In Virginia, you can buy beer on Sunday starting at 6:00 AM. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and other off-premises retailers sell until midnight, and bars and restaurants in localities that allow mixed beverages can serve until 2:00 AM.1Virginia Code Commission. 3VAC5-50-30 Restricted Hours; Exceptions These hours apply every Sunday.
Buying Beer To Go on Sunday
Off-premises sales cover anything you take with you: a six-pack from the grocery store, a case from a bottle shop, a tallboy from a gas station. Statewide, those retailers can sell beer from 6:00 AM to midnight, seven days a week. Wine runs on the same clock.1Virginia Code Commission. 3VAC5-50-30 Restricted Hours; Exceptions
The midnight cutoff is firm no matter where in Virginia you are. Even in cities where bars pour until 2:00 AM, the store selling you beer to take home still has to stop at midnight.
Ordering Beer at a Bar or Restaurant on Sunday
How late you can order a beer on-premises depends on whether your locality has authorized mixed-beverage sales. Most Virginia cities and larger towns have. In those places, bars and restaurants can serve beer, wine, and cocktails from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM daily, Sundays included.1Virginia Code Commission. 3VAC5-50-30 Restricted Hours; Exceptions
In localities that have not authorized mixed beverages, on-premises service stops at midnight instead of 2:00 AM. A bar in one of those areas has the same cutoff as the grocery store down the street. An easy way to tell which type of locality you’re in: if restaurants near you serve cocktails, you’re in a mixed-beverage area with the 2:00 AM cutoff.
Two kinds of establishments operate outside these limits. Private clubs licensed through Virginia ABC have no restricted hours, and neither do mixed-beverage casino licensees.1Virginia Code Commission. 3VAC5-50-30 Restricted Hours; Exceptions
How Local Ordinances Can Tighten Sunday Hours
Virginia law lets counties, cities, and towns shorten beer and wine hours on weekends. A local governing body may prohibit beer sales entirely between noon Saturday and 6:00 AM Monday, or set specific windows within that period when sales are allowed.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-129 – Local Ordinances Regulating Time of Sale of Wine and Beer
That authority runs only one direction. A locality can make the window narrower than the statewide standard, but it cannot extend it. A county ordinance letting convenience stores sell beer until 1:00 AM would conflict with the midnight cutoff and have no effect.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-129 – Local Ordinances Regulating Time of Sale of Wine and Beer
Some areas also restrict alcohol sales near places of worship on Sunday mornings. Retailers within 500 feet of a church may be prohibited from selling alcohol before noon on Sundays, depending on local rules. Because these vary by jurisdiction, call the store or your local government if you’re trying to buy beer first thing on a Sunday.
Getting Beer Delivered on Sunday
Virginia permits third-party delivery of beer and wine, but the delivery company has to hold a specific license from the ABC Board and be registered with the State Corporation Commission.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.2 – Third-Party Deliveries
The driver must check your ID at the door and confirm you’re at least 21. Deliveries can’t go to a correctional facility, a package locker or shipping depot, another retail licensee, or undergraduate college housing. If the driver can’t lawfully complete the handoff, the beer goes back to the store.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.2 – Third-Party Deliveries
Because the order originates from a licensed retailer, the retailer’s own sales hours still apply. You won’t be able to place a Sunday delivery order between midnight and 6:00 AM.