FAQs on Buying Beer, Wine & Liquor in California – What is the alcohol tax in California? California has a general sales tax of 6% that applies to all purchases of beer, wine, and spirits. Vendors selling liquor are also subject to a state and federal excise tax.
- Can you buy liquor in grocery stores in CA?
- Yes, you can buy alcohol in grocery stores that are licensed to sell in the state of California.
- Can you buy alcohol in gas stations in California?
- Yes, you can buy wine and beer in gas stations in the state of CA but there are marketing restrictions within the gas stations.
- Can you buy alcohol on Sunday in CA?
- Yes, you can buy alcoholic beverages on Sundays in California.
- Does California allow direct-to-consumer shipping?
Yes and no. In California, they will ship wine directly to consumers but shipping beer and liquor is prohibited.
- What times can you buy liquor, wine, or beer in California?
- The sale of alcohol is allowed between the hours of 6 AM and 2 AM 7 days a week.
- Can you order alcohol to go in California?
- Yes, you can order alcohol to go in the state of California.
- Where in California can buy alcohol off-premise?
You can buy alcohol off-premise in CA at any business location that has a license to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption. The condition is that they must be sold in packages that were made by the manufacturers. Where can buy alcohol for on-premise consumption in CA? You can buy alcohol for on-premise consumption at multiple locations throughout the state.
- Different locations such as restaurants, bars, taverns, night clubs, veteran’s clubs, licensed trains, licensed boats, and licensed airlines.
- You can also buy if you’re a passenger of a licensed vessel of more than 1000 tons.
- There are other locations such as licensed hospitals, convalescent homes or rest homes, nonprofit theatres, and bed and breakfast inns as well.
(Data Sources – ) Park Street connects suppliers, wholesalers, and distributors with one another. We also provide various types of services such as,, and more, giving brand owners a chance to focus on marketing their business while we do the rest! To learn more about the services provided, please fill out the form below and a member of our client development team will reach out to you.
Contents
- 1 Can you buy alcohol after 10pm in California?
- 2 What time is last call in San Francisco?
- 3 Can you walk around California with alcohol?
- 4 Can you drink in a car in California?
- 5 What are the alcohol laws in Los Angeles?
- 6 Is it illegal to drink alcohol in a parked car in California?
- 7 Can you have an alcoholic drink at lunch in California?
Can you buy alcohol after 10pm in California?
Alcohol sold in a grocery or liquor store is classified as off-premise. Off-premise alcohol sales can occur from 6 – 2 a.m. from Sunday to Saturday in California. What time can I buy beer in California? Liquor and beer have the same sales hours in California.
Is it illegal to sell alcohol after 2am in California?
It is unlawful to sell alcohol between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. It is also unlawful for any person to knowingly purchase alcohol or consume between those hours.
Does California have an alcohol curfew?
B & P Code 25633. Hours for Delivery – Except as otherwise provided in this section, no person licensed as a manufacturer, winegrower, distilled spirits manufacturer’s agent, rectifier, or wholesaler of any alcoholic beverage shall deliver or cause to be delivered any alcoholic beverage to or for any person holding an on-sale or off-sale license on Sunday or except between the hours of 3 a.m.
- And 8 p.m.
- Of any day other than Sunday.
- Any alcoholic beverage may be delivered at the platform of the manufacturing, producing, or distributing plant at any time.
- Nothing contained in this section prohibits the transportation or the carriage and delivery in transit at any time of any alcoholic beverage between the premises of a manufacturer, winegrower, wholesaler,distiller, importer, or any of them.
Every person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Additional information may be obtained by contacting:Alcoholic Beverage Control3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95834
: Hours of Sale
Can you buy alcohol all night in California?
FAQs on Buying Beer, Wine & Liquor in California – What is the alcohol tax in California? California has a general sales tax of 6% that applies to all purchases of beer, wine, and spirits. Vendors selling liquor are also subject to a state and federal excise tax.
- Can you buy liquor in grocery stores in CA?
- Yes, you can buy alcohol in grocery stores that are licensed to sell in the state of California.
- Can you buy alcohol in gas stations in California?
- Yes, you can buy wine and beer in gas stations in the state of CA but there are marketing restrictions within the gas stations.
- Can you buy alcohol on Sunday in CA?
- Yes, you can buy alcoholic beverages on Sundays in California.
- Does California allow direct-to-consumer shipping?
Yes and no. In California, they will ship wine directly to consumers but shipping beer and liquor is prohibited.
- What times can you buy liquor, wine, or beer in California?
- The sale of alcohol is allowed between the hours of 6 AM and 2 AM 7 days a week.
- Can you order alcohol to go in California?
- Yes, you can order alcohol to go in the state of California.
- Where in California can buy alcohol off-premise?
You can buy alcohol off-premise in CA at any business location that has a license to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption. The condition is that they must be sold in packages that were made by the manufacturers. Where can buy alcohol for on-premise consumption in CA? You can buy alcohol for on-premise consumption at multiple locations throughout the state.
- Different locations such as restaurants, bars, taverns, night clubs, veteran’s clubs, licensed trains, licensed boats, and licensed airlines.
- You can also buy if you’re a passenger of a licensed vessel of more than 1000 tons.
- There are other locations such as licensed hospitals, convalescent homes or rest homes, nonprofit theatres, and bed and breakfast inns as well.
(Data Sources – ) Park Street connects suppliers, wholesalers, and distributors with one another. We also provide various types of services such as,, and more, giving brand owners a chance to focus on marketing their business while we do the rest! To learn more about the services provided, please fill out the form below and a member of our client development team will reach out to you.
What are California alcohol laws?
What Is The Minimum Age For Alcohol Sales Or Consumption in California? – You must be 21 or older to serve cocktails, while servers may be allowed to sell or dispense non-cocktail alcohol at 18 years of age, including food service. In California you must have an Alcohol Server Certification to sell or dispense alcohol.
What time is last call in San Francisco?
Currently, bars in California cannot sell alcohol past 2am.
Can you walk around California with alcohol?
Like most states, California has prohibited the possession and consumption of an open container of alcohol in public places as well as in automobiles. If a person has an open container is on the streets, they may only be given a ticket. However, if an open container is in a car, the penalties are much more severe.
Can you drink in a car in California?
Open container laws in California are found in Vehicle Code Sections 23221–23229 VC. These laws make it illegal to have an open container of alcohol in the vehicle or to drink any alcoholic beverage while driving. This includes beer, wine, liquor, spritzers, etc. The law also outlaws marijuana in the car.
What are the alcohol laws in Los Angeles?
B. Buying Alcohol – It’s illegal for anyone under age 21 to buy, or attempt to buy, any alcoholic beverage. However, they may attempt to buy to help police entrap clerks. It is also illegal for anyone to buy alcoholic beverages between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
- In addition, drinking alcohol below the age of 21 is a criminal offense.
- Customers of restaurants may take home partially consumed bottles of wine.
- This law is to discourage over-drinking to avoid wasting the remaining wine.
- Those under 21 may drink in a private location with a parent, guardian, or spouse age 21 or older.
Vehicles are not private locations. A person age 21 might give alcohol to someone under that age. They might think they are being a good friend. But a conviction can be harmful. It may keep the person from being a law enforcement officer, teacher, lawyer, social worker, etc.
Is it illegal to drink alcohol in a parked car in California?
Information About Drinking in a Car in California – Technically, it is against the law to drink and drive in California. It’s also illegal to carry an open container of alcohol in an operating vehicle. However, there are no specific laws against drinking alcohol in a vehicle you don’t plan to drive.
The hood of the car is warm. You are in the driver’s seat. The keys are in the ignition.
They may use this information to charge you with a DUI, even though they did not see you driving. They could claim that there is evidence you were committing a DUI, which could result in criminal charges. In this situation, you may contact a DUI lawyer in Los Angeles. Call us at to start getting help on your side.
Can you have an alcoholic drink at lunch in California?
A. Use of Intoxicants – “Intoxicant” as used in this section means any alcoholic beverage or distilled spirit, and drugs or other substances summarized as opiates, opium derivatives, hallucinogenic substances (including marijuana), and depressants of the nervous system such as phenobarbital and amphetamines.
- When the employer alleges that the claimant used an intoxicant or was intoxicated and the claimant denies the allegation, it is necessary to gather facts to determine if the claimant indeed used intoxicants or was indeed intoxicated.
- The statement, “He was intoxicated,” is a conclusion which may or may not be based on facts.
If the facts do not support the conclusion that the claimant used intoxicants or was intoxicated, he or she would not be disqualified. Example – Evidence of Intoxication: The claimant was employed as cab driver. On the day he was discharged, he had returned to the employer’s garage at the end of his shift and was observed by the head traffic superintendent as he checked in his cab.
- As a result of his observations, the superintendent reached the conclusion that the claimant had been drinking on the job, and immediately discharged the claimant.
- The claimant denied that he was intoxicated at the time in question.
- He said that he had donated a pint of blood to a blood bank two days earlier and that had left him in a weakened condition.
He stated that he felt ill when he turned his cab in, and that may be why the superintendent believed that he had been drinking. The employer’s head traffic superintendent testified that when he saw the claimant checking in at the garage, the claimant was in a ‘very staggering condition’; that he ‘wobbled’ in going from the time clock to the cashier; that in appearance he was ‘red faced, kind of blurry’; that in the 12 years of his employment with the employer, the superintendent had ‘probably handled 200 cases of drunkenness of drivers’; and that in his opinion the claimant was intoxicated.
The employer also introduced a written statement from the doctor in charge of the blood bank at which the claimant had made his blood donation. This statement showed that the claimant was examined prior to his blood donation and was found to be normal, and set forth the doctor’s opinion that the after effects of a blood donation in a normal person would not last longer than four or five hours.
Other evidence produced by the employer showed that the claimant had at least once previously been terminated for drinking on the job. The evidence in this case overwhelmingly points to the conclusion that the claimant was under influence of intoxicants at the time he checked his cab in at the appellant’s garage.
- Note that the employer in this case did not just give a conclusion that the claimant was intoxicated.
- Instead, the employer presented facts to support the conclusion that the claimant was intoxicated.
- It is possible that a claimant will be under medical treatment and give the appearance of being intoxicated.
This can happen as a result of certain medical prescriptions and occasionally happens with a diabetic patient who has had improper insulin shots. Verification of the condition or the prescription of drugs generally may be obtained through the claimant’s physician.
Title 22, Section 1256 37 provides: (Except where intoxication is the result of an irresistible compulsion to use or consume intoxicants or an inability to abstain), an employee’s conduct constitutes misconduct due to intoxication or the use or consumption of intoxicants if, : (1) He or she is intoxicated at the time he or she reports to work or returns to work following a lunch or rest period or similar period.
As used in this subdivision, ‘intoxicated’ means under the influence of any intoxicant to the extent that a reasonable observer would conclude that there is a significant adverse effect upon an individual’s normal ability, skill, or competence to perform the usual duties of the work assigned.
2) He or she uses or consumes any intoxicant other than alcohol during a lunch or rest period or similar break period. (3) He or she uses or consumes any intoxicant during working hours. (4) He or she uses or consumes alcohol during a lunch or rest period or similar break period after prior warning or notice of an employer rule that use or consumption of alcohol during such break periods will result in discharge.
(5) He or she reports to work not intoxicated but with offensive physical effects due to the use or consumption of any intoxicant which adversely affects his or her ability or performance on the job, after receiving at least one warning or reprimand.
- Intoxicated When Reporting to Work or Returning to Work After Lunch or Rest Period or Similar Break Period. When an employee is intoxicated his or her performance on the job would be adversely affected. He or she would have substantially breached a material duty owed the employer, and the resultant discharge would be for misconduct (unless the intoxication results from an irresistible compulsion). It is not necessary that there is an employer rule prohibiting intoxication for a finding of misconduct. Likewise, prior warning or reprimand is not necessary. Example – Report to Work Under the Influence of Alcohol: The claimant was a gardener. On the last day of work, he was blowing leaves off stairs with a portable blower when he slipped on some sand and fell injuring his ankle. He went to a medical center for treatment and afterwards he was asked to and participated in an alcohol and drug screen. He came up positive for alcohol. The reading was,12. He was then suspended and later discharged. The claimant testified that the night before he had the accident he drank three liters of wine, but did not drink after 10 p.m. or before going to work at 7 a.m. the following morning. He stated he did not have an irresistible compulsion to consume intoxicants. The discharge was for misconduct. The claimant reported to work under the influence of alcohol. He tested positive with a reading of,12, a reading in excess of the State standard for being under the influence while operating a motor vehicle. It evidently affected his ability to work. What if an employee refuses to take the alcohol or drug test required by the employer to determine if the employee is under the influence of intoxicants? If the employee refuses to take the test and is discharged for the refusal, see C.1. Refusal to Take Drug Test below.
- Use of Intoxicant Other Than Alcohol During Lunch or Rest Period or Similar Break Period. Use of intoxicants other than alcohol during lunch or break periods would be misconduct, unless the use of intoxicant is due to an irresistible compulsion. Furthermore, it is not necessary that there is an employer rule prohibiting the use of intoxicants other than alcohol during the break periods, or that the claimant is given a prior warning, before misconduct is found.
- Use of Intoxicants During Working Hours Using intoxicants during working hours would evince a disregard of the standard of behavior which the employer has a right to expect, and would be considered misconduct, unless the use is due to an irresistible compulsion. Example – Use of Controlled Substances During Working Hours: The employer, at the request of the Department of Defense, began an investigation into the use of drugs and the dealing of drugs on the employer’s premises by workers. During the course of the investigation, the claimant’s name was mentioned as a user and purchaser of controlled substances. The claimant was interviewed by an investigator. The claimant admitted to the investigator that he smoked marijuana during working hours and purchased other controlled substances from fellow employees. He was then discharged by the employer. The discharge was for misconduct. Using controlled substances during working hours violated the standards of behavior which the employer had a right to expect of him. Example – Drinking While on Duty: In P-B-221 the claimant, a bellman, was discharged for drinking while on duty. At approximately 9:00 p.m., room service was requested by a hotel guest; the guest was intoxicated and wished to discuss her marital difficulties. After five minutes’ conversation, the claimant returned to the lobby. An hour later the same guest requested a bottle of liquor, which the claimant delivered to her. A lengthy conversation ensued, the claimant drank one drink, and left. Shortly thereafter the claimant was summoned again, this time to deliver a carton of cigarettes, and was there about five minutes. During the course of the evening, the claimant also had a drink with another hotel guest. The next morning the hotel manager learned of the incidents, telephone the claimant, and reprimanded him. Later, the guest made an (unfounded) complaint that a ring was missing, and the manager called the claimant and told him not to report for work. Later, he discharged the claimant for drinking on duty and spending time in a guest’s room. The employer testified that all employees of the hotel are informed at the time of hire that drinking on the job is grounds for termination. The claimant testified that he had never been so advised, and that he saw nothing wrong with taking a drink during working hours. The Board disagreed and stated: In the instant case the evidence establishes conclusively that the claimant, while on duty,, partook of at least two drinks of intoxicating liquors with guests of the hotel. He was discharged for this violation of the employer’s rules and for spending time in a guest’s room. While there is a conflict in the evidence as to whether the claimant was specifically made aware of the existence of the rule against drinking, it is our opinion that his actions were such as to evince a disregard of the standards of behavior which the employer had a right to expect of him and were not simply good faith errors in judgment or discretion,, Note that when drinking on the job is involved, it is not essential that the employer has a rule against it. In P-B-221, the claimant stated he had never been advised that drinking on the job is grounds for termination. The Board admitted the conflict in the evidence as to whether the claimant was aware of the rule against drinking, but nevertheless found the claimant ineligible. Neither prior warnings nor reprimands are necessary for drinking on the job to constitute misconduct. Example – Drinking on the Job – No Prior Warning: The claimant was a home delivery driver. On the last date of work, after he made his deliveries and was returning his vehicle to the company, he was pulled over by the police. The claimant was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. He submitted to a blood test and was later found to have alcohol in his system in excess of the legal limits. The claimant ultimately pled guilty to the charges. He admitted to having at least two beers while he was still on duty. He said he had something to eat in his truck and also drank the beers. He contended that he had not been involved in this sort of problem with the employer before, and had never been warned that drinking on the job would subject him to automatic termination. The discharge was for misconduct. The claimant was arrested and convicted of being under the influence of alcohol while driving on the job. The absence of a warning on the part of the employer does not prevent the finding of misconduct. What if the claimant is a bartender and had a drink with his or her customers? In certain occupations, drinking on the job may be allowed or condoned. It is common for a bartender to have a drink with his or her customers. If the claimant was discharged solely for this reason, the discharge would not be for misconduct. What if the claimant states “everyone else on the job drank” as his or her reason for drinking? If this is so and the employer, although aware of the practice, took no action against it, the claimant’s discharge would not be for misconduct. The employer, in effect, would have condoned the drinking. However, if the employer was not aware of the practice, the fact that “everyone else drank” would be immaterial.
- Use of Alcoholic Intoxicant During Lunch or Rest Period or Similar Break Period Use of an alcoholic intoxicant during lunch or break periods would not be misconduct unless there is an employer rule prohibiting consumption of alcohol under penalty of discharge, and the claimant knows about it or prior warnings have been given.
- Reports to Work With a Hangover An individual may be subject to disqualification if he or she reports to work with a hangover, even though he or she may not be intoxicated. The hangover may adversely affect his or her ability to work or may offend the employer’s customers. It should be noted that when the claimant was discharged for reporting to work with a hangover, it requires at least one warning or reprimand for a prior violation before misconduct is found, Example – Reporting to Work With a Hangover: The claimant was a stock clerk and food checker in a chain store. His employment contract called for him to be at his checkstand, ready to work, at twelve noon. On the last day of work, he entered the store at noon and went to a back room to prepare to go to work. After 10 or 15 minutes, the acting manager checked and found that he was still preparing to go to work. His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes wrinkled, and he smelled strongly of alcohol. He said that he had been to a party the night before, had a few drinks, and had not arrived home until 2:30 a.m. Because the claimant had received prior warnings for the reporting to work in a like condition, he was discharged. The claimant had a duty to conduct himself during his off-duty hours in a manner that would enable him to report to work ready for work at the scheduled hour and in proper physical condition. The discharge was for misconduct, the claimant breached a duty owed his employer.
- Use of Intoxicants Off the Job Generally speaking, the conduct of a claimant off the job is his or her own affair and does not affect the employer’s legitimate business interests. However, if the claimant used or consumed intoxicants while off the job to the degree that it seriously impaired his or her ability to work, this would tend to injure the employer’s interests and misconduct may be shown, unless the use of intoxicants is due to an irresistible compulsion. Example – Drinking Off the Job Not Misconduct: In P-B-191, the claimant was employed as a janitor by the Mather Air Force Base. He was arrested for drunk driving and paid a fine of $250. Later he was separated from federal service on the ground of serious misconduct while off duty. The Board found the claimant eligible and stated: We have previously held that, in order to constitute misconduct within the meaning of code section 1256, the claimant must have materially breached a duty owed the employer under the contract of employment, which breach tends substantially to injure the employer’s interest., In the present case, the incident occurred while the claimant was off duty and did not tend substantially to injure the employer’s interest. Accordingly, we find that the claimant was discharged for reasons other than misconduct connected with his work. What if the claimant has consented, as a condition of employment, to refrain from drinking both on and off the job? Example – Claimant Consented Not to Drink: The claimant had been suspended for 30 days for reporting to work under the influence of alcohol. He was reinstated when he agreed to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages, both on and off the job. It was also agreed that any violation of this stipulation would result in a discharge. About three months later the claimant was arrested for driving without a driver’s license. After his release the employer convened a conference to ascertain the reason for his arrest. At the conference, the employer asked the claimant if he had drunk any alcoholic beverages since their agreement. The claimant replied that during his off duty hours he had an occasional beer. The employer then discharged the claimant for violating their agreement. The Board found the claimant eligible and stated: A claimant’s activities during off-duty hours may very well be detrimental to the employer’s interest, and a discharge because of such activities can be for misconduct connected with the work. Although the claimant did not violate an employer rule, he did violate the agreement he had with the employer. The claimant was not discharged because he was incarcerated, but because he admitted drinking an occasional beer off the job. The record is clear that after signing the agreement the claimant did not report for work under the influence of alcohol. Nor did he report with the odor of alcohol on his breath. There is no showing that his off-the-job drinking subsequent to the agreement adversely affected the employer’s interests. Before it can be held that mere violation of an agreement constitutes misconduct; it must be shown that the act itself was misconduct. In this case, the employer presented no evidence to show that the claimant’s failure to live up to the terms of the agreement injured or tended to injure the employer’s interest. What if the use is off the job, and the claimant reports to work with a detectable level of a controlled substance in his or her system, but not under the influence of the controlled substance? Example – Report to Work With Detectable Level of Intoxicant: The employer had a substance abuse policy which prohibited employees from reporting to work with a detectable level of intoxicants or illegal drugs. The policy further provided that an employee involved in a workplace accident would be required to take a drug test. Refusal to submit to a drug test under those circumstances would be cause for discharge. The claimant worked as a ramp worker from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. At about 7:00 p.m. he moved a jetway from an aircraft. Prior to doing that, he did not disconnect the ground power line which was connected to the plane. As a result, damage was caused to the aircraft. The claimant immediately notified the supervisor. The claimant was then escorted to a nearby medical facility for a drug test. He tested positive for the presence of marijuana metabolites. The results were confirmed by another test. The claimant was then discharged. The claimant admitted that he used marijuana at a bachelor party two days prior to the incident, but said that when he reported to work on the last day he was not feeling the effects of the marijuana usage. The discharge was for misconduct. The employer’s policy prohibited employees from reporting to work with a detectable level of intoxicants. The claimant wilfully violated a reasonable employer rule.
Can you buy alcohol past 11 in California?
FAQs about Alcohol Sales in California – What time do they stop selling alcohol in California? Businesses stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m., according to California alcohol laws, Most bars stop serving between 1:30 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. but allow you to finish your drink prior to 2 p.m.
- Alcoholic beverages cannot be consumed from 6 a.m. – 2 a.m.
- At licensed liquor establishments.
- How early can you buy alcohol in California? Alcohol sold in a grocery or liquor store is classified as off-premise.
- Off-premise alcohol sales can occur from 6 a.m. – 2 a.m.
- From Sunday to Saturday in California.
What time can I buy beer in California? Liquor and beer have the same sales hours in California. Beer can be purchased from 6 a.m. – 2 a.m. from Sunday to Saturday. Are there restrictions on buying alcohol on Sundays in California? In California, there are no restrictions for buying alcohol on Sundays.
- Does the time change mean an extra hour of drinking? In California, you do not lose or gain an extra hour of drinking on the day of a time change.
- On the day that a time change occurs from Pacific standard time to Pacific daylight saving time, or back again to Pacific standard time, “2 o’clock a.m.” means two hours after midnight of the day preceding the day such change occurs.
Who regulates California’s liquor laws? California’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) regulates alcohol sales in California. This means the power is at the state level rather than at the local level.