The earliest you can buy beer in PA is 5:00 a.m., but only at an airport restaurant. Everywhere else, the earliest legal sale is 7:00 a.m. at a bar, restaurant, or hotel Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, most places can’t start pouring until 9:00 a.m., and only if they hold a Sunday Sales Permit.
Earliest Weekday and Saturday Hours
Bars, restaurants, and hotels with a liquor license can sell beer starting at 7:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and continue until 2:00 a.m. the following morning.1Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Licensee’s Hours of Operation That 7:00 a.m. figure is the earliest a walk-in customer can order a beer anywhere in the state outside of an airport.
Beer distributors open later. If you’re a regular consumer walking in to buy a case, distributor hours run 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.1Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Licensee’s Hours of Operation You may run across references to distributors opening at 2:00 a.m. Monday. That earlier window covers wholesale deliveries between distributors and other licensed businesses, not retail sales to the public.2New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 47 P.S. Liquor – 4-492.1
Breweries selling directly to the public start at 9:00 a.m. and can serve until midnight, Monday through Saturday.1Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Licensee’s Hours of Operation
Earliest Sunday Hours
Sunday is the tightest day, and everything turns on whether the place holds a Sunday Sales Permit from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
With a Sunday Sales Permit
Hotel, restaurant, and club liquor licensees with the permit can begin selling at 9:00 a.m. Sunday and continue until 2:00 a.m. Monday.3New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 47 P.S. Liquor – 4-406 Eating-place malt beverage licensees with the same permit default to an 11:00 a.m. start, but they can open at 9:00 a.m. if they’re serving food at that hour.1Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Licensee’s Hours of Operation
Beer distributors with the permit sell to retail customers between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Breweries with the permit run 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.1Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Licensee’s Hours of Operation
Without a Sunday Sales Permit
A bar or restaurant without the permit can only serve on Sunday between midnight and 2:00 a.m., which is really the tail end of Saturday night. Stadiums, arenas, and similar licensed public venues are the exception: they can sell from 11:00 a.m. to midnight on Sundays without any special permit.3New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 47 P.S. Liquor – 4-406 Beer distributors without the permit cannot sell on Sundays at all.
Most bars and restaurants in populated areas do hold a Sunday Sales Permit, since the cost is modest: $300 per year for a liquor permit and $100 per year for a malt beverage permit.4Liquor Control Board. PLCB License and Permit Fees Still, not every establishment carries one. If you’re planning a Sunday morning stop, call ahead.
Before 7 a.m.: Airport Restaurants
Airport restaurant liquor licensees can begin selling beer at 5:00 a.m. and continue until 2:00 a.m. the following day.5Pennsylvania General Assembly. 2016 Act 39 – Section 5 With a Sunday Sales Permit, the 5:00 a.m. start applies on Sundays too.1Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Licensee’s Hours of Operation No other license type in Pennsylvania starts that early.
Quick Reference by Establishment Type
- Airport restaurants: 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily, including Sundays with a permit.
- Bars, restaurants, and hotels (liquor license): 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. weekdays and Saturdays; 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Sundays with a Sunday Sales Permit.
- Beer distributors (retail customers): 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sundays with a Sunday Sales Permit; closed Sundays otherwise.
- Breweries: 9:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday; 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sundays with a permit.
- Eating-place malt beverage licensees (Sundays): 11:00 a.m. start with a permit, or 9:00 a.m. if food is being served at that hour.