2014 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 37. Intoxicating Liquors
§37-241. Sale, barter or gift to person under 21 years of age.

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, barter, or give to any person under twenty-one (21) years of age any low-point beer, as defined in Section 163.2 of this title.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person who holds a license to sell and dispense low-point beer for consumption on the premises, or any agent, servant, or employee of said license holder, to permit any person under twenty-one (21) years of age to be admitted to or remain in a separate or enclosed bar area of the licensed premises, which has as its main purpose the selling or serving of low-point beer for consumption on the premises. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit persons under twenty-one (21) years of age from being admitted to an area which has as its main purpose some objective other than the sale or serving of low-point beer, in which sales or serving of said beverages are incidental to the main purpose, as long as persons under twenty-one (21) years of age are not sold or served said beverages; however, the incidental service of food in the bar area shall not exempt a licensee, agent, servant, or employee from the provisions of this section.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person who holds a license to sell and dispense low-point beer, for consumption on the premises, or any agent, servant or employee of said license holder to permit any person under twenty-one (21) years of age to consume any low-point beer on the licensed premises.

D. Any person violating the provisions of subsection A, B or C of this section shall upon conviction be guilty of a misdemeanor for a first violation and shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Any person convicted of a second violation within one (1) year of the first violation shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00), or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Any person convicted of a third violation within one (1) year of the first violation shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment. The filing of a supplemental information shall be subject to the discretion of the district attorney. One-half (1/2) of any fine collected shall be deposited in the Prevention of Youth Access to Alcohol Revolving Fund established by Section 608 of this title.

E. That the person demanded, was shown, and reasonably relied upon proof of age shall be a rebuttable presumption to any action brought pursuant to this section. A person cited for violating this section shall be deemed to have reasonably relied upon proof of age, and such person shall not be found guilty of such violation if:

1. The individual who purchased or received the low-point beer presented what a reasonable person would have believed was a driver license or other government-issued photo identification purporting to establish that the individual was twenty-one (21) years of age or older; or

2. The person cited for the violation confirmed the validity of the driver license or other government-issued photo identification presented by the individual by performing a transaction scan by means of a transaction scan device.

Provided, that this defense shall not relieve from liability any person cited for a violation of this section if such person failed to exercise reasonable diligence to determine whether the physical description and picture on the driver license or other government-issued photo identification was that of the individual who presented it. The availability of the defense described in this subsection does not affect the availability of any other defense under any other provision of law.

F. Upon violation of any of the provisions of this section by any agent, servant, or employee, the law enforcement agency shall notify the owner of the premises of the violation, the Oklahoma Tax Commission, and the district court clerk of the county in which the premises are located. For purposes of this subsection, notification to the owner of the premises shall be deemed given if the law enforcement agency mails, by mail with delivery confirmation, the notification to the address which is on file with the Oklahoma Tax Commission of the owner of the location at which the violation occurred and the law enforcement agency received delivery confirmation from the United States Postal Service.

G. Cities and towns may enact and municipal police officers may enforce ordinances prohibiting and penalizing conduct under the provisions of this section, but the provisions of the municipal ordinances shall be the same as provided for in this section, and the penalty provisions under such ordinances shall not be more stringent than those of this section and shall be limited to the provisions of Section 14-111 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Added by Laws 1953, p. 140, § 1, emerg. eff. June 10, 1953. Amended by Laws 1983, c. 98, § 1; Laws 1985, c. 170, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1985; Laws 1990, c. 209, § 2, emerg. eff. May 14, 1990; Laws 1991, c. 100, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Laws 1995, c. 274, § 40, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 2006, c. 61, § 8, eff. July 1, 2006; Laws 2011, c. 328, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2011.