United States of America
Map of open container laws in the United States by state, as of September 2007 Main article: Alcohol laws of the United States by state 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- See also: Alcohol laws of Kansas The alcohol laws of Kansas are among the strictest in the United States, in sharp contrast to its neighboring state of Missouri , but much like (though still stricter than) its other neighboring state of Oklahoma (see Alcohol laws of Oklahoma). Legislation is enforced by the Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Alcohol laws of Missouri The alcohol laws of Missouri are among the most permissive in the United States; they are similar to those of Nevada and Louisiana. Missouri is known for this approach throughout the Midwest; it stands in sharp contrast to some of its neighboring states’ very strict alcohol laws, Alcohol laws of New York The alcohol laws of New York are among the most lenient of any state in the Atlantic Northeast of the United States, but they remain considerably more restrictive than those of Louisiana, Missouri , Nevada, Illinois, New Mexico, and Arizona, Alcohol laws of North Carolina, Alcohol laws of Oklahoma The alcohol laws of Oklahoma comprehensively limit and regulate the sale of alcohol in Oklahoma. Much like its neighboring state of Kansas , Oklahoma's approach to alcohol is quite strict
In the United States, the places where alcohol may be sold and/or possessed, like all other alcohol restrictions, varies from state to state. Some states, like Nevada Nevada ( /nəˈvæːdə/ ) is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is the "Silver State," due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there. In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state to enter the union, and, Louisiana The State of Louisiana ( /luːˌiːziːˈænə/ or /ˌluːziːˈænə/ (help·info), French: État de Louisiane, pronounced [lwizjan] (help·info), [[:Template:Léta de la Lwizyàn]]) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state, Missouri Missouri (pronounced /mɨˈzʊəri/ , locally /mɨˈzʊərə/) is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city. Missouri's capital is Jefferson City. The four, and Connecticut Connecticut ( /kəˈnɛtɪkət/ ) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south (because various islands of New York span Connecticut's entire coast), have very permissive and laissez-faire Laissez-faire (pronunciation: French, [lɛsefɛʁ] ; English, ˌleɪseɪˈfɛər (help·info)) is a term used to describe a policy of allowing events to take their own course. The term is a French phrase literally meaning "let do". It is a doctrine that holds that the state generally should not intervene in the marketplace alcohol laws, whereas other states, like Kansas Kansas ( /ˈkænzəs/ ) is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name (natively kką:ze) is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind", although this and Oklahoma Oklahoma ( /ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə/ ) is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles (177,847 km²), Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning &, have very strict alcohol laws.
Many U.S. states require that distilled liquor be sold only in dedicated liquor stores A liquor store is the American and Canadian name for a type of convenience store which specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages in the countries where its consumption is strongly regulated. In alcoholic beverage control states, liquor stores often sell only distilled spirits or sometimes sell distilled spirits and wine but not beer. ABC-run. In fourteen alcoholic beverage control states Alcoholic beverage control states, generally called control states, are those in the United States that have state monopoly over the wholesaling and/or retailing of some or all categories of alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (Alabama Alabama /ˌæləˈbæmə/ ) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland waterways. The state ranks 23, Idaho Idaho ( /ˈaɪdəhoʊ/ ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans." Idaho was admitted to the Union on 3 July 1890 as the 43rd state, Maine The State of Maine ( /ˈmeɪn/ ) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of New England and is the easternmost, Mississippi Mississippi ( /ˌmɪsɨˈsɪpi/ ) is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River"). The state is heavily forested outside of the, Montana Montana ( /mɒnˈtænə/ ) is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name, derived from the Spanish word montañ, New Hampshire New Hampshire ( /nuːˈhæmpʃər/ ) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New, North Carolina North Carolina ( /ˌnɔrθ kærəˈlaɪnə/ ) is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties and its capital is Raleigh, Oregon Oregon (pronounced /ˈɔəɹɨɡən/ OR-i-gən) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern boundaries, Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( /ˌpɛnsɨlˈveɪnjə/ ), often colloquially referred to as PA (its postal abbreviation, which succeeds the archaic Penn. and Penna. as common abbreviations) by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and, Utah Utah (pronounced /ˈjuːtɔː/ or /ˈjuːtɑː/ ) is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making the, Vermont Vermont ( /vərˈmɒnt/ ) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, 9,250 square miles (24,000 km2), and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state (surpassed only by Wyoming). The only New England state with no coastline, Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia is an American state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography of the state is shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay,, Washington Washington ( /ˈwɑʃiŋtɪn/ ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the forty-second state in 1889. The United, and Wyoming Wyoming ( /waɪˈoʊmɪŋ/ ) is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest U.S. state by size, Wyoming is), liquor stores are run by the state itself, ostensibly to prevent young cashiers from allowing sales to underage friends while pretending to verify their age. In Nevada Nevada ( /nəˈvæːdə/ ) is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is the "Silver State," due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there. In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state to enter the union, and, Missouri Missouri (pronounced /mɨˈzʊəri/ , locally /mɨˈzʊərə/) is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city. Missouri's capital is Jefferson City. The four, and Louisiana The State of Louisiana ( /luːˌiːziːˈænə/ or /ˌluːziːˈænə/ (help·info), French: État de Louisiane, pronounced [lwizjan] (help·info), [[:Template:Léta de la Lwizyàn]]) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state however, state law does not specifically enumerate the precise locations where alcohol may be sold, allowing even gas stations A gas station, fueling station, filling station, service station, petrol station, Garage , gasbar, petrol pump or petrol bunk (India) is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are petrol (gasoline in U.S. and Canada) or diesel fuel to sell any alcoholic beverage as if they were liquor stores. In some states, liquor sales are prohibited on Sunday by a blue law A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping. Most have been repealed, have been declared unconstitutional, or are simply unenforced, although prohibitions on the sale of alcoholic.
This convenience store in Michigan Michigan ( /ˈmɪʃɨɡən/ ) is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake" had its retail license suspended for two weeks because it sold alcoholic beverages to minors.Most U.S. states follow a three-tier The Three-tier system of alcohol distribution is the system for distributing alcoholic beverages set up in the United States after the repeal of Prohibition. The three tiers are producers, distributors, and retailers. A producer must sell to a distributor who must then sell to a retailer. Producers include brewers, wine makers, distillers and system where producers cannot sell directly to retailers, but must instead sell to distributors, who in turn sell to retailers. Exceptions often exist for brewpubs (pubs which brew their own beer) and wineries, which are allowed to sell their products directly to consumers. Although all U.S. states have laws against drunk driving (usually defined as driving with at or above 0.08% blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content or blood alcohol concentration is the concentration of alcohol in a person's blood. BAC is most commonly used as a metric of intoxication for legal or medical purposes. It is usually measured in terms of mass per volume, but can also be measured in terms of mass per mass. Blood alcohol concentration is given in many different), most U.S. states also do not allow open containers of alcohol inside of moving vehicles. The federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century of 1999 mandates that if a state does not prohibit open containers of alcohol inside of all moving vehicles, a percentage of its federal highway funds will be transferred instead to alcohol education programs each year. As of November, 2007, only one state (Mississippi Mississippi ( /ˌmɪsɨˈsɪpi/ ) is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River"). The state is heavily forested outside of the) allows drivers to consume alcohol while driving (below the 0.08% limit), and only seven states (Arkansas Arkansas ( /ˈɑrkənsɔː/ ; AR-kən-saw) is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozarks and the, Connecticut Connecticut ( /kəˈnɛtɪkət/ ) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south (because various islands of New York span Connecticut's entire coast), Delaware Delaware ( /ˈdɛləwɛər/ DEL-ə-wair) is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom (what is now called) Cape Henlopen was originally named, Mississippi Mississippi ( /ˌmɪsɨˈsɪpi/ ) is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River"). The state is heavily forested outside of the, Missouri Missouri (pronounced /mɨˈzʊəri/ , locally /mɨˈzʊərə/) is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city. Missouri's capital is Jefferson City. The four, Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia is an American state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography of the state is shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay,, and West Virginia West Virginia ( /ˌwɛst vərˈdʒɪnjə/ ) is a state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast. The capital and largest city is Charleston) allow passengers to consume alcohol while the vehicle is in motion.
Five U.S. states limit alcohol sales in grocery stores A grocery store is a store established primarily for the retailing of food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells them to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are called supermarkets. Small grocery and gas stations A gas station, fueling station, filling station, service station, petrol station, Garage , gasbar, petrol pump or petrol bunk (India) is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are petrol (gasoline in U.S. and Canada) or diesel fuel to beer at or below 3.2% alcohol Low-alcohol beer is beer with very low or no alcohol content. Most low-alcohol beers are lagers, but there are some low-alcohol ales: Colorado Colorado ( /kɒləˈrædoʊ/ or /kɒləˈrɑːdoʊ/ (help·info)) is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”. It is bordered to, Kansas Kansas ( /ˈkænzəs/ ) is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name (natively kką:ze) is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind", although this, Minnesota Minnesota ( /mɪnɨˈsoʊtə/ ) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state on May 11,, Oklahoma, and Utah. In these states, stronger beverages are restricted to liquor stores. In Oklahoma, liquor stores may not refrigerate any beverage containing more than 3.2% alcohol. Missouri also has provisions for 3.2% beer, but its permissive alcohol laws (when compared to other states) make this type of beer a rarity.
Most states ban drinking alcoholic beverages in public (i.e. in the street). Moreover, even where a state, like Nevada, Louisiana, or Missouri, has no laws against drinking alcoholic beverages in public, the vast majority of cities and counties in them do ban drinking alcoholic beverages in public. Still, in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, the Power & Light District of Kansas City, Missouri, and Beale Street of Memphis, Tennessee, state law specifically allow persons over the age of 21 to possess alcoholic beverages in plastic cups on the street.
Often, bars serving distilled liquor are exempted from smoking bans where they exist in the United States (see list of smoking bans in the United States.)
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