What Time Can You Buy Alcohol in West Virginia? Store and Bar Hours

In West Virginia, you can buy alcohol starting at 6:00 a.m. every day of the week. What time can you buy alcohol in West Virginia at night depends on what and where: retail liquor stores stop at midnight, beer and wine at stores run until 2:00 a.m., bars serving beer close at 2:00 a.m., and private clubs with full liquor licenses can pour until 3:00 a.m.¹²³

Buying at a Store

West Virginia splits beer and wine from liquor, and the closing times are different.

Off-premises retailers can sell beer and wine from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily, Sunday included.² That covers grocery stores, convenience stores, and other outlets with a beer or wine license.

Retail liquor stores run on a shorter clock: 6:00 a.m. to midnight, every day of the week.¹ Liquor is sold through privately owned retail outlets regulated by the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration (ABCA).⁴ If you’re out past midnight and need something, beer and wine are still available at retail for two more hours; a liquor bottle is not.

Two days a year, liquor stores close entirely: Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.⁵ The holiday closure applies only to retail liquor outlets. Beer and wine stores and on-premises service aren’t affected.

Drinking at a Bar or Private Club

On-premises hours turn on the license the establishment holds, and the gap between license types is bigger than most people notice.

Bars and restaurants with a standard nonintoxicating beer license can serve from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.² The same 2:00 a.m. cutoff generally applies to wine sales at licensed restaurants.

Private clubs are a separate category, and in West Virginia the “private club” label covers many establishments that function as ordinary bars and restaurants. These licensees can serve beer, wine, and liquor from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. The extra hour past 2:00 a.m. is only available at private clubs, not at beer-only taverns. Once the cutoff hits, patrons have 30 minutes to clear the premises.³

Sunday Hours

Under current state law, Sunday looks like any other day for most license types. Retail liquor stores can open at 6:00 a.m. on Sundays, a change that took effect in September 2021.⁵ Off-premises beer and wine sales also start at 6:00 a.m. on Sundays.⁶ Private clubs can begin serving at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday as well.

There is one catch worth checking before you count on a Sunday morning drink out. West Virginia lets counties hold a local option election to push the Sunday on-premises start time back to 1:00 p.m.⁷ If voters in a county approve the restriction, every on-premises licensee in that county has to wait until 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.³ If you’re going out on a Sunday before noon, confirm what your county has done.

Local Rules Can Be Stricter

State law sets the floor; local governments can raise it. Counties and municipalities can impose tighter alcohol sales rules, including earlier closing times and later Sunday starts. The City of Elkins, for example, reserves the right to require establishments to stop serving earlier than state law would otherwise allow, particularly when event noise could disturb nearby residents.⁸

A few areas in West Virginia remain partially dry, with alcohol sales restricted to certain license types like private clubs, or banned outright. If you’re going somewhere unfamiliar, don’t assume statewide hours apply. The ABCA website at abca.wv.gov lists licensees and has contact details for enforcement.⁹

Quick Reference

Retail beer and wine: 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., every day including Sunday
Retail liquor stores: 6:00 a.m. to midnight, every day including Sunday (closed Easter Sunday and Christmas Day)
Bars and restaurants with a beer license: 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily
Private clubs with a full liquor license: 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. daily
Sunday county option: counties may vote to delay on-premises Sunday sales until 1:00 p.m.

1
Justia. West Virginia Code 60-3A-18 – Days and Hours Retail Licensees May Sell Liquor
2
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 11-16-18 – Unlawful Acts of Licensees; Criminal Penalties
3
Legal Information Institute. West Virginia Code of State Rules 175-2-4 – Operation of Private Club
4
WV Alcohol Beverage Control Administration. Licensing
5
West Virginia Legislature. SB 2020 Enrolled Text
6
WV Alcohol Beverage Control Administration. ABCA Operations Hours Reference
7
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 7-1-3ss – County Option Election on Sunday Sales
8
City of Elkins. Alcoholic Beverage Licensing
9
WV Alcohol Beverage Control Administration. WV Alcohol Beverage Control Administration