In Idaho, bars and restaurants stop pouring liquor at 1:00 AM and cannot serve again until 10:00 AM, while beer and wine sales stop at 1:00 AM and resume at 6:00 AM. So the short answer to what time Idaho stops selling alcohol is 1:00 AM statewide, with one important wrinkle: cities and counties can push last call to 2:00 AM by local ordinance, and many of the larger ones have.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-1012 – Hours of Sale
Liquor at Bars and Restaurants
The statewide rule for liquor by the drink is a nine-hour blackout: no sales from 1:00 AM to 10:00 AM.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor During those hours, every unsealed bottle on the premises has to be locked in a separate room or cabinet, and staff who leave bottles out can be charged with a misdemeanor.
Once last call hits, you have up to 30 minutes to finish the drink already in front of you. Keep drinking past that window, or let a patron keep drinking, and it becomes a misdemeanor for both the customer and the licensee.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor
Beer and Wine Hours
Beer runs on a different clock. Sales stop at 1:00 AM and resume at 6:00 AM, so there’s a four-hour window in the morning when you can grab a six-pack at a grocery store but can’t yet order a cocktail at a bar.2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-1012 – Hours of Sale
Wine is tied to the same schedule as beer, whether you’re buying a bottle at a store or ordering a glass at a restaurant.3Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-1332 – Sale by By-the-Drink The same 30-minute consumption grace period applies after beer and wine last call.2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-1012 – Hours of Sale
Where Last Call Is 2:00 AM
Idaho’s 1:00 AM cutoff is a floor, not a ceiling. Cities and counties can extend last call for both liquor and beer to 2:00 AM through a local ordinance, and many populated areas have done so.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-1012 – Hours of Sale Local governments can also go the other way and impose an earlier cutoff. 2:00 AM is the absolute latest any Idaho establishment can serve.
If you’re in an unfamiliar town and aren’t sure which clock applies, ask the bartender. The answer depends entirely on what that city or county has decided.
Sundays and Holidays
Sundays and a handful of holidays are where Idaho’s rules get stricter. By statewide default, liquor by the drink cannot be sold on Sundays, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas from 1:00 AM until 10:00 AM the following day.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor Under the default, that means a full dry Sunday for cocktails at a bar.
Cities and counties can lift the Sunday ban and can also authorize Memorial Day and Thanksgiving sales, and many have. Christmas is the one day no local ordinance can override: liquor-by-the-drink sales stay banned statewide on Christmas no matter where you are.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor
Beer and wine are not covered by those Sunday and holiday restrictions. Both can be sold on Sundays and holidays during the usual 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM window (or to 2:00 AM in cities with the extension).
The Banquet Exception
Even in areas that have not passed a Sunday liquor ordinance, a licensee with a banquet or meeting room physically separate from the main bar can serve liquor to the attendees of a banquet, reception, or convention between 2:00 PM and 11:00 PM on Sunday. Only actual event participants can be served, and the exception does not apply if that Sunday is Christmas or another prescribed holiday.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-927 – Hours of Sale of Liquor
Buying a Bottle of Liquor
Idaho is a control state, so distilled spirits are sold only through state-run liquor stores and authorized special distributors inside certain private businesses.4Idaho State Liquor Division. Product Information You won’t find whiskey or vodka at a regular grocery store outside those channels.
Store hours are set by the Idaho State Liquor Division rather than written into the statute, and they vary by location. Weekday hours at larger stores often run roughly 10:00 or 11:00 AM to 7:00 or 8:00 PM, with smaller and seasonal stores keeping shorter schedules. Check the specific store’s hours on the Liquor Division’s website before heading over.
State liquor stores are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Memorial Day. Sunday sales are banned unless the county has opted in by local ordinance; in counties that allow Sunday sales, some stores open around noon and close by 6:00 PM.5Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 23-307 – Days When Sales Are Prohibited
What Happens If a Bar Serves Late
Selling outside legal hours is a misdemeanor in Idaho, carrying up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.6Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-113 – Punishment for Misdemeanor The same applies to letting patrons drink past the 30-minute grace period and to failing to lock up unsealed liquor during the blackout.
Beyond the criminal charge, Idaho’s Alcohol Beverage Control bureau can suspend a liquor license for 10 days on a first hours-of-sale violation and 30 days on a second.7Idaho State Police. Penalty Schedule That is why closing time at Idaho bars tends to be enforced promptly rather than loosely.