List of alcohol laws of the United States
Template:Mergesection This list of alcohol laws of the United States by state provides an overview of alcohol-related laws by state throughout the United States. This list is not intended to provide a breakdown of such laws by local jurisdiction within a state; see that state's alcohol laws page for more detailed information.
As of 2006 all states have a minimum purchase age of 21. Unlike the states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam have a minimum purchase age of 18.
Entries marked with a * have additional information in the Notes column for that state.
 | This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |
| State | Alcohol beverage control state | Alcohol sale hours | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | Wine | Distilled spirits | On-premises | Off-premises | ||
| Alabama | No | No* | Yes | no later than 2 a.m. on Sundays* | 6% ABV cap on beer Beer containers may not exceed 16 ounces ABV > 14.9% wine sold in state stores Alcohol may be served 24 hours unless restricted by local ordinances | |
| Alaska | No | 8 a.m. – 5 a.m. | Off-premises sales only allowed in liquor stores. | |||
| Arizona | No | 6 a.m. – 2 a.m.* | No alcohol sales before 10 a.m. on Sundays | |||
| Arkansas | No | 7 a.m. – 2 a.m. (Class A Private Club)* 10 a.m. – 5 a.m. (Class B Private Club)* 7 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Restaurant)* |
7 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Mon.-Fri.)* 7 a.m. – midnight (Sat.)* |
Has numerous dry counties and other "dry" areas, but private clubs can serve even in dry areas. Alcohol sales are generally prohibited on Sundays, but exceptions can be made through local option (usually for restaurants and private clubs). No sales on Christmas Day. | ||
| California | No | 6 a.m. – 2 a.m. | Local and/or County ordinance prevails for hours of operation for both on and off sale licenses. Relatively unrestricted: price promotions, wine and liquor available at grocery stores and warehouse clubs Motor vehicles entering from Mexico may only import 1L of alcohol (duty free) | |||
| Colorado | No | 7 a.m. – 2 a.m. | 8 a.m. – midnight (Mon.-Sat.)* | Spirituous, vinous & malt liquor available in liquor stores only. Liquor stores closed on Sundays & Christmas Day. Off-premises sales of 3.2% ABW fermented malt beverages allowed on Sundays. | ||
| Connecticut | No | 9 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Mon.-Thur.)* 9 a.m. – 2 a.m. (Fri.-Sat.)* |
8 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Mon.-Sat.)* | No off-premises sales on Sundays; Sunday on-premises sales subject to local ordinances. No holiday sales. | ||
| Delaware | No | 9 a.m. – 1 a.m. | 9 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Mon.-Sat.) noon – 8 p.m. (Sun.) |
Alcohol may only be purchased in liquor stores | ||
| Florida | No | Sale, possession, or consumption of any liquor or spirit of greater than 153 proof is illegal. (FSS 565.07)
No alcohol sale before 12 p.m. on Sundays. State default law prohibits selling of alcohol between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., unless the county chooses to change the operating hours later. Miami-Dade County liquor stores may operate 24 hours a day. Hillsbrough county no sales 3am to 7 am and on sunday no sales before 11 am | ||||
| Georgia | No | 14% ABV cap on beer No Sunday off-premises sales Hours of sale determined by county | ||||
| Hawaii | No | 11:50 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. | 2:00 a.m unless cabaret license is present, then 4:00 a.m. | |||
| Idaho | No | Yes | 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. | |||
| Illinois | No | |||||
| Indiana | No | 7 a.m. - 3 a.m. Mon-Sat 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Sun (on-premises only) |
7 a.m. - 3 a.m. Mon-Sat | Sales limited to on-premises in restaurants on Sundays
No sales on Christmas or Election Days | ||
| Iowa | No | Yes | 6 a.m. - 2 a.m. Mon-Sat 8 a.m. - 2 a.m. Sun |
ABW > 5% beer shipped through state warehouse | ||
| Kansas | No | 2 a.m. closing | 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Mon-Sat) noon to 8 p.m. (*Sun) |
Sales limited to on-premises in restaurants on Sundays. Some counties in the northeast allow Sunday off-premises liquor sales from noon to 8pm. 3.2% ABV cap on beer sold in supermarkets; Beer above 3.2% ABV, wine and spirits only available at liquor stores. | ||
| Kentucky | No | 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. | 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. | Local ordinance may vote to permit Sunday sales at restaurants. On-premise sales from 2 - 4 a.m. only in Louisville. As of 2005 Sunday sales allowed per state law, but local laws might be more restrictive. | ||
| Louisiana | No | |||||
| Maine | No | No* | Yes | ABV > 15.5% wine sold in state stores. Alcohol may not be purchased after 1am any day of the week, may not be purchased prior to 6am Monday through Saturday, and not prior to 9am on Sunday. | ||
| Maryland | No* | Montgomery County is an alcohol beverage control county. | ||||
| Massachusetts | No | 8 a.m. – 2 a.m.* | 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.* | "Malt beverages" defined as ABW < 12% Sunday on- and off-premise sales start at noon. No alcohol is to be sold at gas stations, convenience stores, or grocery stores unless the store has a special license issued by the state. No "Happy Hours" or other limited time discounts on alcoholic beverages No fixed price open bar/all-you-can-drink (except at private functions) Only 2 drinks can be sold to an individual at any one time for on-premises consumption | ||
| Michigan | No | Yes | 7 a.m.* – 2 a.m. | No sale of alcoholic beverages after 2:00 a.m. and before noon on Sundays. No alcohol sales on Christmas Day. | ||
| Minnesota | No | 8 a.m.-2 a.m. 7 Days | 8 a.m.-8 p.m. (Mon-Thurs) 8 a.m.-10p.m. (Fri-Sat) | No alcohol sales on Sunday. Beer and wine coolers 3.2 ABW or less may be sold in grocery stores and gas stations. Growler sales allowed until 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. | ||
| Mississippi | No | No* | Yes | ABV > 14% wine and sparkling wine sold in state stores
| ||
| Missouri | No | (Mon-Sat) 6:00am-1:30am (Sunday) 9:00am-12:00am | ||||
| Montana | No | No* | Yes | Closing 2am | ABV > 16% wine sold in state stores | |
| Nebraska | No | 6 a.m. – 1 a.m.* | No on- or off-premises sales of liquor before noon on Sundays | |||
| Nevada | No | 24 hours | 24 hours | There are few restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Nevada except for age. | ||
| New Hampshire | No | Yes | 6 a.m. – 1 a.m. | 6 a.m. – 11:45 p.m. | Liquor sold only in State Liquor Stores. 12% ABV cap on beer. | |
| New Jersey | No | 7 a.m. – 2 a.m | All alcohol may be sold only in liquor stores or separately secured sections of supermarkets, with sales rung up within that separately secured portion. Thus, convenience stores in New Jersey are dry.
Some dry communities in southern portion of state. | |||
| New Mexico | No | No alcohol sales before Noon on Sundays | ||||
| New York | No | 8AM – 4AM, except prohibited 4AM – 8am Sunday. Some counties have more restrictive hours. | Beer: Per state law, 24 hours/day except prohibited 3AM – 8AM Sunday. Wine & spirits: 9AM – midnight Mon – Sat, Noon – 9PM Sunday. Many counties have more restrictive hours, such as bans on beer sales overnight (hours vary). |
No sale of wine or spirits before noon on Sundays (on or off premises). Off-premises sale of wine and spirits is only at liquor stores, and beer is not sold at liquor stores. All wine or spirit sales are final; no returns or exchanges of purchases are permitted.
Some counties may retain the Sunday morning beer prohibition which the state discontinued as of July 30, 2006. Twelve dry towns, mostly in western region of state. All liquor stores must be owned by a single owner, who owns that store and lives within a certain distance of it — in effect banning chain liquor stores from the state. | ||
| North Carolina | No | Yes | 15% ABV cap on beer, No sale of alcoholic beverages from 2 a.m. until noon on Sundays, State stores closed on Sundays. | |||
| North Dakota | No | |||||
| Ohio | No | Yes | 12% ABV cap on beer. The Division of Liquor Control does not operate retail outlets; it appoints private businesses to act as its agents and sell its products in exchange for a commission.
Beer cannot be sold to a customer at a supermarket by a minor and must be carried out of the store within an opaque bag. | |||
| Oklahoma | No | 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 3.2% ABW or less in stores 6.0% only sold at room temperature in liquor stores, Liquor Stores closed on Sundays | ||
| Oregon | No | Yes | 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. | Liquor sold only in State Liquor Stores | ||
| Pennsylvania | No | Yes | State Liquor stores open from 11a.m. to 9p.m. mon-sat. and from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday | Wine and spirits can only be sold at State-operated stores, beer can be purchased at beverage outlets or restaurants with Liquor Control Board-issued licenses but not supermarkets or convenience stores. Sunday sales were prohibited in LCB stores until 2003 (selected locations) and beverage outlets (owner's option) until 2005. | ||
| Rhode Island | No | |||||
| South Carolina | No | 5% ABW (6.25% ABV) cap on beer Wine > 16% ABV sold in liquor stores No liquor sales after 7 p.m. and none on Sundays. No alcohol sales after midnight Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday, except in Aiken, Greenville, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head. No sales on election days at liquor stores. | ||||
| South Dakota | No | 14% ABV cap on beer | ||||
| Tennessee | No | 8 am to 11 pm mon-sat | Wine is only sold in liquor stores. | |||
| Texas | No | 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. | 7 a.m. to midnight (or 1 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning) - Beer/Non-hard liquor 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Hard Liquor |
No alcohol cap but ABV > 15.5% requires additional license, so many places are beer/wine only. Wet/dry issues determined by city/county election. Liquor stores statewide closed all day Sunday. An alcoholic beverage served (on-premise) to a customer between 10 a.m. and noon on Sunday must be provided during the service of food to the customer. Texas does not permit the consumption of alcohol by minors under 21, even under the supervision of parents/guardians. | ||
| Utah | No* | Yes | ABV > 3.2% beer sold in state controlled stores only. State controlled store closed on Sundays and cease operations no later than 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Restaurants and "Private Clubs" must buy from the State controlled store (no delivery) at retail prices. No alcohol served on Election Day until 8PM. No alcohol served in restaurants without purchase of food. Only 3.2% beer available on tap. | |||
| Vermont | No | No* | Yes | 8 a.m. – 2 a.m. | 6 a.m. – midnight | ABV > 16% wine sold in state stores |
| Virginia | No | No* | Yes | 6 a.m. – 2 a.m. | 6 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. | ABV >14% wine sold in state stores. State stores closed on Sundays, except in Northern Virginia, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. |
| Washington | No | Yes | 6 a.m. – 2 a.m.* | Beer and wine available in grocery stores and convenience stores every day (including holidays) from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Spirits for off-premise consumption are sold only in state-run or state-contracted liquor stores. Store hours vary by location, but no store is open before 9 a.m. and all stores must be closed by 10 p.m. Some stores are open Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stores are not required by law to close on holidays, but seemingly all stores are closed on any federal holiday (whether or not to close on a holiday is at the discretion of the store manager) | ||
| West Virginia | No | Yes | 6% ABV Cap on Beer. No Sunday liquor sales. No sale of 95% ABV spirits allowed in Morgantown or Huntington (and soon statewide). State does not operate retail stores; retains monopoly over wholesaling of distilled spirits only. | |||
| Wisconsin | No | 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Wisconsin permits the consumption of alcohol by minors, provided they are being supervised by parents/guardians. | |||
| Wyoming | No | Yes | ||||
| District of Columbia | No | 8 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. Mon.-Thu., 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. Fri-Sat., 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. Sun. | 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. | No singles sold Certain wards may be made dry by the decision of the local ANC, but as of 2005 none are Last call may be as late as 2:30 a.m. Liquor stores must close on Sundays. Grocery stores, which are allowed to sell beer and wine only, can sell alcohol on Sundays. | ||
| Puerto Rico | No | Minimum drinking age is 18. Dry law during elections and hurricane emergencies Drinking on the street is illegal in San Juan but not in all cities. Determined by municipal ordinance. In San Juan, the only time of the year one can drink on the street legally is the San Sebastian Street festival in January. | ||||