In Georgia, you can buy alcohol from retail stores between 8:00 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and bars and restaurants can serve until 2:00 a.m. the following morning. Sunday sales are shorter and only exist where local voters have approved them. Because Georgia lets counties and cities tighten the rules, the hours in your town may be narrower than the state ceiling.
Weekday and Saturday Hours at Stores
For beer, wine, and liquor you’re taking home, the earliest any Georgia retailer can ring up a sale is 8:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday. Sales have to stop by 11:45 p.m., and the store must be cleared of customers within 30 minutes after that.1Department of Revenue. Adopted Regulations ATD-2022-002 Those are the state maximums; your city or county can shorten them.
Beer and wine show up at grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations with the right license. Distilled spirits are different. Georgia requires hard liquor to be sold through package stores licensed specifically for that purpose, so you won’t find bourbon on the grocery shelf.1Department of Revenue. Adopted Regulations ATD-2022-002
Weekday and Saturday Hours at Bars and Restaurants
Alcohol served on-premise at bars, restaurants, and hotels can run as late as 2:00 a.m. the next morning, Monday through Saturday. The exact open and close times inside that window are set locally, so a restaurant in Atlanta may run on a different schedule than one in a smaller town. Earlier cutoffs are common.
Larger jurisdictions sometimes extend on-premise hours past 2:00 a.m. for specific holidays and events like New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Fourth of July. These extensions depend on local population thresholds and ordinances, not state law, so call ahead if you’re planning a late night.
Sunday Hours
Sunday alcohol sales are not automatic anywhere in Georgia. A 2011 law gave counties and cities the authority to hold referendums, and sales only happen in places where voters said yes. Where Sunday sales are allowed, the hours are:
- Package stores and retail shops: 12:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-7 – Local Authorization and Regulation of Sales of Alcoholic Beverages on Sunday
- Bars and restaurants: 12:30 p.m. to midnight.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-7 – Local Authorization and Regulation of Sales of Alcoholic Beverages on Sunday
If your county or city never held the vote, or if voters turned it down, Sunday sales are off the table there, and a failed referendum can’t be revisited for at least two years.3Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-4-41 – Petition for Referendum; Notice of Call for Referendum
The Brunch Bill
Senate Bill 17, passed in 2018 and known as the Brunch Bill, created a second referendum option. Communities that already allowed Sunday sales could vote again on whether to let certain restaurants and hotels start serving at 11:00 a.m. instead of 12:30 p.m. Only establishments that earn at least 50 percent of their annual gross revenue from prepared food, or at least 50 percent of their annual gross income from overnight room rentals, qualify for the earlier start.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-7 – Local Authorization and Regulation of Sales of Alcoholic Beverages on Sunday
The Brunch Bill doesn’t help package stores or bars that don’t meet the food threshold, and it doesn’t apply automatically. Each community has to hold its own vote. If you want a mimosa before 12:30 on a Sunday, check whether your city actually adopted the earlier time.
Christmas and Election Day
Georgia handles holidays unevenly. There’s no statewide ban on Christmas Day sales. Instead, state law lets each county or city prohibit December 25 sales by local ordinance, and many do, so don’t count on an open package store on Christmas without checking first.4Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-20 – Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on Sundays, Election Days, and Christmas Day
Georgia used to ban alcohol sales between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on election days. The legislature repealed that blanket rule, though local governments can still impose their own election-day restrictions, and state law still prohibits sales within 250 feet of a polling place.4Justia Law. Georgia Code 3-3-20 – Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on Sundays, Election Days, and Christmas Day
Delivery and To-Go Cocktails
Georgia has legalized home delivery and to-go mixed drinks, but neither extends your buying window. Both are tied to the normal sales hours for the type of establishment involved.
Licensed retailers can deliver packaged beer, wine, and spirits, either directly or through a third-party service. The driver must be at least 21, must verify your age with valid ID, and must get your signature acknowledging that you’re old enough to buy.5Georgia General Assembly. Substitute to HB 879 – Relating to Regulation of Alcoholic Beverages Generally and Delivery The driver has to refuse the order if you can’t produce ID, if your signature doesn’t match, or if you appear intoxicated. Delivery personnel must also pass a background check and complete department-approved training.
Restaurants with the right license can sell mixed drinks for takeout. Each drink can contain no more than three ounces of distilled spirits, and you’re limited to two drinks per food entrée. Appetizers and desserts don’t count. The drink and the food have to appear on the same order and receipt.6Department of Revenue. Retail Sale of Mixed Drinks To-Go FAQs The container has to be sealed and tamper-evident, with no straw hole, and labeled with the restaurant’s name, address, license number, and the words “Alcoholic Beverage” or “Contains Alcohol.” The restaurant must fill and seal it the same day you order.
Dry Counties and Local Rules
Where you are matters as much as what time it is. Counties and cities in Georgia can restrict hours beyond the state maximums, ban particular types of sales, or stay fully dry. A handful of counties remain completely dry with no alcohol sales of any kind. Many more are partially dry, allowing beer and wine but not liquor, or permitting on-premise service while banning package sales.
Before you plan a purchase, especially on a Sunday or holiday, call the store or check your local government’s website. The state sets the ceiling. Your city or county sets the rules you’ll actually meet at the register.