MAST Program and Permit Responsibilities

MAST is Washington's required alcohol-server training for many people who serve, mix, sell, or supervise alcohol service for on-premises consumption. It also applies to people conducting approved off-premises alcohol tastings and to employees filling growlers where the rules require a permit.

The course is designed to reduce sales to minors, reduce service to apparently intoxicated persons, improve intervention skills, and help licensees and workers understand Washington alcohol laws. A permit does not replace employer policy, manager direction, or current LCB guidance.

National Course Portal is preparing this course for Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board review. Enrollment, payment, permit numbers, permit printing, and permit reporting stay closed until LCB certification is granted in writing.

Servers, bartenders, managers, and people supervising alcohol service at on-premises liquor-licensed establishments generally need a MAST permit within 60 days of the initial hire date. A person conducting alcohol sampling or tastings must have the required Class 12 permit with no 60-day grace period.

A Class 12 Mixologist Permit is for workers who are at least 21. Class 12 permit holders may mix, draw, pour, sell, or serve alcohol and may manage alcohol service. A Class 13 Servers Permit is for workers who are at least 18 but not yet 21 and allows more limited service activity under Washington rules.

A Class 13 permit holder who turns 21 must upgrade to a Class 12 permit before performing duties reserved for Class 12 permit holders. The course teaches both permit classes so students understand the limits before accepting shifts or tasks.

A MAST permit is valid for five years and expires on the first day of the month five years after the course and exam date. The permit is not renewed automatically; the permit holder retakes an approved MAST course and exam before expiration.

Permit holders should keep the permit and valid identification available on the licensed premises when working in alcohol service. The permit belongs to the permit holder, not the employer, and it is valid only for Washington MAST purposes.

Lost permits, name changes, gender-marker changes, and validity questions are handled through the issuing provider or LCB. The MAST Permit Checker can be used to verify whether a permit appears in the LCB system.

After LCB certification and after a student successfully completes the course and exam, the provider must issue, print, mail, and report MAST permits within 30 days. The student receives a Certificate of Course Completion after passing, but that certificate is not the MAST permit.

The provider must collect required permit data, including name, date of birth, mailing address, email, gender, height, weight, and Social Security number when the student has one. SSN data is provided to LCB for permit issuance and child-support enforcement requirements, then removed from provider records after submission to LCB.

The provider keeps required records for five years, including rosters without SSN or date of birth, permit numbers and voided permits, course materials, exam answers, login and logoff records, and student survey responses. Records are secured and available for LCB review.

This online course is built as six modules. Each module has an introduction, required curriculum, a summary, and at least 10 knowledge-check questions. Students may review completed content, but they may not skip ahead into locked content.

Active course time must reach at least 180 minutes before the final exam unlocks. Final-exam time is not counted toward the three-hour course minimum. The system saves progress, records login and logoff times, and applies an inactivity timeout no shorter than 30 minutes.

Students can ask content or technical questions by emailing admin@nationalcourseportal.com. A certified trainer will be available during posted business hours after approval, and after-hours inquiries will be answered within 24 hours except weekends and holidays.

The legal foundation for this course starts in RCW 66.20.300 through RCW 66.20.350 and chapter 314-17 WAC. RCW 66.20.300 defines alcohol server and training entity, RCW 66.20.310 describes Class 12 and Class 13 permits, and RCW 66.20.320 identifies required curriculum subjects such as alcohol effects, liability, DUI, intervention, and checking identification.

WAC 314-17-060 adds Washington-specific course standards. It requires curriculum on liquor laws and regulations, employment of persons under 21, legal hours, prohibited conduct, required signs, minimum lighting, and administrative and criminal sanctions. It also requires an enrollment agreement, LCB complaint contact information, notice that the course must be completed before the exam, an exam after the course, a closed-book exam rule, an 80% passing standard, online identity controls, trainer availability, and at least three hours excluding exam time.

WAC 314-17-085 supplies the operational backbone after certification: student permit data and rosters must be reported in the board's required format, permits must be issued within 30 calendar days after successful course and exam completion, and records must be kept for five years. The student does not need to memorize citation numbers, but the student should know that MAST is a regulated public-safety program, not a casual website certificate.

Example A: A 22-year-old bartender who mixes cocktails, draws beer, pours wine, and manages the bar needs a Class 12 permit. RCW 66.20.310 describes Class 12 for managers, bartenders selling or mixing alcohol for on-premises consumption, and alcohol delivery employees under the specific delivery authority in RCW 66.24.710.

Example B: A 19-year-old restaurant server who only delivers beer or wine to tables with meals may be eligible for a Class 13 permit if the duties fit the Class 13 limits and the employer's approved operation allows it. A Class 13 holder is not automatically authorized for every alcohol duty in the building.

Example C: A 20-year-old completes a Class 12 course and exam. Under WAC 314-17-040, that person may receive only a Class 13 permit until turning 21, and an upgrade keeps the original expiration date. The provider or trainer must not change the class date to make the permit look newer or older than it is.

Example D: A person conducting an approved tasting or sampling should not rely on the normal 60-day new-hire period. The worker should confirm the required permit before tasting activity begins because sampling duties are specifically included in LCB's public MAST guidance.

The online course is designed to prove participation, not just page access. A student must move through the modules in order, spend active time in the course, answer regular participation prompts, pass each module quiz, complete identity checks, and then take the final exam only after the instructional requirements are met.

Review is allowed after completion of a screen or module because review supports learning. Skip-ahead is not allowed because it would undermine the required three-hour course and the LCB expectation that students receive the full curriculum before exam access.

Online identity controls include account credentials, profile verification, login and logoff records, periodic identity prompts, a final-exam acknowledgement, and inactivity controls. If another program is accessed during the exam or the exam remains idle beyond the configured threshold, the attempt may be interrupted according to the approved workflow.

The official final-exam bank is treated as controlled material. Public preview pages and generated student materials describe the final-exam controls but do not publish the official LCB questions. Students practice with module checks that teach the same curriculum without exposing the official bank.

Scenario: You are hired at a licensed restaurant on Monday. The manager says you can shadow the bar, serve food, and help run nonalcoholic drinks while your paperwork is pending. Before touching alcohol duties, you should confirm whether your role involves sale, service, handling, mixing, supervising, tastings, growlers, or delivery, and whether you need a Class 12 or Class 13 permit for that work.

If you are within the 60-day new-hire window for an on-premises role, that does not mean you should postpone training. The safer practice is to complete MAST promptly, keep a copy of provider contact information, and make sure the permit will be mailed to a current residential mailing address after successful completion.

If the employer asks you to do a duty that appears outside your age or permit class, stop and ask a manager before doing it. A permit violation can affect the worker, the employer, the license, and the public. Responsible service starts before the first drink is poured.

Reflective prompt: write one sentence you would say to a manager if you are not sure whether your age, permit class, or current permit status allows a specific alcohol-service task. A professional answer is short, factual, and focused on compliance.