Are Liquor Stores Open or Closed on Veterans Day 2021?

Getty Are liquor stores open today?

Are liquor stores open for Veterans Day today on Thursday, November 11, 2021? The answer is a little complicated and depends on the laws in your state. Read on for more details.

Many Liquor Stores Are Open for Veterans Day, But Not All

Most liquor stores will likely remain open today, but not all, depending on local regulations. Typically, liquor stores remain open on holidays such as Veterans Day, Presidents Day, and Columbus Day. But there are exceptions. We always recommend calling your local store to make sure, as hours often vary by location.

States that do not control liquor sales, and thus are more likely to have open liquor stores today, include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin, according to Legal Beer. But even states that don’t control liquor sales might still have rules closing liquor stores on certain holidays, and states that do control liquor stores may choose to be open on certain holidays.

You’ll want to call your local liquor store before stopping by, even if you’re not in a state-controlled region.

Local State Laws & Veterans Day

Here’s a look at local state laws as they pertain to Veterans Day. Many of the details below are provided by Legal Beer, VinePair, or Wikipedia’s detailed page on alcohol laws here.

If a listing below says that liquor sales are not state-controlled, then it means that liquor stores are more likely to be open today. Laws can also change from time to time, which means some information below might, on rare occasions, be outdated. It’s best to call before heading over, just in case your local store decided to close anyway. But this guide will help give you an overview on what to expect.

• Alabama – Some counties don’t allow the sale of alcohol at all. However, many other liquor stores will be open today. For example, according to their website, ABC stores are all open today.
• Alaska – No specific holiday restrictions.
• Arizona – Alcohol is not is state-controlled, so there aren’t holiday-specific restrictions. You may still want to call your local store first.
• Arkansas – About 39 out of 75 counties in Arkansas are dry and prohibit alcohol sales. However, alcohol sales are not banned on Veterans Day. You may still want to call before heading over.
• California – No statewide holiday restrictions, so stores can be open. You may still want to call before heading over.
• Colorado – No statewide holiday restrictions (unlike Christmas.) You may still want to call before heading over.
• Connecticut  – Sales aren’t state-controlled. You may still want to call before heading over, but typically sales are only banned on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Mass Live said liquor stores could be open today.
• D.C.  – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open today. In fact, alcohol establishments can sell and serve alcohol at extended hours until 4 a.m. on this eligible holiday. You may still want to call before heading over.
• Delaware – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open today. (Sales are still prohibited on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, however.)
• Florida – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open. You may still want to call before heading over.
• Georgia – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open. You may still want to call before heading over.
• Hawaii – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open. You may still want to call before heading over.
• Idaho  – Spirit sales are state-controlled, but stores will likely be open. for example, MixBlendEnjoy.com noted that for this Veterans Day, all Idaho State Liquor Division Stores will be open regular hours and all contract stores may be open.
• Illinois – No statewide restrictions. Decisions are made by counties or municipalities. You may want to call before visiting.
• Indiana – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so yes stores are allowed to be open if they wish. You may want to call before visiting.
• Iowa – Sales are state-controlled, but Iowa does allow sales on Veterans Day. You’ll still want to check with your local store before heading over.
• Kansas – It’s not state-controlled. Kansas’ website currently only lists Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas as prohibited days, but you’ll still want to call your local liquor store and check.
• Kentucky – Sales are not state-controlled. But some laws on holiday sales may vary city-to-city.
• Louisiana – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open. Check with your local store on hours of operation.
• Maine – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open. Check with your local store on hours of operation.
• Maryland – Sales aren’t state-controlled. But some local municipalities may have holiday sales rules. In Montgomery County, you can see all the ABS store hours for today here, and all stores are listed as being open on Veterans Day.
• Massachusetts – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can operate. Massachusetts only closes liquor stores by state law on Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Michigan – Sales are state-controlled, but holiday hours typically are only limited on New Year’s Day and Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. You’ll still want to call your local store for details.
• Minnesota – Sales aren’t state-controlled, and stores can typically be open on Veterans Day. However, you’ll still want to call before visiting.
• Mississippi — While sales are limited on some holidays, Veterans Day isn’t one of them. However, check with your local store to make sure they’re open before heading over.
• Missouri –  Sales aren’t state-controlled. There are only some rules in place for Sundays, but not on Thursdays. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• Montana – Sales are state-controlled and Veterans Day is one of the days where liquor stores must be closed. Montana requires state agency franchise liquor stores to be closed on Labor Day, New Year’s Day, MLK, President’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
• Nebraska – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• Nevada – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• New Hampshire – Liquor is sold in government-run stores, but expect them to be open today. The New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet, for example, says on its website that while the corporate office is closed, their stores will still be open for regular hours on Veterans Day. Two locations are temporarily closed due to staffing limitations.
• New Jersey – No statewide restrictions, but there are dry communities. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• New Mexico – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• New York  – No statewide restrictions. Some local areas may have restrictions, so call ahead.
• North Carolina – The state statute requires that stores be closed on Sundays and major holidays, but Veterans Day does not appear to be one of those. Sales are state-controlled. ABC Commission notes that no ABC store employee shall sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays, New Year’s, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Veterans Day is not on the list of restricted days.
• North Dakota: No statewide restrictions for Veterans Day. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• Ohio – No statewide restrictions for Veterans Day. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• Oklahoma – Alcohol sales are forbidden on some holidays even though liquor sales aren’t state-controlled, but Veterans Day is not listed among those. So stores should be open today, but all ahead to make sure.
• Oregon – Stores have the option of being open on all state holidays including Veterans Day.
• Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania is stricter. A growing number of grocery stores are selling beer and wine now, but liquor sales are still limited to state-run stores. However, Veterans Day sales are allowed. This year, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board noted that stores normally open on Thursdays will be open for their regular operating hours on Veterans Day. You can see a list of individual store hours here.
• Rhode Island – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Sales are at the store owner’s discretion.
• South Carolina – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Call to confirm the store hours, since local store owners might change their hours for the holidays.
• South Dakota – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so stores can be open, but not all may choose to do so.
• Tennessee –  Sales aren’t state-controlled. Call to confirm your local store is open.
• Texas – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Liquor stores are open on Veterans Day, but not on Christmas or New Year’s. Check with your local store for hours.
• Utah – Utah.gov notes that all state liquor stores in Utah are closed on Veterans Day this year.
• Vermont – Liquor sales are controlled by the state, according to Legal Beer. Check with your local stores in case they’re open, as there’s no record of stores being closed today.
• Virginia – Sales are state-controlled. The state-run stores are typically open on Veterans Day for regular hours, but check your store to make sure. A searchable list of the ABC stores is here.
• Washington – Sales are state-controlled. However, sometimes some state-run stores are open on Veterans Day, so call to check what your local store is doing.
• West Virginia – Sales are state-controlled. However, call your local liquor store because Veterans Day sales are typically allowed. An ABCA document does not mention any restrictions on Veterans Day.
• Wisconsin – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so call your local store to check on holiday hours.
• Wyoming — Sales are state-controlled but some stores are open. Check with your local store.

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