Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia are legal only in counties and cities that have voted to allow them. Where they are allowed, stores can sell packaged beer, wine, and liquor from 12:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and restaurants and bars can serve by the drink from 12:30 p.m. until midnight. Some communities have also adopted the Brunch Bill, which lets qualifying restaurants start pouring at 11:00 a.m. instead of 12:30 p.m. Package stores do not get that earlier start under any circumstance.
Store Hours for Sunday Package Sales
Off-premises retailers, meaning liquor stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores, can sell alcohol on Sundays between 12:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. in jurisdictions that have approved Sunday package sales.1Paulding County, GA. Amendments to Alcohol Ordinance Regarding Sunday Sales of Alcoholic Beverages You cannot buy beer, wine, or liquor at a Georgia store on Sunday morning. The 12:30 p.m. floor is set by state law, and no city or county can move it earlier for package sales.
If your area never voted to approve Sunday package sales, the shelves stay closed to alcohol purchases all day Sunday, no matter the hour.
Restaurant and Bar Hours on Sunday
In communities that have approved Sunday sales by the drink, the standard on-premises hours run from 12:30 p.m. until midnight.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-7 – Local Authorization and Regulation of Sunday Sales of Alcoholic Beverages Many communities have gone further and adopted the Brunch Bill, which moves the opening to 11:00 a.m. for qualifying restaurants.
Walker County is a working example of the typical split: Sunday by-the-drink service runs 11:00 a.m. to midnight, while package sales run 12:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.3Walker County, GA Official Government Site. Sunday Alcohol Sales Now Legal in Walker County
The Brunch Bill and Who Qualifies
Governor Nathan Deal signed Senate Bill 17, known as the Brunch Bill, in May 2018. It lets restaurants start serving alcohol at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays instead of 12:30 p.m., but only if the establishment is an eating place that draws at least 50 percent of its total annual gross revenue from the sale of prepared meals or food.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-7 – Local Authorization and Regulation of Sunday Sales of Alcoholic Beverages Bars that do not clear that food-revenue threshold do not qualify.
The Brunch Bill does not take effect automatically in any community. Each city or county must hold a separate local referendum to adopt the 11:00 a.m. start. Richmond and Columbia Counties, for example, voted to approve the Brunch Bill in November 2018; other communities took longer, and some have never held the vote.4WRDW. Brunch Bill Passes in Grovetown And again, the Brunch Bill changes nothing for package stores. They remain locked to the 12:30 p.m. opening.
Why the Rules Change From County to County
Georgia lifted its blanket statewide ban on Sunday alcohol sales in 2011, when Governor Nathan Deal signed Senate Bill 10. The law did not legalize Sunday sales outright. Instead, it gave each county and city the power to put the question on a local ballot, and it took effect July 1, 2011, with communities able to hold referendums as early as that November.5Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Georgia Becomes 37th State to Allow Sunday Liquor Sales
Under O.C.G.A. § 3-3-7(j)(1), each county or city must hold its own referendum, and the ballot question is specific to the type of sales being authorized. Sunday package sales (retail stores) are a separate vote from Sunday sales by the drink (restaurants and bars). Some communities approved both. Some approved only one. Some approved neither.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-7 – Local Authorization and Regulation of Sunday Sales of Alcoholic Beverages A simple majority is enough for passage; if the measure passes, the local government adopts an ordinance setting hours and conditions within state limits.
The practical result is a patchwork. Atlanta, Savannah, Athens, and other urban areas generally approved Sunday sales early and adopted the Brunch Bill soon after. Some rural counties voted no. Others have never put the question on the ballot, and Sunday sales there remain fully prohibited until a successful future referendum. Even between neighboring communities the details differ: one county might allow package and by-the-drink sales with an 11:00 a.m. brunch start, while the next county over allows by-the-drink only, starting at 12:30 p.m. Before opening a business, planning an event, or counting on Sunday service at a venue, confirm the rules for the exact city or county, not the nearest larger one.
Sunday Delivery of Beer and Wine
Georgia allows licensed packaged goods retailers and approved third-party services to deliver beer and wine under O.C.G.A. § 3-3-10. Delivery personnel must complete sales and delivery training through a program approved by the Georgia Department of Revenue, and the department can inspect any delivery vehicle or retailer premises without a warrant to check compliance.6Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-10 – Delivery of Malt Beverages and Wine by Packaged Goods Retailers and Third Parties
Sunday deliveries follow the same hours as in-store package sales in the local jurisdiction. If your area allows Sunday package sales from 12:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., deliveries have to happen inside that window. An order placed at 11:00 a.m. Sunday cannot be dropped at the door until 12:30 p.m.
What Businesses Risk for Selling Outside the Rules
Selling alcohol outside permitted Sunday hours, or selling on Sunday in a jurisdiction that has not approved it, exposes a business to both administrative and criminal consequences. The Georgia Department of Revenue can suspend or revoke an alcohol license, and a suspended license means no alcohol sales of any kind until the issue is cured and the license reinstated. For tax-related violations, the department issues a citation and sets a hearing date; the licensee must pay the full liability before the hearing or face suspension at the hearing itself.7Department of Revenue. License Suspension or Revocation for Tax Delinquency Policy Bulletin
Alcohol violations under Title 3 are generally classified as misdemeanors. Under Georgia’s standard misdemeanor framework, that can mean up to 12 months in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both. Repeat or aggravated violations may be treated as misdemeanors of a high and aggravated nature with stiffer penalties. For most operators, the license suspension is the real exposure. Losing the ability to sell alcohol for weeks or months is far more damaging than a fine.
A Note on Election Day and Christmas
Georgia’s Sunday rules are often confused with its election-day and Christmas rules, but they are separate. Under O.C.G.A. § 3-3-20, alcohol sales are legal on election days by default in any area already authorized to sell, from the opening of the polls to their closing. Local governments can prohibit election-day sales by ordinance, but unless they have, licensed businesses can sell as usual during polling hours. The same statute addresses Christmas Day, and local jurisdictions may set their own rules then as well.8Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-20 – Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on Sundays, Election Days, and Christmas Day If you operate a licensed establishment, check your local ordinance before assuming either day works like any other.