When are liquor stores open? (Getty)
It’s New Year’s, and you’re probably wanting to go out and buy some liquor for a big New Year’s Eve party. Or maybe you just want a few drinks for a quiet night at home. Unfortunately, it can be tough to figure out what hours stores are open in your state because of liquor sales laws. Some states require liquor stores to be closed on New Year’s, others just don’t allow any sales on Sundays, and others may close early today. Below is a basic rundown of liquor sales laws per state, as they may pertain to New Year’s. However, these may not all be accurate, since local municipalities and cities can change their laws or restrict hours, and state laws can change. So before you head out to your closest liquor store, give them a call and make sure that they’re open.
Remember: it’s illegal everywhere to drink and drive. If you’re drinking, call a cab, a Lyft, an Uber, or a friend for a ride home. (For more tips on coupon codes and how to get free rides tonight, see our story here.)
Below is a state-by-state list, in alphabetical order, of liquor store and alcohol sales laws. (This information does not constitute legal advice.) Because New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, Sunday sales rules will affect the holiday this year.
- Alabama – The only prohibition is that stores can’t sell until noon on Sundays (New Year’s Day) in some counties.
- Alaska – No specific holiday restrictions.
- Arizona – Liquor laws don’t provide specific prohibitions on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day sales in Arizona. Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. A “blue law” preventing sales on Sunday was repealed in 2010.
- Arkansas – Alcohol sales aren’t allowed on Sundays (New Year’s Day), although there can be exceptions. Note that about 39 out of 75 counties in Arkansas are dry and prohibit alcohol sales completely.
- California – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide holiday restrictions.
- Colorado – No statewide holiday restrictions. Sunday restrictions were lifted back in 2008.
- Connecticut – Some stores may be open on New Year’s Eve, but sales aren’t permitted on New Year’s Day. Some local areas restrict Sunday sales too.
- D.C. – More sales are allowed on New Year’s Eve. On-premise retailers can sell liquor until 4 a.m. on January 1.
- Delaware – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions, like there are for Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas.
- Florida – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions, but some counties prohibit alcohol sales on Sundays.
- Georgia – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve, but some local communities don’t allow Sunday sales. No statewide New Year’s restrictions, like there are on Christmas.
- Hawaii – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Idaho – No statewide New Year’s restrictions, but alcoholic beverages exceeding 15 percent can only be sold in contracted stores or in Idaho State Liquor Dispensary stores.
- Illinois – No statewide New Year’s restrictions. Decisions are made by counties or municipalities. Some regions sell 24-hours a day, some have 24-hour bans.
- Indiana – No statewide New Year’s restrictions, like on Christmas. However, alcohol sales aren’t permitted on Sunday, except at wineries, breweries, and distilleries. (For the first time in 2015, sales of alcohol on Christmas Day were allowed.)
- Iowa – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Kansas – Kansas has strict alcohol laws. Sunday sales were just permitted since 2005, but many counties have very strict rules, even though there are no statewide New Year’s restrictions like there are for Christmas and Easter.
- Kentucky – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. However, this can vary from city to city, depending on local ordinances.
- Louisiana – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Maine – On New Year’s, alcohol can be sold one hour later. No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Maryland – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. However, some counties don’t allow sales on Sundays.
- Massachusetts – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions, but there are many other restrictions.
- Michigan – On-premises sales are allowed on January 1 until 4 a.m., but local laws may restrict sales.
- Minnesota – Many stores are open on New Year’s Eve, but all liquor stores are closed on Sundays. Nearly half the counties are “dry” and don’t allow liquor sales on any day.
- Missouri – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Montana – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Nebraska – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- New Hampshire – No statewide New Year’s restrictions, but liquor is sold in state-run stores.
- New Jersey – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions, but there are dry communities.
- New Mexico – Some stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. There are some restrictions for Sundays.
- New York – No statewide New Year’s restrictions. Some local areas may have restrictions.
- Nevada – Some stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- North Carolina – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Ohio – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Oklahoma – Liquor stores are closed on Sundays and on New Year’s.
- Oregon – No statewide New Year’s restrictions. Liquor is state-owned prior to sale and sold in private liquor stores approved by Oregon.
- Pennsylvania – Wine and spirits are only sold at state-operated stores. Sunday sales were no longer prohibited as of 2003 and 2005. No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Rhode Island – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- South Carolina – Some stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No hard liquor sales are allowed after 7 p.m. or on Sundays. And no off-premises alcohol sales are allowed after midnight Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday (except for a few select counties.)
- South Dakota – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Tennessee – Retail stores must be closed for business on New Year’s Day.
- Texas – Because of local state laws, liquor stores in Texas will be closed on New Year’s Day and on January 2, 2017. Some counties in Texas are dry.
- Utah – Alcohol greater than 4 percent is sold in state-controlled store only, which are closed on Sundays (including New Year’s) and closed every other day at 10 p.m.
- Vermont – No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- Virginia – Many stores will be open on both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. No statewide New Year’s restrictions. For the first time, liquor stores will be open on New Year’s Day, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Washington – Stores can be open on both days. No statewide New Year’s restrictions.
- West Virginia – No statewide New Year’s restrictions. Liquor sales are prohibited on Sundays.
- Wisconsin – No specific closing time is required on New Year’s Day on-premises.
For more details on state alcohol laws, see Wikipedia’s detailed page here and Legal Beer’s page here.
