Unless your son and all of the friends he has invited have attained the age of 21, they cannot purchase, consume, or possess beer, wine, or alcoholic beverages. If they do and are convicted, they can be punished severely, with jail time, fines and a loss of driving privileges. Any knowledgeable and experienced attorney in Richmond, or Henrico, Hanover, Goochland or Chesterfield County will agree. Virginia, like the other 49 states, has a mimimum legal drinking age of 21, that is the result of the enactment of a federal law signed in the mid-1980s requiring the states to do so. The purpose of the federal law was to reduce the number of teenage driving fatalities due to alcohol consumption. Under Virginia law, any person who purchases or serves an underage person beer, wine or any other alcoholic beverage faces criminal charges punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor for each offense.  Conviction of a Class 1 misdeamnor may result in incarceration in jail for up  to a year, and a fine of up to $2500.00, either or both. Parents who thought it was okay to do something like this, have paid a heavy price when caught and convicted. The police, prosecutors and the courts, all take violations of these laws very seriously. However, there are exceptions. First, Virginia law permits a parent to serve his own child (of whatever age) beer, wine or an alcoholic beverage in the home. Second, if the underage person is a guest at another's house, Virginia law permits  the host to serve him legally if one of the underage person's parents is present and consents, or if the underage person is married to a person over 21 and the spouse is present and consents. Therefore, I would tell my son the party is on, but without a keg, unless every guest under 21 who has a beer has his or her parent (or spouse over 21) at the party, and that person's parent (or spouse over 21)gives you their consent to serve their underage child (or spouse).

Frequently Asked Questions

 


Q: My son is graduating high school and wants to have a party to celebrate with his friends. He also wants to have a keg of beer. What is the law in Virginia on this?

A: Unless your son and all of the friends he has invited have attained the age of 21, they cannot purchase, consume, or possess beer, wine, or alcoholic beverages. If they do and are convicted, they can be punished severely, with jail time, fines and a loss of driving privileges. Any knowledgeable and experienced attorney in Richmond, or Henrico, Hanover, Goochland or Chesterfield County will agree.

Virginia, like the other 49 states, has a mimimum legal drinking age of 21, that is the result of the enactment of a federal law signed in the mid-1980s requiring the states to do so. The purpose of the federal law was to reduce the number of teenage driving fatalities due to alcohol consumption. Under Virginia law, any person who purchases or serves an underage person beer, wine or any other alcoholic beverage faces criminal charges punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor for each offense.  Conviction of a Class 1 misdeamnor may result in incarceration in jail for up  to a year, and a fine of up to $2500.00, either or both. Parents who thought it was okay to do something like this, have paid a heavy price when caught and convicted. The police, prosecutors and the courts, all take violations of these laws very seriously.

However, there are exceptions. First, Virginia law permits a parent to serve his own child (of whatever age) beer, wine or an alcoholic beverage in the home. Second, if the underage person is a guest at another's house, Virginia law permits  the host to serve him legally if one of the underage person's parents is present and consents, or if the underage person is married to a person over 21 and the spouse is present and consents.

Therefore, I would tell my son the party is on, but without a keg, unless every guest under 21 who has a beer has his or her parent (or spouse over 21) at the party, and that person's parent (or spouse over 21)gives you their consent to serve their underage child (or spouse).


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