Listen
Last month, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission conducted more than 900 sting operations across the state. Agents would enter a store with an underage volunteer who tries to purchase alcohol.
TABC spokesman Chris Porter says they visited 111 retailers in Harris County, and only nine sold alcohol to minors.
"Retailers in Houston are trying to do the right thing and trying to make sure that they maintain compliance of the law, and they're doing a good job of educating their employees and just letting people know there's a zero tolerance policy for selling alcohol to minors here in Texas," Porter says.
Across the state, 91 percent of businesses were in compliance. There was only one violation in Galveston County, and none in Montgomery or Fort Bend Counties. Porter thinks the fear of possible penalties helps keep retailers in line.
"You know it's a very serious issue, and it could result in some serious fines for these businesses or even a suspension of their license," he says.
Porter says the Dallas/Fort Worth region had the highest rate of violations. Officers visited 245 retailers, and 32 sold alcohol to minors.