bartending jobs in Colorado

Open bartender listings near you on Indeed. Barback and server openings are worth a look too: they're a common way behind the bar.

Behind the bar at The Bar School, answering whether the course is a license
Is this a license to bartend?1:33

The question we hear most

Is Bar Ready a Colorado bartending license?

  • No, and Colorado doesn't issue one. The venue holds the alcohol license, not the bartender.
  • Server training such as TIPS is optional, but many employers like it.
  • Each course ends with a certificate of completion. It shows employers you trained, but it isn't a license or a state certification.

Questions people ask

Becoming a bartender in Colorado: your questions, answered

Do you need a license to be a bartender in Colorado?

Colorado doesn't issue a bartender license. The bar or restaurant holds state and local liquor licenses, not the bartender. You can learn the job first, then check whether your employer wants server training.

C.R.S. §44-3-304, 2026 Colorado Liquor Code

How old do you have to be to bartend in Colorado?

You can serve and bartend at 18 in Colorado as long as a supervisor who is 21 or older is on the premises. At taverns and entertainment venues that don't regularly serve meals, you must be 21 to sell alcohol. Employers can set a higher minimum age, so check with the bar.

C.R.S. §44-3-901(6)(p), 2026 Colorado Liquor Code

Do you need TIPS or ServSafe certification to bartend in Colorado?

Colorado doesn't require all servers and bartenders to take alcohol training. Venues that choose to be designated responsible vendors must have every server and bartender trained by a state-approved trainer within 90 days of hire, with recertification every 2 years. Many other employers ask for training too.

Colorado Liquor Rule 47-605 Colorado LED responsible vendor trainers

Do local rules apply in Colorado?

Every bar needs approval from its local licensing authority (the city, town or county) as well as the state, so local rules can differ. Ask your employer or local liquor licensing office what applies.

See local rules ↑ C.R.S. §44-3-304, 2026 Colorado Liquor Code

How much do bartenders make in Colorado?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), Colorado bartenders earned a median of $18.35 an hour and a mean of $24.64 an hour ($51,250 a year), including tips reported by employers. The top 10% earned more than $45.62 an hour. Employers can pay tipped staff $12.14 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.16 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference, and some cities and counties set a higher local minimum. On January 1, 2027, the minimum wage rises to $15.71 an hour and the tipped base pay to $12.69. Pay varies by venue, shifts and location.

BLS Colorado CDLE wage and hour laws

Can I get a bartending job in Colorado with no experience?

Experience is up to each employer. Learning the fundamentals first, and being able to show you finished training, helps you stand out when you apply. That's what step 1 is for.

Where can I find bartending jobs in Colorado?

Search job boards like Indeed for bartender, barback and server openings in your city, check the websites and social pages of bars you'd like to work at, and drop off a resume in person when it's quiet. Barback and server jobs are a common way in. Ski towns such as Vail, Breckenridge and Aspen hire large seasonal crews each fall for the winter season.

Find jobs by city ↑

Do you have to go to bartending school in Colorado?

No. Colorado doesn't require bartending school. An online course lets you learn the tools, pours, cocktails and service at your own pace.

Does The Bar School offer job placement?

No. We don't place students in jobs. Bar Ready shows you what the job involves and how to get hired, with a resume guide and template and what to expect when you apply. Then you apply to bars and restaurants near you.

How long does it take to become a bartender in Colorado?

Bar Ready is self-paced, so you go as fast as your schedule allows. After that, timing depends on your local rules and the jobs near you.

Is the Bar School certificate a Colorado license or TIPS certification?

No. Your Bar School certificates of completion, one for each Bar Ready course, show employers you finished our training. They aren't a government license or permit, and they don't replace TIPS, ServSafe or any state or local requirement.

Ready to start bartending in Colorado?

Step 1 is learning the job. Start Bar Ready online today, at your own pace.

Start step 1: learn to bartend

Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time · Certificates of completion

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