If you hold a Pennsylvania liquor license and pour draft beer, the state sets rules for cleaning your lines. The rules fit on one page. Most owners have never read them. This post walks through them in plain language.
Clean Every 14 Days
The main rule is 40 Pa. Code § 5.51. It says the licensee has to clean the draft system and pay for it. The cleaning has to leave the whole system clean and sanitary.
Lines, couplers, valves, fittings, washers, o-rings, FOBs, and foam control units must be cleaned once every 14 days. The PLCB's guide for licensees says faucets are on the same 14-day clock.
There is one exception. Some bars run an ultrasonic or electromagnetic unit that slows bacteria and yeast growth in the lines. If yours has one and it is working, you follow the maker's cleaning schedule.
For decades the rule was every 7 days. The Liquor Control Board changed it to 14 days in July 2021. You will still find old guides that say 7.
The License Holder Carries the Blame
Section 5.54 puts it bluntly. The licensee alone is responsible for keeping draft equipment clean. It also says a cleaning record will not protect you if an officer finds a dirty system. The paperwork and the lines both have to be right.
Another Licensee Can't Clean Your System
Section 5.51 also says one licensee may not clean a draft system for another licensee. Beer distributors and breweries hold PLCB licenses. So the cleaning has to be done by you, your staff, or an outside cleaner who does not hold a liquor license. We cover this in more detail in who is responsible for cleaning your draft lines.
Keep a Certificate From Every Cleaning
When someone else cleans your system, Section 5.52 says you need a certificate from them. It has to show the date, the name of the person who cleaned, and the method. That certificate stays on file at the bar, ready for inspection. See what Pennsylvania requires for cleaning records for what a good record looks like.
Who Checks
The Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE) enforces the Liquor Code and the Board's rules. Officers can inspect licensed premises. On a draft system, that means they can look at your faucets and couplers and ask for your cleaning certificates. A problem can lead to a citation against your license.
What the Law Leaves Out
The regulation sets the schedule and leaves the method open. For chemicals and strength, the trade follows the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality Manual. It calls for a caustic line cleaner mixed to 2% for routine cleaning and 3% for dirty lines, pumped through the lines for at least 15 minutes. It also calls for an acid cleaning every quarter to remove beer stone. We explain the difference in alkaline vs. acid line cleaning.
If You Are Behind
- Get the lines cleaned now. Don't wait for the next scheduled date.
- Get a certificate for that cleaning and put it on file.
- Set a 14-day schedule and put it on the calendar.
- Never backdate a record to cover a gap. A gap is a problem. A fake record is a much bigger one.
We clean on a 14-day cycle and leave a certificate after every visit. Call (267) 282-1002 to get on the schedule.
This is a plain-language summary of Pennsylvania regulations, not legal advice. For questions about your license, contact the PLCB or an attorney.