Keg Tagging and Registration

The Isla Vista, California Alcohol and Other Drug Council is working on a new way to tag and track the more than 9,000 beer kegs sold each year in this college town of 20,000 people.

California state law requires that when kegs are sold, buyers must show identification and fill out a form writing in their names and addresses. A registration “tag”—really a sticker—is then affixed to the outside of the keg. The intent of the tagging law is to hold adults accountable for providing alcohol to minors. If law enforcement finds a tagged keg at a party where minors are drinking, they can track it back to the purchaser, who may then face civil or criminal penalties.

The experience of Isla Vista, a small town located next to the University of California Santa Barbara campus, is evidence that keg tagging is not foolproof. California law currently requires that keg tags be easily removable, which makes it harder to trace kegs to the purchaser. Isla Vista law enforcement officers say that many beer kegs are found at large parties without tags. When questioned, partygoers tell officers they don’t know who supplied the keg. This means there is no way to hold responsible those who buy alcohol for minors. “Keg parties are a major problem here,” says Onolee Zwicke, member of the Isla Vista Alcohol and Other Drug Council. “It’s like Mardi Gras every weekend. The message is to come and fill up your cup, no matter who you are.”

The Council looked to other states, hoping to find a more effective tagging system. Instead, they learned that many states do not have keg-tagging laws, and those that do require tags similar to those used in California.

Recognizing that they were looking for a new solution to the problem, the Council sought help from the California Council on Alcohol Policy (Cal Council). After conferring with Cal Council, the Isla Vista group decided to ask the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to let them try a new and improved method for tagging kegs.

The Isla Vista AOD Council is currently developing a proposal for a demonstration project to improve keg tagging methodology. In response, California ABC Director Jerry Jolly visited Isla Vista to witness the alcohol-fueled street parties that result in a high incidence of assaults and injuries, property damage, minors in possession, and open containers. The Council plans to propose using permanently attached serial numbers on kegs in place of removable tags. They also plan to fund a staff position to work specifically on tagging and tracking issues. “This will be an important step forward in keg-tagging technology,” says Zwicke. “We hope that if it works, the methodology will be adopted statewide and perhaps beyond.”