FIELD NOTES
Writing about the door
Age verification, document fraud and the operational reality of running a busy entrance. No vendor fluff — if something does not work, we say so.
Aug 25, 2026
Can You Lose Your Liquor Licence Over a Fake ID? Affirmative Defence, Explained
A minor gets past your door on a good counterfeit. Are you automatically liable? In many states, no — but only if you can produce evidence of what your team did. Here is how affirmative defence works and what it requires of you.
10 min readAug 24, 2026
ID Scanning Laws by State: What You Can Record, and How Long You Can Keep It
Scanning is legal nearly everywhere. What varies — a lot — is what you may retain and for how long. A guide to the three regulatory postures states take, the statutes to look up, and how to get a definitive answer for yours.
9 min readAug 22, 2026
Is Scanning Driver's Licences Legal? A Venue Guide to CCPA, BIPA and Retention
Scanning an ID for age verification is legal almost everywhere. What you do with the data afterwards is where venues get into trouble — and where the class actions come from. A plain guide to the rules that actually apply to your door.
9 min readAug 20, 2026
What Is Anti-Passback? Stopping the Oldest Trick at the Door
A patron of age gets scanned, walks in, and hands their genuine ID back down the queue. No inspection catches it, because the card is real. Here is how anti-passback works, where it fails, and how to set the window.
8 min readAug 18, 2026
How to Spot a Fake ID at the Door: The Checklist That Actually Works
Most fake ID training teaches you to inspect the front of the card. That is where forgers spend their money. Here is what experienced door staff check instead — the behavioural tells, the feel-tilt-light method, the barcode check, and the one fake that beats a cheap scanner.
11 min readAug 16, 2026
Can Door Staff Legally Confiscate a Fake ID? Rules, Protocol and Logging
Your doorman catches a counterfeit and instinctively keeps the card. Depending on where you operate, that is either exactly right, or it is a theft claim waiting to happen. Here is how to find out which, and what to do either way.
8 min readAug 12, 2026
What Is Actually Inside the Barcode on a Driver's Licence
The black rectangle on the back of every US and Canadian licence is a compressed text file containing the cardholder's details. Here is exactly what it holds, how it is structured, and why it is the fastest way to catch a bad ID.
7 min readAug 8, 2026
How to Cut Door Wait Times Without Loosening the Age Check
The queue is costing you drinks and drawing complaints, and the obvious fix — check faster — is the one that loses licences. Here is where the seconds actually go at a door, and how to take them back without checking less.
8 min readAug 5, 2026
Phone App vs Handheld ID Scanner: An Honest Cost Breakdown for Bars
Dedicated handheld scanners run from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand per door. Phone apps run on hardware you already own. Here is what each really costs, what each one catches, where each one fails, and the four questions that decide it.
10 min readGet the notes, and the app when it lands
Occasional writing on door operations, plus one email the day the scanner ships.