No, Waco is not a dry county. You can buy beer, wine, and liquor inside Waco city limits, and bars and restaurants can serve mixed drinks. The confusion comes from the surrounding area: McLennan County as a whole is classified as “partially wet,” meaning some precincts outside the city allow fewer categories of alcohol sales than Waco does.
What Partially Wet Means Around Waco
Texas has no single statewide rule for alcohol sales. Each county, city, and justice precinct votes on what to allow, and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission classifies every county as dry, partially wet, or wet based on those local decisions.1Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. TABC Publishes Interactive Wet/Dry Map Waco voters have approved every major category of sales, so inside the city you won’t run into dry-area restrictions. Drive into a rural precinct in McLennan County and the rules can change. If you’re buying outside the city, check with the specific retailer.
The reason for the patchwork is Texas’s local option election system. Voters in a county, city, or precinct can petition for a ballot measure on alcohol sales, and the results bind only that jurisdiction.2Justia. Texas Election Code – Local Option Elections on Sale of Alcoholic Beverages That’s how Waco ended up wet while parts of the surrounding county stayed restricted.
Where To Buy Alcohol in Waco
What a store or restaurant can sell depends on its permit, and Texas sets different hours for liquor, beer, wine, and mixed drinks.
Grocery and Convenience Stores
Grocery stores and convenience stores in Waco sell beer and wine for off-premise consumption only. They cannot sell distilled spirits, and the wine they carry is capped at 17 percent alcohol by volume.3Justia. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Chapter 26 – Wine and Beer Retailers Off-Premise Permit
Hours run 7:00 AM to midnight Monday through Saturday. Sunday beer sales run from midnight to 1:00 AM (the tail of Saturday night), then again from 10:00 AM to midnight.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.05 – Hours of Sale Malt Beverages
Liquor Stores
For distilled spirits, you need a package store. Package stores operate 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday, and are closed every Sunday.5State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.01 – Hours of Sale Liquor They also close on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. When Christmas or New Year’s falls on a Sunday, the store stays closed the following Monday as well.6Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. FAQs Everything has to leave in its original sealed container; you can’t open or drink anything on the premises.
Bars and Restaurants
Bars and restaurants with a mixed beverage permit can serve all types of alcohol on-site. Hours run 7:00 AM to midnight Monday through Saturday. Sunday service runs midnight to 1:00 AM and then 10:00 AM to midnight, but anything served between 10:00 AM and noon on Sunday has to come with a food order.7State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.03 – Hours of Sale Mixed Beverages After noon, drinks can be sold without food. The same Sunday brunch rule applies to on-premise beer sales.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 105.05 – Hours of Sale Malt Beverages
Delivery and To-Go Alcohol
Alcohol can be delivered to your door in Waco through services that hold a Consumer Delivery Permit from the TABC. Beer and wine retailers can send malt beverages and wine up to 17 percent ABV within two miles of the store’s city limits, and no food order is required. Package stores can also use delivery services, but everything must arrive in unbroken, manufacturer-sealed containers.8Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Alcohol Delivery and Pickup
Since 2021, Texas permanently allows restaurants and bars with a mixed beverage permit to sell alcohol for pickup or delivery, cocktails included. The alcohol must come with a food order, and the permit holder must also carry a Food and Beverage Certificate. Wine and beer need to be in original or tamper-proof containers sealed and labeled by the restaurant. Distilled spirits must come in original single-serving containers of 375 milliliters or smaller. Mixed drinks go in tamper-proof containers labeled with the restaurant’s name and the words “alcoholic beverage.” None of it can ride in the passenger area of your car.9Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Alcohol-To-Go Is Now Permanent Law of the Land in Texas
Minimum Age
You must be 21 to buy or possess alcohol in Texas. A minor caught with alcohol faces a Class C misdemeanor, with fines, mandatory community service, alcohol awareness courses, and a driver’s license suspension ranging from 30 days for a first offense up to six months for a third.10State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 106.05 – Possession of Alcohol by a Minor A minor can possess alcohol in the presence of a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who is 21 or older, and minors employed by a licensed establishment can handle alcohol as part of the job.