Talk:List of alcohol laws of the United States

Louisiana
The section on Louisiana is not accurate... municipalities can indeed restrict liquor sales to dedicated liquor stores. You mainly see this in the northern part of the state, Shreveport/Bossier City in particular. The current description is probably a product of bias towards South Louisiana being representative of the whole state. I'd edit this myself, but the only evidence I have is my own observations, i.e. primary research. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.42.192.246 (talk) 02:59, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I can attest to this. In Ruston in north central LA, there are no alcohol sales on Sundays, no sales after midnight, and no wine or spirits sales whatsoever (these can be purchased in neighboring Grambling). --Justin (173.217.236.61 (talk) 20:11, 23 July 2011 (UTC))

Connecticut
The table is broken for Connecticut -- It seems to have an extra time column and perhaps an extra "no" in its own column. I am not sure exactly what is supposed to go where, so I did not edit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pinochet (3) (talk • contribs) 00:36, 8 October 2009 (UTC)
 * looking through the revision history, saw that someone added "|9 a.m.--11p.m." to the table a few days ago, creating an extra cell, which was what had disrupted the formatting. I reverted that change in order to fix the table, but could use someone to confirm what the hours in CT actually are. Pinochet (3) (talk) 00:44, 8 October 2009 (UTC)

liqour stores
are liqour stores poen in mo. on thanksgiving day? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.76.171.161 (talk) 21:00, 26 November 2009 (UTC)

Minimum Bar Entry Age
A new column describing state laws concerning minimum bar entry age would be very useful. 64.134.160.51 (talk) 12:32, 11 December 2009 (UTC)

I agree, that would be good info. Also: how about a definition of "on-premesis" as it relates to alcohol sales. I don't think that's made very clear on the page.

Peace! Mike the Pharmacist (talk) 11:32, 21 December 2009 (UTC)

Yes, I also agree that that would be very useful. It is very hard to find information concerning minimum bar entry age. There has to be someone who knows enough to start a page about that. User:VladJ92 —Preceding undated comment added 01:22, 2 June 2010 (UTC).

Utah
The portion on Utah is incorrect when it says beer can be 4.0, if it is sold in a grocery store or on tap it is 3.2% or less, not 4% —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.187.252.100 (talk) 00:29, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Colorado
The map of bans on Sunday off-premises sales is outdated at this point. Colorado changed their laws a year or two ago. KLuwak (talk) 20:11, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

North Carolina
North Carolina's abc is only open till eight Monday through Thursday  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.184.132.78 (talk) 14:32, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

BARTENDER DRINKING WHILE AT WORK
CAN A BARTENDER DRINK WHILE WORKING AND CAN A PERSON BE ASLEEP IN A TABLE AND I DONT HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL THEM TO LEAVE? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.163.89.200 (talk) 14:57, 22 March 2010 (UTC)
 * This isn't the place to ask this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.58.124.116 (talk) 01:43, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

KY alcohol Law
The laws listed here about KY are years old. Not only that but they aren't county specific which is a transitional matter this decade. I would updated but the ky.gov site is apparently down @ the moment. Be back to fix it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lycanter (talk • contribs) 05:12, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

Individual Notes
It would be nice to be able to compare notes from different states. The way it stands now, Different states have notes about different issues. It would be nice to be able to compare different issues discussed in the notes sections across states. More columns? New design? comments please. Or does anything need to be done. Btw.. Also I understand that this is just and overview. Just wondering if more detail would be appreciated. Thehotshotpilot (talk) 18:04, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

On-premises and off-premises
The terms "on-premises" and "off-premises" need to be defined. They aren't immediately understood by everyone, especially not people from outside the U.S. I'd do it myself if I knew what they meant, but I don't. +Angr 18:05, 4 May 2010 (UTC)
 * These two terms might be defined differently in different jurisdictions. In Ohio, they are used to differentiate between liquor broker representatives based on job duties.  Those who are called "on-premise" reps are the ones who visit bars, restaurants, and other permit holders for the purpose of trying to interest them in ordering and selling the products their brokers represent.  Those who are called "off-premise" reps are the ones who visit the contract liquor agencies for the purpose of trying to interest those agencies in carrying those products they represent which have not already been placed there by the Division of Liquor Control as well as assist the agency owner by supplying promotional materials, building displays, and making product transfers and urgent deliveries under the direction of the Division of Liquor Control.  The terms may also be used to distinguish between locations where certain activities may or may not take place (for instance, to indicate that alcohol may or may not be consumed on the premises covered by a liquor sales permit).  NorthCoastReader (talk) 03:23, 24 December 2012 (UTC)
 * It's pretty straightforward. On premises means in the store, off premises means outside the store. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.58.124.116 (talk) 01:27, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Massachusetts
I lived in Massachusetts for years and visit frequently and I've never seen liquor for sale in any grocery store, despite what this article says. The reference provided is long and written in legalese, and doesn't appear to address grocery stores at all. This seems to be an error, or am I missing something? R. fiend (talk) 20:52, 25 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Residency and chain restrictions. If you have a chain, only three of your locations can have licenses, and only if you're headquartered in Massachusetts or you've bought out someone who'd already had one.  A lot of our liquor stores, you must have noticed, essentially are small grocery stores, or at least convenience stores, with less than half their shelves devoted to alcohol.  But most people primarily go to the chains, which only occasionally have licenses that they get by buying out local businesses (for instance, the Whole Foods in Hadley carries beer and wine, having bought out an older store called "Bread & Circuses").  Twin Bird (talk) 01:17, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

"I lived in Massachusetts for years and visit frequently and I've never seen liquor for sale in any grocery store, despite what this article says." That's "original research" and does not apply. If original research were allowed, I would cite numerous grocery stores; e.g. Trader Joe's in Framingham, Colella's in Hopkinton, etc. Beer and wine sales in Massachusetts grocery stores are common. Hard liquor in grocery stores is less common, but still exists. Whether your original research supports that is irrelevent to this article. The article is about the law; cite the law as reference. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.68.134.1 (talk) 17:59, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

The section on supermarkets and grocery stores selling booze in Massachusetts has been repeatedly edited in error. Beer and wine off-premises sales in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, even gas-station convenience stores, are allowed with the appropriate licence. Even hard liquor sales is allowed, although it is not very common in the state. The grocery store sales column should contain the word "Yes" in the Massachusetts section. The reference cited in the most recent erroneous edit does NOT support the edit. It lists several kinds of businesses that need licenses. The list contains package stores, grocery stores, taverns, etc, but does not in any way support the claim the a "special permit" is required for grocery store off-premises sales, nor does it support the claim that "most sales [are] restricted to licensed package stores". It's simply not true. Although it's probably true that more beer is sold in package stores than in grocery stores in the state, there is absolutely no restriction in state law that requires it. Please stop editing this information erroneously. This article is about state law. In Massachusetts, state law allows beer, wine, and liquor to be sold in grocery stores (including supermarkets and conveniance stores). Yes, they need to be licensed, like all businesses that sell alcohol in the state. Unless you can cite an actual state law or regulation that really contradicts this, leave the word "Yes" in the grocery store column in the Massachusetts section. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.68.134.1 (talk) 19:40, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

The recent edit that added this erroneous information is "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state&diff=501618582&oldid=501204889". I am reverting. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.68.134.1 (talk) 19:42, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Mississippi
I'm not sure when this should be updated, but the law in Mississippi will allow 8% abw starting on July 1st 2012. I haven't edited a page with as much formatting so I'll leave that to those more experienced.

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2012/pdf/history/SB/SB2878.xml

There are some other bills in committee, but this one has been signed by the governor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Southdeltan (talk • contribs) 14:54, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Table too big
This table is too big. Instead, we should have a brief text summarizing the data for each state and a link to the separate article for each state, like the list of smoking bans. (Heroeswithmetaphors)  talk  15:11, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

Regarding giving alcohol to underage persons in ohio
I think someone misrepresented the source linked in the notes section of the table under Ohio. This article says it is legal to give alcohol to underage persons if accompanied by a parent, but the source linked says 'low-alcohol' beverage, which would be like odouls. Fixed the wording in the article to make this clear that it is only beverages with 0.5% alcohol or less. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.58.124.116 (talk) 01:23, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Alcohol purchase age
This article claims that all 50 states had a minimum age of 21 to purchase alcohol in 1988. This is not true. Louisiana's alcohol purchase age was 18 until 1995. I remember because my sister was able to buy alcoholic drinks from age 18-19, then the law changed on her 19th birthday, which was in August of 1995. She had to wait two more years to legally purchase alcohol again, but at the time of her 21st birthday she was on the road in a dry county. 209.169.98.101 (talk) 03:34, 31 May 2013 (UTC)B. Gaillot
 * Are you sure? Louisiana would have lost some of its highway funding(which was upheld in South Dakota v. Dole)  Or maybe somebody just let your sister illegally purchase alcohol.  Or maybe she was allowed to purchase a low-alcohol beer like South Dakota. Regardless, if Louisiana has its alcohol laws online, it should be possible to confirm that. 331dot (talk) 11:38, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
 * This has been added. Terrorist96 (talk) 06:58, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

Tennessee
The section stating that open container laws apply only to drivers and not passengers is misleading. See Tenn. Code Ann § 55-10-416(c) -- this allows any county in TN to place heavier restrictions upon open container laws on passengers in a motor vehicle. I choose not to modify the article as I would get flamed for not being logged in. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.230.243.9 (talk) 01:50, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

State Alcohol pages missing, redirects to self
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.

This is mentioned at near top of the article, so when I wanted more detail on Arizona's alcohol laws, I clicked the link for it.

It redirected me back to this exact page. In which case, where do I go for more detailed information?

I have not checked any other state pages to do the same. My computer is acting up, and freezes easily, sometimes just by clicking a link. I'd rather not test that for 49 more pages. 68.231.138.149 (talk) 04:21, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
 * The pages are not missing, they just haven't been created yet. 331dot (talk) 10:02, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Indian reservations?
I know in some areas of the law (for example, gambling casinos), Indian Reservations differ from the state they are located in. Is this also the case concerning alcohol laws? (I would expect a number of Reservations to be more restrictive, due to problems with chronic alcoholism.) -- llywrch (talk) 19:59, 29 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Indian tribes are considered sovereign nations and can make their own laws. Some of them sell cigarettes without levying state taxes due to this(which those states do not like).  This is also how they can operate their own casinos in states where it is illegal to do so(after passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act).  I'm not sure what alcohol laws they have, but they can have their own. 331dot (talk) 03:02, 30 March 2014 (UTC)
 * The point of my question was to ask (1) if it were possible to document those laws, & if so (2) would this information be best presented in this article? -- llywrch (talk) 15:45, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
 * I think such information would be worthy of having an article, just as a state or any other nation does. It would warrant some sort of mention in this article as well, perhaps noting how tribes can have their own laws and major differences(if any) with state laws. 331dot (talk) 22:13, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

History of these idiotic laws
I find it mind boggling that after 10 minutes of searching the Internet, I still can't find any source (let alone an authoritative one) about the origins of these ridiculous laws. Anyone? I'll happily wikify and reference. -- Dandv ( talk &#124; contribs ) 11:10, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Most alcohol laws arose after Prohibition ended and the states were given the right to regulate alcohol; the origins section of that article might be relevant. As to the reasoning/history behind specific laws, I have found a few for Alcohol laws of Maine; for other laws/states you may need to consult state legislative debate records or the state laws themselves(which sometimes contain a preamble explaining the reasoning behind them) 331dot (talk) 09:50, 23 May 2014 (UTC)

Purchase/Consumption Age (and Exceptions) Column Missing
In the first table (Alabama - Hawaii) there are two columns on AGE: Purchase (21) and Consumption (many local excpetions).

THESE TWO "AGE" COLUMNS are missing in second (Idaho - Massachusetts), third (Michigan - New Mexico), fourth (New York - South Dakota), fifth (Tennessee - Wyomin, Puerto Rico) TABLES.

Lost along the way no doubt. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.111.82.134 (talk) 21:54, 1 July 2015 (UTC)
 * I added the cells. Will slowly fill with info. Feel free to help out. Terrorist96 (talk) 07:26, 10 November 2015 (UTC)
 * Some info still missing. Acwilson9 (talk) 19:47, 14 February 2019 (UTC)

BAC Limits
Hello. I found a website called Alcohol Policy Information System and they have a list of states that changed their BAC limit laws from .10% to .08% from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s. Also has information related to recreational boaters and underage drivers. Just wondering if it would be worth adding it to the table or should be in BAC article. Thanks for your help. Jay (talk) 22:15, 15 April 2017 (UTC)

Rearrange Table? Breakout?
The "Notes" column on the tables have grown steadily longer for each state over time and it seems that perhaps it's time to do a Breakout? Possibly multiple tables (similar to how some of the "Comparison" articles are ... perhaps even this should really be "Comparison of alcohol laws [...]" instead of merely a list?)

There are some distinct columns/data points that would be interesting to visualize:


 * TEA-21 compliance (e.g. open container law)
 * State-level pre-emption law (i.e. Counties/political subdivisions are not permitted to have a stricter law than that set by the state)
 * Dry counties / Wet counties (perhaps even a % comparison ... )
 * Permits 24 hour sales
 * Has any form of Blue law (e.g. any day of the week has a different permissible sales time than any other day)

Any thoughts?

Jewell D D (talk) 19:40, 13 August 2020 (UTC)

Pennsylvania
My home state certainly does have some byzantine liquor laws but they have loosened up a little in some areas. It is no longer the case that spirits are sold only at what we used to call "state stores." Just in my area there are a number of craft distillers that sell spirits on site. I won't change anything here until I find a citation for whatever legislative change allowed this. PurpleChez (talk) 20:20, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Distilling
I'll distill however much I want to distill and there's literally nothing anyone can do about it. Stuff it unconstitutional law. 50.35.105.208 (talk) 07:10, 18 September 2022 (UTC)