10 a.m. – midnight Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – midnight. Saturday: 7 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Sunday morning) Sunday: 10 a.m. – midnight.
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Can you buy alcohol in Texas on Sunday?
AUSTIN, Texas – Two bills filed in the Texas House and Senate last month could expand alcohol sales on Sundays. Senate Bill 1288 and House Bill 2200, filed by State Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-Fort Worth) and State Rep. Justin Holland (R-Rockwall) would amend the Alcoholic Beverage Code to change the definition of “liquor” under Texas law, so “spirit coolers” would not be included. (Photo by Gado/Getty Images) Canned cocktails have grown in popularity over the last few years, but under Texas law grocery stores and convenience stores are currently only allowed to sell beer and wine on Sunday. “As industries innovate and new products become staples in the marketplace, it only makes sense for us to take a look at ways government can reduce regulatory red tape,” said Sen.
- Hancock in a statement to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
- I look forward to continuing to work on legislation that keeps free market principles at the core of Texas’ economic success.” A recent survey from the Distilled Spirits Council showed 86 percent of people believed the cocktails should be sold when other ready-to-drink beverages are available for purchase.
If passed, it would be another step in loosening Texas’s alcohol sales laws. In 2021, state leaders allowed beer and wine sales before noon on Sundays. They also voted to allow restaurants to continue allowing to-go cocktails after they were approved during the pandemic.
Is Texas a dry state on Sunday?
What Time Can You Be Served Alcohol in Texas? – Alcohol sales hours are different if you’re being served for consumption on-premises, as you would at a bar or restaurant. For on-premises consumption, the rules are the same whether you’re buying beer, wine, liquor, or mixed drinks.
Sunday start times at bars or restaurants depend on whether you’re ordering food as well – if you are, you can be served at 10 am. If not, you can’t be done either until noon. Alcohol service can begin at 10 am on Sunday during live events at sports venues, festivals, fairs, or concerts, whether food is served. Certain bars or restaurants in the state can serve until 2 am any night of the week with a “late hours” permit. Hotel bars can serve registered guests at any time of day.
Wineries, which are usually a mix of on- and off-premises sales, can operate from 8 am to midnight every day but Sunday, when their hours are 10 am to midnight. Due to COVID-19, on-premises licensees can offer alcohol pickup and delivery for the moment under certain conditions,
Is Texas a wet or dry state?
Texas – Of Texas ‘ 254 counties, 5 are completely dry, 196 are partially dry, and 55 are entirely wet. The vast majority of entirely wet counties are in southern border regions of Texas near Mexico, or in the south central portion. Alcohol law in Texas varies significantly by location.
In some counties, 4% beer is legal. In others, beverages that are 14% or less alcohol are legal. In some “dry” areas, a customer can get a mixed drink by paying to join a “private club,” and in some “wet” areas a customer needs a club membership to purchase liquor by-the-drink.”.Move to Burleson, which has alcohol sales in the Tarrant County portion of the city but not in the Johnson County side of town.” Today beer and wine can be purchased in all parts of Burleson.
The only places in the county where liquor can be purchased are a couple of stores inside the city limits of Alvarado and Rio Vista, A bill passed in 2003 by the Texas Legislature allows for Justice of the Peace precincts to host alcohol option elections.
- To date, this law has allowed many JP precincts, particularly in East Texas, to allow a vote that has resulted in many previously dry counties becoming “moist” and allowing sales of beer and wine, but not liquor.
- Texas law prohibits off-premises sale of liquor (but not beer and wine) all day on Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Off-premises sale of beer and wine on Sunday is only allowed from 10:01 am onward. Texas law also prohibits the sale of alcohol in any ” sexually oriented business ” in a dry county. Strip clubs in these dry counties often sell “set ups” (a cup with soda, ice, and a stirrer to which one can add their own alcohol) and have a BYOB policy to allow patrons to bring their own alcohol into the establishment.
Is Texas still a dry state?
As of February 2023, there are 59 completely wet counties in Texas and four completely dry counties. View wet/dry status of locations across the state (January 2023).
Do grocery stores in Texas sell liquor?
Texas law has long regulated access to hard liquor. Grocery and convenience stores can sell only wine and beer. For the good stuff (say, tequila or bourbon), you have to head to a proper liquor store, which are closed on Sundays by the state’s blue laws, It seems normal if you’ve lived here all your life; you just plan around that. And then you visit another state and realize the wanton revelry involved in picking up a bottle of rum with your pimento cheese and crackers on a Sunday. Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-Fort Worth) has introduced a bill that flirts with challenging the state’s liquor stores monopoly on the “hard” stuff. The bill would allow “spirit coolers” to be sold along with beer and wine in grocery stores, which are sold seven days a week. Meaning hard liquor would be sold in Texas on a Sunday. But aren’t the grocery stores filled with “spirit coolers” like Truly’s and ranch waters already? Well, no. Truly, White Claw and the like — even those buckets of Fireball that have recently landed at grocery stores — are actually made with malt liquor, This bill would allow ready-to-drink (RTDs) cocktails, or “spirit coolers,” like Firestone & Robertson’s TX Whiskey cans of whiskey and cola, which are made with real whiskey, to be sold alongside six-packs of Lone Star. Senate Bill 1288 states that a “spirit cooler” is any alcoholic beverage that consists of “alcohol, spirits of wine, whiskey, rum, brandy, gin, that has an alcoholic content of at least one-half of one percent but not more than 17 percent by volume.” There’s a companion bill in the house, HB2200. A four-pack of Jack Daniel’s lemonade. Lauren Drewes Daniels “> click to enlarge A four-pack of Jack Daniel’s lemonade. Lauren Drewes Daniels For reference, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s is 40% alcohol by volume. But cans of Crown Royal Whisky and Cola have a 7% ABV. “As industries innovate and new products become staples in the marketplace, it only makes sense for us to take a look at ways government can reduce regulatory red tape,” Sen.
- Hancock said in a statement.
- I look forward to continuing to work on legislation that keeps free market principles at the core of Texas’ economic success.” Paul Hardin is the president and CEO of the Texas Food and Fuel Association.
- He says it makes no sense that consumers can buy malt-based seltzers but not spirit-based canned cocktails with the same alcohol content.
Some social media headlines are referring to this bill as a lift on liquor sales on Sunday, which is a slight misinterpretation. It’s only these “spirit coolers” at grocery and convenience stores. Liquor stores would remain closed on Sundays. This is the fluffy-kitten version of lifting the ban on selling liquor on Sundays.
No on SB1288. Minors should not sell liquor #txlege — TPSA (@TXPackage) March 1, 2023 There is a raucous backlash, of course, namely from liquor stores via the Texas Package Stores Association, The group is invoking “what about the children” in their battle cry to keep hard booze in booze stores only.
As they see it, children can work in grocery stores, and if someone buys Jack Daniel’s Tennesse Honey Lemonade at 7% ABV, with far less alcohol than a bottle of red wine, and that child sees it or maybe passes it over a scanner, that could be very dangerous.
Can an 18 year old sit at a bar in Texas?
As long as a legal guardian is present – and the bar permits patrons under the age of 21 – a minor can get wasted with his or her parents (although if you drink too much, you can get charged with public intoxication).
Can I drink at 18 in Texas?
Definition of Underage Drinking – The Texas minimum drinking age varies according to whom and to where the drinker is served alcoholic beverages. Waiters, bartenders, and other alcohol servers must be a minimum of 18 years of age in places where spirits, beer, and wine are sold.
The drinking age is 21 in Texas. It was raised from 18 years in 1971, to 19 years in 1979, and to 21 years in 1984 as legislators sought to curb drunk-driving instances. However, there are exceptions to the law. An individual less than 21 years of age may drink at home when supervised and permitted by an adult.
The adult must be present on the premises when a minor individual is served alcohol.
Can you take your kid to a bar in Texas?
Can a minor enter a licensed or permitted premises? Generally yes, if they do not possess or consume an alcoholic beverage.
Can you drink in a dry county in Texas?
Prohibition ended almost 90 years ago, but in some areas of Texas, you still can’t buy alcoholic beverages. That’s because voters of any city, county, or justice of the peace precinct can call a local option election to prohibit the sale of all or certain alcoholic beverages—giving us “partially dry” and “dry” areas.
You can possess alcohol in a dry area for personal consumption, but it’s illegal to manufacture or sell it. Counties, cities, and justice of the peace precincts in Texas are wet except when the voters have prohibited the sale of all or certain alcoholic beverages by holding a local option election. At one time or another, the voters in almost every county in the state have adopted at least some local restriction on alcohol sales.
The Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC) maintains a map of wet/dry areas, Over time, Texas has been getting “wetter.” In 1986, there were 62 completely dry counties. That number dropped to 35 completely dry counties in 2003. As of August 2021, there were just 5 completely dry counties, 60 completely wet counties in Texas, and 189 partially wet counties. Source: TABC, Local option elections to prohibit or legalize alcohol sales are governed by Chapter 501 of the Texas Election Code, Only counties, cities, and justice of the peace precincts are allowed to conduct local option elections. The election must include the entire territory of the respective political subdivision, not just a portion.
25% of the registered voters in the political subdivision who voted in the most recent general election, if the ballot issue involves voting for or against “The legal sale of wine on the premises of a holder of a winery permit.”
35% of the registered voters in the political subdivision who voted for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election, for an election on any other local option ballot issue.
The Texas Secretary of State’s website provides helpful information regarding local option liquor elections. Will I lose my TABC license/permit if my area converts from wet to dry?
Winery— A winery permit may be issued for premises in an area where the sale of wine has not been authorized by a local option election. The winery permit holder may engage in any authorized activity except that the permit holder may sell or dispense wine only if the wine is: (1) bottled in Texas; and (2) at least 75% by volume fermented juice of grapes or other fruit grown in Texas or a lesser percentage established by the Commissioner of Agriculture.
Brewer— The holder of a brewer’s license issued prior to the local option election will no longer be able to sell malt beverages if doing so violates the local option status of the area, but the brewer can still engage in all other activities authorized by the license (i.e., brewing, possessing, storing, and packaging of malt beverages, and transporting the malt beverages to an area where the sale of malt beverages is legal). TABC cannot deny the brewer an original or renewal license for the same location on the ground that the area now prohibits the sale of malt beverages.
Distiller/Rectifier— The holder of a distiller’s and rectifier’s permit issued prior to the local option election may continue exercising all privileges of the permit, including the manufacturing, possessing, storing, packaging, and bottling of distilled spirits and the transportation of them to areas in which their sale is legal. TABC cannot deny the distiller/rectifier an original or renewal permit for the same location on the ground that the area now prohibits the sale of distilled spirits.
Distributor —If the sale of malt beverages is prohibited by local option election, a distributor of malt beverages may continue to operate as a distributor in that area and maintain its distribution warehouse or other facilities located in the area. The distributor may continue to possess, store, warehouse, and sell malt beverages in that area and deliver malt beverages into and out of that area. However, such a distributor may sell or deliver malt beverages only to licensed outlets located where the sale of malt beverages is legal.
Wholesaler —If the sale of the type or types of liquor authorized to be sold by the holder of a wholesaler’s permit is prohibited by local option election, the wholesaler may continue to operate as a wholesaler in that area and maintain the necessary premises and facilities for the wholesale operation and enjoy all the rights and privileges incident to the permit. However, the wholesaler may only sell or deliver liquor to permittees located where the sale of liquor is legal.
I live in a dry area. Can I have alcohol delivered to me from a wet area? No. The TABC prohibits the transportation and delivery of liquor to a person in a dry area. Malt beverages can be transported across a dry area but not delivered or consumed there.
Can I ever drink in a dry area? The Texas Attorney General has opined that personal possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages is allowed in a dry area. So long as an individual complies with other provisions of Texas law, like the legal drinking age and the prohibition against public intoxication, that person may possess and consume alcoholic beverages regardless of a jurisdiction’s wet or dry status.
However, it’s a criminal offense for a person in a dry area to possess an alcoholic beverage with intent to sell, Under Section 101.31 of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, a person in a dry area cannot manufacture, distill, brew, sell, import into the state, export from the state, transport, distribute, warehouse, store, solicit or take orders for, or possess with intent to sell, an alcoholic beverage.
- An offense under section 101.31 is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine, jail time, or both. Tex. Alco. Bev.
- Code § 16.011. Tex. Alco. Bev.
- Code § 251.75. Tex. Alco. Bev.
- Code § 251.76. Tex. Alco. Bev.
- Code § 251.77. Tex. Alco. Bev.
- Code § 251.78.
- Liquor” is any alcoholic beverage, other than a malt beverage, with an alcohol content of 5% or more.
Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 1.04(5). Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 107.03. A “malt beverage” is a fermented beverage with an alcohol content of 0.5% or more that is brewed or produced from malt or malt substitute. Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 1.04(15). Tex. Alco. Bev. Code §§ 107.04; 107.02.
What holidays are liquor stores closed in Texas?
Liquor stores are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday this week. Fort Worth In Texas, Sunday’s aren’t the only day liquor stores are closed but major holidays such as New Year’s Day as well. That’s right, if you’re planning on visiting a liquor store over the New Year’s weekend, Saturday is the last chance to stock up.
- If going out sounds more appealing, Fort Worth has plenty of New Year’s Eve events planned.
- Texas law prohibits the sale of liquor at stores on Sunday’s, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission,
- In the case of Christmas or New Year’s day falling on a Sunday, liquor stores are required to close the following day in observance of the holiday.
Since New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, liquor stores will close at regular hours on Dec.31 and reopen on Jan.3, 2023. Liquor stores are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday this week. This story was originally published December 28, 2022, 7:41 AM. Brayden Garcia is a service journalism reporter at the Star-Telegram. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2020, where he worked at the student newspaper, The Shorthorn. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News covering education.