An ABC PF charge is a North Carolina misdemeanor citation issued under N.C.G.S. 18B-302(e) for using a fake, altered, or borrowed ID to buy alcohol or enter a place that sells it while under 21. ABC refers to Alcoholic Beverage Control, the state’s alcohol regulatory system,1North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. About the NC ABC Commission and the PF notation on the citation flags the fraudulent-identification aspect of the offense. A conviction is a Class 1 misdemeanor with up to 120 days of possible jail exposure and, more consequentially for most people, a mandatory one-year driver’s license revocation that the DMV imposes automatically once the court reports the conviction.
What Conduct the Statute Covers
Subsection (e) reaches further than people usually assume. It applies to anyone under 21 who enters or tries to enter a place that sells alcohol, or who obtains or tries to obtain alcohol, using any of the following:
- A fake or altered driver’s license
- A fake or altered non-license ID
- Someone else’s real driver’s license
- Someone else’s real non-license ID
- Any other form of identification that falsely indicates you are old enough to buy alcohol
Borrowing a friend’s actual license falls squarely within that list. So does using a novelty card or any document that misrepresents your age.2North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 18B-302 – Sale to or Purchase by Underage Persons
A separate offense under subsection (f) applies to the person who lends the ID. If you give your own license to an underage friend who then uses it to buy alcohol or get into a bar, you can be charged, and the license-revocation consequences are the same.2North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 18B-302 – Sale to or Purchase by Underage Persons
Criminal Penalties
The statute does not assign a specific class to subsection (e), so structured sentencing treats it as a Class 1 misdemeanor by default. The sentence a judge can impose depends on your prior conviction record:
- No prior convictions (Level I): up to 45 days of community punishment
- One to four priors (Level II): up to 45 days of community or intermediate punishment
- Five or more priors (Level III): up to 120 days of community, intermediate, or active punishment
For a college-age first offender, the realistic outcome sits well below the ceiling. Community service, probation, or a combination is far more common than active jail time.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 15A-1340.23 – Punishment Limits for Each Class of Offense and Prior Conviction Level
Fines for a Class 1 misdemeanor are at the judge’s discretion with no statutory cap. Court costs are assessed separately, and the North Carolina Judicial Branch updates the schedule periodically.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 15A-1340.23 – Punishment Limits for Each Class of Offense and Prior Conviction Level
The Mandatory One-Year License Revocation
This is the part that catches almost everyone off guard. Under N.C.G.S. 18B-302(g), the court must report any conviction under subsection (e), (f), or (c), as well as underage purchase convictions under (b), to the Division of Motor Vehicles.4North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 18B-302 – Sale to or Purchase by Underage Persons Once the DMV receives that report, G.S. 20-17.3 requires a one-year revocation of your driver’s license.
Nobody has discretion here. The judge does not weigh whether to impose it, and the DMV does not consider the circumstances. A conviction equals twelve months without driving privileges. For a student commuting to class or a worker driving to a job, that is usually the heaviest part of the penalty by a wide margin.
Limited Driving Privilege
A limited driving privilege may be available during the revocation, allowing restricted driving for work, school, or medical appointments. You have to petition the court, and if granted, the judge signs an order spelling out exactly when and where you may drive. If driving is essential to your livelihood, raise this at the hearing or talk to an attorney in advance.
Restoring Your License After the Year
The license does not come back on its own. After the revocation period ends, you apply through the NC DMV and pay:
- Restoration fee: $83.50
- Service fee: $50 (waived if you surrendered your license to the court or mailed it to the DMV before the revocation’s effective date)
These are separate from any fines or court costs from the criminal case.5NCDOT. Driver License Restoration
Deferred Prosecution
Deferred prosecution is the main tool for avoiding both the conviction and the license revocation. Under G.S. 15A-1341(a1), you are placed on probation with conditions that commonly include community service, staying out of further trouble, and sometimes an alcohol education program. Complete every condition and the charge is dismissed. No conviction, no mandatory revocation under G.S. 20-17.3, no criminal record from the incident.
It is not automatic. The district attorney’s office decides whether to offer it, and first-time offenders with otherwise clean records have the strongest case. If you are offered deferred prosecution, treat the probation terms seriously; violating any of them puts the original charge back on the table.
Expungement if You Are Convicted
If deferred prosecution is not available and you take a conviction, two expungement statutes may help later.
G.S. 15A-145 — The Underage Alcohol Path
G.S. 15A-145 allows expungement of misdemeanor possession of alcohol convictions under 18B-302(b)(1) when the offense occurred before age 21 and the person has no prior felony or non-traffic misdemeanor convictions. The petition cannot be filed until two years after the conviction or completion of probation, whichever is later. You must submit character affidavits from two unrelated people and show good behavior during the waiting period, with no outstanding restitution.6North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 15A-145 – Expunction of Records for First Offenders Under the Age of 18 at the Time of Conviction of Misdemeanor and Under the Age of 21 at the Time of Conviction of Certain Drug and Alcohol Offenses
One limitation matters for ABC PF charges specifically. G.S. 15A-145 references subsection (b)(1). If your conviction is solely under subsection (e) for fraudulent ID use, this path may not apply directly.
G.S. 15A-145.5 — The General Nonviolent Misdemeanor Path
G.S. 15A-145.5 is the broader route. As of July 2025, the waiting period for expunging a single nonviolent misdemeanor dropped from five years to three years after the conviction date or completion of any active sentence or probation, whichever is later. This path can reach fraudulent ID convictions that fall outside the alcohol-specific statute. Eligibility requires no disqualifying prior convictions, good moral character during the waiting period, and no outstanding warrants or pending cases.
Expungement is not instant once you file. The conviction stays visible on background checks until the court order issues and the records are sealed.
Effect on College and Employment
A misdemeanor alcohol conviction does not disqualify you from federal student aid. Pell Grants and federal student loans remain available, and misdemeanor alcohol offenses are not listed as disqualifying under current Federal Student Aid rules.7Federal Student Aid. Eligibility for Students With Criminal Convictions
Your school is a different question. Many colleges and universities have conduct codes requiring students to self-report criminal charges, and the school can run its own disciplinary process regardless of the court outcome. Sanctions range from a warning to suspension depending on the policy and your prior conduct history.
For employment, a conviction can show up on background checks indefinitely under federal law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act does not cap reporting of criminal convictions by time, though some states restrict consumer reporting agencies from reporting convictions older than seven years. Until an expungement goes through, the conviction is visible to any employer running a standard check.