Ten states operate their own retail liquor stores where consumers buy spirits directly from the government: Alabama, Idaho, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Seven more states control spirits only at the wholesale level, and Montgomery County, Maryland runs its own government retail system separate from the rest of its state. Together these jurisdictions are known as control states.
The Ten Retail Control States
In each of the ten states listed above, the government owns and staffs the stores that sell spirits, sets the shelf price, and decides which products get carried. The stores go by different names depending on where you are: ABC stores, state stores, or simply liquor stores. In some cases a private shop operates as a state-appointed agent under strict government oversight, but the state still runs the show.1National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. Control State Data Matrix
The practical consequence: you generally cannot walk into a grocery store or big-box retailer in these states and pick up a bottle of whiskey or vodka. Spirits are sold exclusively through the state’s own locations.
The Seven Wholesale-Only Control States
Seven additional states don’t run storefronts but maintain a government monopoly over spirits at the wholesale level:
- Iowa
- Maine
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Shopping in one of these states feels more like shopping in an open-market state because you’re still buying from a private store. Behind the scenes, though, the state controls which products enter its borders, negotiates pricing with suppliers, and collects revenue through its distribution markup.2National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. Control State Directory and Info
Montgomery County and Other Local Systems
Montgomery County, Maryland operates its own alcohol control system separate from the rest of Maryland. The county’s Alcohol Beverage Services division runs wholesale and retail operations throughout the county, making it the only local jurisdiction with a full-scale government liquor monopoly.3Maryland Manual On-Line. Montgomery County, Maryland Executive Branch Licensing
Minnesota is a different animal. It isn’t classified as a control state overall, but over 200 cities and towns run their own municipal liquor stores, with profits returning to the local budget. In some smaller Minnesota towns, the city-owned store is the only place to buy spirits.
Alaska has a local-option system in which individual communities vote to be “dry” (no alcohol sales at all) or “damp” (limited quantities allowed under permit). The state doesn’t run retail stores, but in damp communities residents order from licensed package stores by mail, and the state tracks purchases against monthly limits.
What Shopping Looks Like in a Control State
The biggest practical difference is where you can buy spirits. You need to find a designated state store, and those stores often keep more limited hours than you’d expect from a private retailer.
Hours and Sunday Sales
State-run liquor stores tend to close earlier and open later than privately owned shops. Sunday hours are especially restrictive. Some control states keep their stores closed entirely on Sundays, while others allow limited afternoon hours. Holiday closures are common, and certain states shut down on election days. Specifics change periodically, so check the posted hours before making a trip.
The trend has been toward loosening these restrictions. Several control states that once banned Sunday sales have gradually added Sunday hours, often with a late-morning start and an early close compared to weekday schedules.4National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. Sunday Alcohol Sales: History and Analysis
Product Selection
State agencies decide which products reach their shelves through a formal listing process. A distiller who wants to sell in a control state applies through the state’s beverage authority, submits pricing and documentation, and waits for approval. Some states charge listing fees and require product samples. This gatekeeping means smaller or craft producers sometimes find it harder to break into control-state markets, and the selection on any given shelf is narrower than you might see in a large private store.
Pricing
Pricing in control states follows a standardized markup formula rather than market competition. The state buys from the supplier at a base cost, then adds handling fees, excise taxes, and a retail markup that varies by product category. Because the formula applies uniformly, you won’t see one store undercutting another on the same bottle. Research comparing prices across all states has found that spirits in control states cost roughly 7 percent more on average than in open-market states. One tradeoff cuts the other way: control states generally don’t inflate prices on limited-release or high-demand bottles the way some private retailers do.
Beer and Wine Follow Different Rules
Spirits are the focus of state control in nearly every control jurisdiction. Beer and wine get treated very differently, and the rules are not uniform.
Most control states allow beer to be sold through private grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations with minimal restrictions beyond age verification. Beer distribution is handled by private wholesalers in the vast majority of these states.
Wine falls somewhere in between. A handful of control states extend their monopoly to wine, requiring it to be sold through state stores. Others let private retailers sell wine freely while keeping spirits behind the government counter. Pennsylvania historically required wine purchases at state stores but has gradually allowed wine sales in some grocery stores under limited licenses.
Even in strict control states, you can almost always find beer at a private store. Wine availability at private shops depends on the state. Spirits are the product most consistently locked behind the government retail counter.5National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. Control Systems
Can You Have Spirits Shipped In?
Shipping spirits across state lines into a control state is legally fraught. Federal law makes it a crime to transport liquor into any state in violation of that state’s laws, with penalties including fines and up to one year of imprisonment.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1262 – Transportation Into State Prohibiting Sale Control states typically require that all spirits entering the state pass through the government distribution system. Ordering a case of bourbon online from an out-of-state retailer and having it shipped to your home in a control state may violate both federal and state law, even if the purchase is for personal use. Enforcement varies in practice, but the legal risk is real.
In-state delivery is a separate question. Some control states allow delivery from state store inventories; others still require you to visit the store in person.
Tribal Land Is a Separate Jurisdiction
Federally recognized tribal nations within control states often operate under their own alcohol regulations rather than the state system. Tribes have sovereign authority to regulate liquor on reservation land, and many have established their own liquor control boards with licensing, taxation, and sales rules independent of the surrounding state. Some tribal jurisdictions mirror the state’s rules by agreement; others set entirely different policies, including outright prohibition. If you’re on tribal land in a control state, the state’s ABC store system may not apply.