Alcohol delivery in Virginia is legal and widely available. You can have beer and wine brought to your door by retailers, breweries, wineries, and app-based services; spirits delivered from the state’s own ABC stores; and sealed cocktails sent from licensed restaurants. What you can order and who brings it depends on the type of alcohol, and every delivery ends the same way: an adult with ID has to sign for it.
What You Can Have Delivered
Beer and Wine
Beer and wine are the easiest categories. Breweries, wineries, and farm wineries can deliver their own brands directly, and any retailer licensed for off-premises sales can arrange delivery either through its own staff or through a licensed third-party service.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board Virginia ABC stores also stock wine and beer alongside their spirits inventory.
Spirits
Spirits in Virginia are sold almost exclusively through state-run ABC stores, so a private retailer will not deliver a bottle of bourbon to your house. You can order spirits directly from the Virginia ABC online store, which runs its own delivery program.
Cocktails From Restaurants
Licensed restaurants with mixed beverage permits can deliver cocktails, but the rules are unusually tight. Every drink must combine a spirit with at least one mixer, be served in a sealed container, and carry a label reading “contains alcoholic beverages.” Each individual drink is capped at 16 ounces. A restaurant can sell up to two cocktails per meal ordered, with a hard maximum of four cocktails per delivery, meaning you need at least two meals on the ticket to reach that cap.2Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Alcohol Delivery Splitting an order into separate transactions to get past the limit is explicitly prohibited.
Direct Shipments From Out of State
Out-of-state wineries and retailers that hold a Virginia wine and beer shipper’s license can send up to two cases of wine and two cases of beer per month to a Virginia consumer. A case of wine means up to nine liters in any mix of bottles; a case of beer means up to 288 ounces. Shipments must move through a Board-approved common carrier, and the package has to carry a conspicuous notice that it contains alcohol and requires the signature of someone 21 or older.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-209.1 – Direct Shipment of Wine and Beer; Shippers License
Who Can Legally Bring It to You
Several categories of businesses are authorized to deliver, each under its own rules:
- Virginia ABC stores, for spirits, wine, and beer ordered through the state’s website.
- Breweries, wineries, and farm wineries, delivering their own brands in closed containers through an owner, officer, employee, or licensed third-party service.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board
- Third-party delivery services such as Instacart and DoorDash, operating under a third-party delivery license issued by the ABC Board. A 2025 law made this license permanent after it had been operating under a sunset clause.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.2 – Third-Party Deliveries; Limitations; Penalties
- Licensed out-of-state shippers using Board-approved common carriers.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-209.1 – Direct Shipment of Wine and Beer; Shippers License
Ordering From Virginia ABC Stores
The state ABC program is worth understanding on its own because it is the only legal path to home-delivered spirits. Orders go through the ABC website; you pick a participating store (marked with a delivery truck icon), add products, and choose delivery at checkout.5Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery Orders have a $10 minimum and a 12-bottle maximum.
Same-day delivery is available within five miles of a participating store if you order at least two hours before closing. The fee is $6.99 for the first three miles plus $1.25 per additional mile. Next-day delivery reaches up to 50 miles for a flat $9.99 plus $2.50 per bottle. Orders placed by 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday arrive the next day; Friday through Sunday orders may take two to three days.5Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery An adult with valid ID must be on hand to accept the package, or it goes back to the store.
Delivery Hours and Quantity Caps
No alcohol can be delivered between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in Virginia.6Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 4.1 – Subtitle I – Alcoholic Beverage Control Act That window applies across delivery types, so a late-evening order has to be in and completed before the cutoff.
For beer and wine, a single delivery to one person cannot exceed four cases of wine and four cases of beer. Larger orders are possible, but the seller has to notify the ABC Authority in writing at least one business day ahead, with the customer’s name and address.6Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 4.1 – Subtitle I – Alcoholic Beverage Control Act ABC store orders have their own 12-bottle ceiling.5Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery Only one person can take possession of the alcohol at a given delivery.
What Happens at Your Door
Every delivery requires age verification. The driver checks your ID and will refuse the order if you cannot produce valid identification, appear underage, or seem intoxicated.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-304 – Persons to Whom Alcoholic Beverages May Not Be Sold; Proof of Legal Age; Penalty You also have to sign an acknowledgment of receipt, either electronic or paper.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board
Valid IDs include an unexpired driver’s license from any U.S. state, a military ID, a U.S. passport, a foreign government visa, a Virginia DMV special identification card, or any other government-issued photo ID that also shows your signature, height, weight, and date of birth. A student ID will not work, even with a photo and birthdate.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-304 – Persons to Whom Alcoholic Beverages May Not Be Sold; Proof of Legal Age; Penalty
Addresses That Cannot Receive Alcohol
Some locations are off-limits. The ABC Authority specifically bars deliveries to military bases, childcare centers, medical facilities, schools, correctional institutions, and the State Capitol.5Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery Separately, Virginia law makes it a crime to deliver alcohol to anyone held in a local correctional facility, and possessing or drinking alcohol on public school grounds is its own offense.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 4.1 Chapter 3 – Prohibited Practices; Penalties Outside those categories, deliveries generally go to any home or business within the store or service’s delivery zone.
Penalties and a Note on Liability
Selling or delivering alcohol to a minor, an intoxicated person, or an interdicted person is a Class 1 misdemeanor.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-304 – Persons to Whom Alcoholic Beverages May Not Be Sold; Proof of Legal Age; Penalty That carries up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.9Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 18.2 Chapter 1 Article 3 – Classification of Criminal Offenses and Punishment Therefor A seller who skips the ID check for an underage buyer faces a separate violation even without knowing the buyer’s age.
Virginia does not have a dram shop law, so bars, restaurants, and delivery services generally cannot be sued by a third party for injuries caused by someone they served. Those businesses can still face criminal charges and administrative action from the ABC Authority, including license suspension or revocation, when delivery rules are broken.