Delaware · Updated Oct 2026
Mandatory server training card required by the state to bartend here
Delaware bartenders need a server training card, but that won't teach you the job. Here's your path from zero experience to your first shift, plus the rules and pay to know.
Quick answer
Delaware doesn't issue a bartender license, and the venue holds the liquor license, not the bartender. You do need a server training card from a state-approved course, and you must carry it while you serve. You must be 18 to serve or bartend, and until you're 21 you mix drinks only with a supervisor 21 or older behind the bar. Learn the job first, then get your server training card.
Your path
Take Bar Ready online: tools, pours, spirits, cocktails, service and how to get hired.
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.
Complete state-approved Responsible Server Training by your 30th day on the job if you work 10 or more hours a week. Renew it every 2 years.
See local rules ↓Put your training and certificates on your resume and apply to bars and restaurants near you.
Pour, serve and earn tips. In Delaware, tipped staff get at least $2.23/hr, and tips must bring them to $15/hr.
Delaware rules
You must be 18 or older to serve, sell or mix drinks. If you're 18 to 20, you can mix drinks only when someone 21 or older works behind the bar with you and directly supervises you.
4 Del. C. § 904 85 Del. Laws c. 284 (HB 195, approved June 10, 2026)
Delaware doesn't issue a bartender license, and the venue holds the liquor license, not the bartender. You do need a server training card from a state-approved course, and you must carry it while you serve.
4 Del. C. ch. 12 (server training) OABCC Rule 803 Delaware DATE: Responsible Server Training
Anyone who sells, mixes or serves alcohol, and anyone who manages them, must pass a state-approved server training course. You must be certified once you've worked at the venue for 30 days, if you work 10 or more hours a week, and you must renew it every 2 years.
4 Del. C. ch. 12 (server training) OABCC Rule 803 85 Del. Laws c. 284 (HB 195, approved June 10, 2026)
Employers can pay tipped staff $2.23 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.00 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference.
Delaware DOL Wage and Hour U.S. DOL state tipped wage table (July 1, 2026)
Rules change. Last checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the Delaware Office of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner (OABCC) and your employer before you apply.
Local rules
Delaware sets these rules statewide, and the state alcohol commissioner licenses venues. Ask your employer which approved server course they accept.
State alcohol agency
The agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in Delaware.
Open the official websiteYour employer can also tell you which rules apply where you'll work.
Pay
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (Delaware, Bartenders 35-3011) and Delaware DOL Wage and Hour. BLS wages include tips reported by employers. What you earn depends on the venue, your shifts and your location, and isn't guaranteed.
Jobs
Open bartender listings near you on Indeed. Barback and server openings are worth a look too: they're a common way behind the bar.
The question we hear most
Questions people ask
Delaware doesn't issue a bartender license, and the venue holds the liquor license, not the bartender. You do need a server training card from a state-approved course, and you must carry it while you serve.
4 Del. C. ch. 12 (server training) OABCC Rule 803 Delaware DATE: Responsible Server Training
You must be 18 or older to serve, sell or mix drinks. If you're 18 to 20, you can mix drinks only when someone 21 or older works behind the bar with you and directly supervises you. Employers can set a higher minimum age, so check with the bar.
4 Del. C. § 904 85 Del. Laws c. 284 (HB 195, approved June 10, 2026)
Anyone who sells, mixes or serves alcohol, and anyone who manages them, must pass a state-approved server training course. You must be certified once you've worked at the venue for 30 days, if you work 10 or more hours a week, and you must renew it every 2 years.
4 Del. C. ch. 12 (server training) OABCC Rule 803 85 Del. Laws c. 284 (HB 195, approved June 10, 2026)
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), Delaware bartenders earned a median of $17.71 an hour and a mean of $20.62 an hour ($42,890 a year), including tips reported by employers. The top 10% earned more than $29.05 an hour. Employers can pay tipped staff $2.23 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.00 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference. Pay varies by venue, shifts and location.
Experience is up to each employer, but you'll need your server training card too. 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.
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. Beach towns like Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Lewes and Bethany Beach hire extra staff for summer, so start looking in the spring.
No. Delaware doesn't require bartending school. The server training card is about serving alcohol safely and legally; it doesn't teach you to make drinks or work a bar. An online course lets you learn the tools, pours, cocktails and service at your own pace.
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.
Bar Ready is self-paced, so you go as fast as your schedule allows. After that, timing depends on how long it takes to get your server training card and the jobs near you.
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 your server training card or any state or local requirement.
Step 1 is learning the job. Start Bar Ready online today, at your own pace.
Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time · Certificates of completion
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