Over-Serving Alcohol: Is It a Crime in Oklahoma?

In Oklahoma, over-serving alcohol to intoxicated people is a crime that could result in felony charges. Law enforcement and prosecutors charge bartenders with this crime fairly frequently. Often charges result when an intoxicated person leaves the bar and drives drunk or is hit by cars. Currently, two different Oklahoma laws prohibit over-serving. One law makes it a misdemeanor for retail establishments that can sell low-point beer (beer with a low alcohol content) to knowingly and willfully sell low-point beer to an intoxicated person. 37 O.S. § 37-247. Agents and employees of the retail establishment can be prosecuted, as well as the...

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