This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 11:15 AM- An estimated 37,300 undocumented immigrants have Utah driving privilege cards - but they cannot buy a bottle of wine.
And it seems they might also be refused a drink at the state's restaurants.
Currently, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will not accept driving privilege cards at its 38 state-run liquor stores or nearly 100 package agencies located at resorts and small towns.
And the state has left it up to restaurants, private clubs and taverns to decide whether to accept driving privilege cards - with the warning that if servers inadvertently sell to a minor, owners face fines up to $3,000 and closure of all liquor sales for a few days or weeks.
Bottom line, says Lou Bertram, who teaches liquor-control classes, is that private establishments may refuse service to anyone if there's any question about a customer's age.
"Years ago, Alaska had a blanket policy that everyone had to show an ID to get a drink," Bertram says. "When it happened to me, I was old enough that it made my day."
Utah's driving privilege cards are usually issued to undocumented residents, who have no Social Security card - but can provide an Individual Tax Identification Number.
The cards contain a photograph, physical information such as height and weight, and date of birth.
Still, some private clubs, restaurants and tavern owners are refusing service to customers with driving privilege cards because the state won't accept them.
That revelation came from compliance director Earl Dorius in the department's latest newsletter. But state law allows private establishments to set their own I.D. policy, which is continually tested by underage decoys trying to buy a drink.