Douglas County adopts ordinance requiring alcohol seller/server training

The Douglas County Liquor Board adopted Ordinance 2026-1664 on April 2, 2026, requiring that employees who sell, serve or dispense alcohol complete training within 30 days of employment and participate in annual refresher training. The training requirement applies to permanent and temporary liquor licenses, and the ordinance tasks licensees with maintaining a continuing training program.

Deputy District Attorney Zach Wadley, who presented the ordinance at second reading, said the county clarified that the requirement covers sellers, servers and dispensers and that ongoing training will be annual. "We did clarify that the training would apply to seller servers and dispensers of alcohol," Wadley said, noting the ordinance includes an annual requirement. Sheriff Dan Coverly backed the measure as a practical step to prevent sales to underage individuals and offered law-enforcement support for compliance checks.

Commissioners asked whether temporary liquor-license holders would be exempt; Wadley said no. He also confirmed that training content will include overservice prevention and that the county will partner with a local group to provide free training for many licensees. Sheriff Coverly said the partnership can help businesses and that compliance checks will remain a county enforcement tool.

The adoption is intended to improve public-safety outcomes and provide consistent training across licensees. The measure passed on the record during the liquor-board session and the board reconvened as the Board of County Commissioners after the vote.

The ordinance was read into the record by the chair and presented by Wadley and Sheriff Coverly; the board recorded a unanimous vote in favor of adoption.