Alcohol sale hours in Texas depend on what you’re buying and where. Beer and wine sell at grocery and convenience stores from 7:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to midnight on Sunday. Liquor stores run a tighter 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. schedule Monday through Saturday and stay closed all day Sunday. Bars and restaurants serve from 7:00 a.m. to midnight, with a Saturday-night extension into 1:00 a.m. Sunday and a possible 2:00 a.m. last call in larger jurisdictions.
Beer and Wine at Stores
For off-premise beer and wine at a grocery store, gas station, or convenience store, the weekday schedule is straightforward: 7:00 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday.1State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code ALCO BEV 105.05 – Hours of Sale: Malt Beverages Saturday sales continue through 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, because that early hour is treated as part of the Sunday window.
Sunday sales now begin at 10:00 a.m. and run through midnight. That’s a change from the old noon start: House Bill 1518 moved the Sunday opening to 10:00 a.m. in September 2021 for both on-premise and off-premise retailers.2Texas Legislature Online. 87(R) HB 1518 – Enrolled Version – Bill Text Wine sold under a wine and malt beverage retailer’s permit follows the same clock as beer.3State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.04 – Hours of Sale: Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer
Liquor Stores
Package stores selling distilled spirits keep a shorter schedule. Monday through Saturday, they may sell only between 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Sunday liquor sales are prohibited entirely, with no exceptions.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.01 – Hours of Sale: Liquor If you want a bottle of whiskey for a Sunday cookout, buy it Saturday.
Three holidays shut down every liquor store in the state: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. When Christmas or New Year’s falls on a Sunday, the closure extends through the following Monday.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.01 – Hours of Sale: Liquor These holiday closures apply only to package stores; bars, restaurants, and grocery or convenience stores selling beer and wine are not covered by the mandatory shutdown.
Bars and Restaurants
On-premise service at bars and restaurants runs under a separate statute for mixed beverages. Monday through Saturday, service starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at midnight, with Saturday night extending through 1:00 a.m. Sunday.5State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages
Sunday service also begins at 10:00 a.m., but with a catch. Any drink poured between 10:00 a.m. and noon must be served with food. A brunch cocktail alongside eggs is fine; a standalone mimosa at 11:00 a.m. is not. After noon, the food requirement drops off and service continues through midnight.5State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages
Late-Night Service Until 2 a.m.
On-premise venues can push last call to 2:00 a.m. every night by obtaining a retailer late hours certificate. That certificate is automatically available in any city or county with a population of 800,000 or more under the most recent federal census, which covers Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and their surrounding counties.5State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages
Smaller cities and counties can adopt the same extended hours by local action. Unincorporated areas do it through an order from the commissioners court; incorporated cities and towns do it by ordinance.1State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code ALCO BEV 105.05 – Hours of Sale: Malt Beverages Many mid-sized Texas cities have adopted late hours this way, so check with your local TABC office if you’re not sure whether your area qualifies.
Finishing Your Drink After Last Call
Patrons don’t have to abandon a drink the moment the clock hits closing time. Texas gives customers 15 minutes after the last legal sale to finish anything already purchased. In standard-hours areas, consumption must stop by 12:15 a.m. Monday through Friday, 1:15 a.m. after a Saturday night, and 12:15 a.m. on Sunday. Where last call is 2:00 a.m., the cutoff is 2:15 a.m.6State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.06 – Hours of Consumption After that window, an open drink in a public place becomes a separate offense.
Alcohol Delivery Hours
Delivery from licensed retailers and restaurants is available through third-party services like DoorDash and Uber Eats, but the delivery company must hold a Consumer Delivery Permit from the TABC.7Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Alcohol Delivery and Pickup Deliveries follow the same sale-hour rules as in-store purchases, so a driver can’t hand off a bottle of wine at 2:00 a.m. even if the order was placed earlier.
The recipient must be 21 or older, and the driver must check ID at the door. For some permit types, the delivery has to include a food order alongside the alcohol. Wine and malt beverage retailers making their own deliveries face a geographic limit as well: self-delivery is capped at two miles beyond the city, county, or town limits where the store sits.7Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Alcohol Delivery and Pickup
Dry Areas and Local Option
Everything above assumes you’re in a wet area. Texas still lets counties, cities, and justice of the peace precincts hold local option elections that restrict or ban alcohol sales entirely.8Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Local Option Elections A community can vote to go completely dry, to allow only beer and wine, or to permit alcohol sales only at restaurants. Drive 20 minutes in some parts of the state and you can cross from full retail into a precinct where nothing is sold at all.
Historically dry areas have been trending toward allowing sales, but dozens of precincts remain dry or partially restricted. The Secretary of State and TABC track wet or dry status by jurisdiction, and election results can shift it several times a year.9Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Local Option Liquor Elections Even where sales are permitted, the statewide hours act as a ceiling that no local government can raise.
Penalties for Selling Outside Legal Hours
Selling or offering to sell any alcoholic beverage during prohibited hours is a Class A misdemeanor under the Alcoholic Beverage Code, carrying up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $4,000, or both. The same penalty reaches a bar or restaurant that lets consumption continue on the premises past the legal cutoff.10Justia Law. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Title 4 Chapter 105 – Hours of Sale and Consumption
The TABC can also take separate administrative action against the business, including permit suspension or cancellation for repeated or flagrant violations. The criminal charge hits the individual who made the sale; the administrative case targets the license holder’s ability to keep operating.11Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. About Us