MEDIA RELEASE: Compliance Checks Conducted Amongst Tioga County Retailers

Last Updated: 8/7/2025

During the month of June, the Tioga County Advocacy, Support, and Prevention (ASAP) Coalition partnered with the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office to conduct compliance checks among Tioga County businesses licensed to sell alcoholic beverages in our community. The Tioga County Sheriff’s Office conducted compliance checks at 11 local businesses in Owego.

Alcohol compliance checks are an important strategy for preventing underage drinking. Underage young adults work alongside officers to enter a retailer and attempt to illegally purchase alcohol. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of retail sales to underage individuals. By conducting frequent compliance checks, it ensures the community, retailers, and youth are aware of these checks and discourages the attempts of underage buying.

Of all the businesses checked, 100% of retailers refused to sell to the underage individual working with the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office. We want to commend the businesses who demonstrated responsible alcohol sales during our compliance checks!

In addition to partnering on alcohol compliance checks Tioga County ASAP can support local retailers by:

• Educate retail staff: Providing retailers with responsible server training to educate their staff on how to identify an underage sale and learn to refuse it.
• Support physical design change: Signage discouraging underage sales can be provided, as available.
• Partner with businesses to show support: Continue to support underage drinking prevention by partnering with our coalition to conduct sticker shocks to discourage the purchase of alcohol for minors.

For more information on preventing underage drinking or learn more about what you can do as a retailer visit: https://tiogaasap.org/.