The California ABC-253 supplemental diagram is a one-page form from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control where you sketch the layout of a premises or event site and mark the area in which alcohol will be sold and consumed.1Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Supplemental Diagram You fill in a few identifying fields across the top, draw the site in the large blank space below, sign under penalty of perjury, and submit it with the license application or authorization it supports. A copy also has to be posted at the event itself.
When You Need an ABC-253
Three situations are the usual ones. If you apply for a daily license on Form ABC-221, a detailed diagram of the event location may be required, especially for outdoor events.2Alcoholic Beverage Control. Daily Licenses Catering authorizations that let an existing licensee serve off-site need one showing exactly where alcohol service will happen. Event authorizations for festivals, fundraisers, and similar gatherings use the form the same way. The form also lists a “miscellaneous use” box for any other situation where the ABC wants a supplemental site drawing.
One boundary worth knowing: if you are applying for a brand-new permanent license or transferring one to a new location, the primary premises diagram is Form ABC-257, not the ABC-253.3Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. ABC-257 Premises Diagram The ABC-253 can supplement that filing when extra drawings are needed, but it does not take the ABC-257’s place.
Where to Get the Form
Download the ABC-253 from abc.ca.gov under the licensing forms section. The current revision is dated July 2019. It is a single-page PDF with a large blank drawing area and a short set of fields across the top. Print it and draw by hand, or use a PDF editor to produce a cleaner sketch before printing. There is no separate filing fee for the form itself; it travels with whatever license application or authorization you are submitting.
Filling in the Top Fields
Four numbered fields run across the top of the page:1Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Supplemental Diagram
- Applicant Name. Your full legal name in last-first-middle order. For a business entity, use the name exactly as it appears on your license application.
- License Type. The ABC license type number you hold or are applying for, such as Type 47 for an on-sale general eating place or Type 75 for a brewpub-restaurant.
- Premises Address. The street number and name, city, and zip code of the event site or licensed premises. For a temporary event at a park or convention center, use the venue’s street address.
- Nearest Cross Street. The closest intersecting street, which helps the ABC and its investigators locate the site.
Below the drawing area, you sign and date the form. Your signature is made under penalty of perjury that the diagram is true and correct. A separate block at the bottom is reserved for the ABC investigator who later inspects the site and certifies the diagram.
Drawing the Site
The large blank space is where the real work happens. The printed instructions ask you to draw the area where the licensed premises is or will be located, show adjacent structures, and include the nearest cross streets.1Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Supplemental Diagram For events, you also have to show where sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages will occur.
Start with the outline of the property or event site. Label adjacent buildings, parking areas, and public sidewalks so the context is clear. Mark the nearest cross streets at the edges of the drawing. Inside the site boundary, clearly outline the area designated for alcohol sales and consumption. That outlined zone is what ABC enforcement will treat as the licensed area. If the event has a beer garden or a roped-off tasting area within a larger venue, draw those boundaries and label them.
For indoor locations, show the general room layout with entrances, exits, and any barriers separating the alcohol service area from the rest of the building. Label the bar, service counter, and storage. For outdoor areas such as parking lots or parks, indicate fencing, barricades, or rope lines that define the perimeter. Inspectors rely on these markings to confirm that alcohol stays within the designated zone.
The form does not specify a required scale, a north arrow, or an exact measurement format. It just asks for a sketch. Even so, including approximate dimensions and a north arrow makes the diagram more useful and cuts down on follow-up questions. Use a ruler for straight lines when drawing by hand, and write dimensions in feet where you can. A clean, readable drawing signals that you take the boundaries seriously, which is what the ABC wants to see.
Posting the Diagram at the Event
This step catches people out. You have to post a copy of the completed ABC-253 at the event location alongside your daily license, catering authorization, or event authorization.1Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Supplemental Diagram Print an extra copy and display it where it can be seen, typically near the entrance to the alcohol service area or at the main check-in point. ABC agents conducting spot checks look for the posted diagram. Missing it can produce a violation even if the rest of your setup is correct.
The instructions are blunt about what the diagram commits you to. Sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages must be confined to the area designated on it, and you have to supervise those boundaries to prevent violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. A diagram showing a 40-by-60-foot beer garden does not help you if patrons are wandering into an adjacent area with drinks.
Where to Submit
The completed ABC-253 goes to the ABC District Office with jurisdiction over the event location or premises. California has more than 20 district offices, from Eureka in the north to San Diego in the south, and the ABC website lists each one by county.4Alcoholic Beverage Control. District Offices You can deliver the form in person during business hours or mail it with the rest of your application package. For daily license applications filed on Form ABC-221, the ABC-253 is bundled with that form and the other required documents. Submit well ahead of the event date so the district office has time to review everything.
What Inspectors and Agents Check
For permanent license applications, an ABC investigator will physically visit the premises and compare the submitted diagram to the actual layout. Discrepancies, such as a storage room that doesn’t exist or a patio that extends farther than drawn, can delay the application or force a revised diagram and sometimes structural changes.
For daily licenses and event authorizations, ABC agents may run spot checks during the event. They compare the posted ABC-253 to what is actually on the ground. If the beer garden extends beyond the boundaries shown, or if alcohol is being served in areas not depicted, expect a violation. Consumption has to stay inside the area on the diagram, and supervising that boundary is your responsibility.