Yes, you can buy liquor on Sunday in Oklahoma, but only in counties where voters have approved Sunday package store sales. In those counties, liquor stores may sell from noon to midnight on Sundays. In counties that have never held that vote or where the measure failed, package stores stay closed all day Sunday. Beer and wine at grocery and convenience stores are a separate matter and available every day.
Sunday Hours at Package Stores
Retail package stores (Oklahoma’s term for liquor stores) can open on Sundays only in counties that have authorized it through a local option election. The Sunday window is noon to midnight, narrower than the 8:00 a.m. to midnight hours allowed Monday through Saturday.1Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Code Title 37A – Alcoholic Beverages – Section 6-103
Every package store in the state, regardless of Sunday status, must close on Thanksgiving and Christmas.1Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Code Title 37A – Alcoholic Beverages – Section 6-103
How to Know if Your County Allows Sunday Sales
Oklahoma’s constitution, as amended by State Question 792 in 2016 and effective October 1, 2018, lets each county decide through a local option election whether to permit Sunday package store sales.2Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Constitution – Article XXVIII – Alcoholic Beverage Laws and Enforcement Several of the state’s more populated counties, including Oklahoma County and Tulsa County, voted to permit Sunday sales in March 2020. Many rural counties among Oklahoma’s 77 have never held such an election, and in those places the default is no Sunday liquor sales.
If you’re not sure about your county, the quickest confirmation is a call to a local package store or to the ABLE Commission, which tracks which counties have authorized Sunday sales.
Beer and Wine Are Available Every Sunday
Grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations operate under retail beer or retail wine licenses rather than retail spirits licenses. They can sell beer and wine seven days a week, including Sunday, from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. the following morning. No county vote is required for these sales.
The product limits are strict. A retail beer license caps malt beverages at 8.99% alcohol by volume, and a retail wine license caps wine at 15% ABV.3Justia Law. Oklahoma Code Title 37A-2-109 – Retail Spirits License – Retail Wine License – Retail Beer License Anything above those thresholds, and all distilled spirits, are sold only at licensed package stores. You will not find whiskey, vodka, tequila, or other spirits at a grocery or convenience store on any day.
Bars and Restaurants on Sunday
On-premises sales at bars and restaurants also depend on the county. Establishments with mixed beverage or on-premises beer and wine licenses can serve alcohol Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., but Sunday service is again subject to local option. Most counties allow Sunday on-premises service, some restrict the hours, and a handful prohibit it outright.4Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Code Title 37A – Alcoholic Beverages – Section 3-125
Counties that allow Sunday on-premises sales can also single out certain holidays for restriction: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.4Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Code Title 37A – Alcoholic Beverages – Section 3-125 Whether a given county actually uses that authority varies, so it’s worth checking locally around a holiday weekend.
Delivery Is Not a Workaround
Oklahoma bars third-party delivery services from delivering alcohol. Only employees of a licensed retail spirits store may deliver to consumers, so apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash cannot bring you liquor on a Sunday or any other day.5Oklahoma ABLE Commission. FAQs A licensed package store that runs its own delivery service in an approved county would still be limited to the Sunday noon-to-midnight window. Grocery and convenience stores face a tighter rule: retail beer and wine sales must occur on the licensed premises, and off-premises retail delivery of beer and wine is prohibited.6Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Code Title 37A – Alcoholic Beverages – Section 2-156
Why a Store May Refuse to Open
If a store in a non-approved county sold liquor on a Sunday, the penalties are serious. A first violation of the hours rules is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to one year in county jail, or both. A second or subsequent violation is a felony, with fines of $2,500 to $5,000, up to five years in state prison, or both, and the ABLE Commission is required to revoke the license.7Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Code Title 37A – Alcoholic Beverages – Section 6-123 The same structure applies to grocery, convenience, and drug stores selling outside their permitted hours. That’s why a clerk who tells you the store cannot sell at a particular time on Sunday is not being cautious for its own sake.