What Time Is Alcohol Sold in NC: Sundays, ABC Stores, Delivery

In North Carolina, alcohol is sold from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM Monday through Saturday at bars, restaurants, and stores holding state ABC permits. Sunday sales start later: noon by default, or 10:00 AM if your city or county has adopted a local brunch ordinance. Liquor is the exception to all of this. It is sold only at state-run ABC stores, which keep shorter hours and are closed every Sunday.¹

Monday Through Saturday Hours

State law bans the sale of beer, wine (unfortified and fortified), and mixed drinks between 2:00 AM and 7:00 AM at any establishment with an ABC permit. That rule covers everyone: bars, restaurants, breweries, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and any other retailer licensed to sell alcohol.¹ So the practical window is 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM on every day except Sunday.

If you are drinking on-premise at a bar or restaurant, you get a brief grace period after last call. Consumption must stop by 2:30 AM, and the establishment has to clear every open container from tables, counters, and the bar at that point, even if your drink was poured before 2:00 AM.¹ Nothing can be served again at a licensed venue until 7:00 AM.

Sunday Hours and the Brunch Bill

Sunday runs on a tighter clock. Under the default state rule, no licensed premises can sell or serve any alcoholic beverage from 2:00 AM Sunday morning until 12:00 noon.¹ Once noon hits, sales can continue through the regular 2:00 AM Monday-morning cutoff.

A 2017 change to state law, commonly called the Brunch Bill, lets cities and counties move that Sunday start time up to 10:00 AM by local ordinance.² Most larger cities and suburban counties have adopted it. Plenty of smaller jurisdictions have not. If you are planning a Sunday morning purchase and are not sure which rule applies where you are, call the restaurant or store, or check with the city or county clerk’s office.

Local governments can also go the other direction. A city can ban retail beer and wine sales for any or all hours between noon Sunday and 7:00 AM Monday, and a county can do the same outside city limits. That local restriction does not reach bars and restaurants with brown-bagging or mixed-beverage permits.¹

Where to Buy Beer, Wine, and Liquor

What you want to drink determines where you shop, and that in turn shapes which hours apply. Beer and wine are sold at grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and other retailers that hold off-premise permits, as well as at bars and restaurants with on-premise permits.³ All of those outlets run on the standard 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM weekday window and the Sunday rules above.

Liquor works differently. North Carolina is a control state, meaning the government runs both the wholesale and retail side of the spirits business. You can only buy a bottle of liquor at a state-controlled ABC store operated by your local ABC board.⁴ ABC stores also carry fortified wine. You will not find liquor on the shelf at a grocery store or big-box retailer anywhere in the state.

ABC Store Hours

ABC stores keep shorter hours than other alcohol retailers, and the exact schedule varies from one local board to another. Most stores open at 10:00 AM Monday through Saturday and close somewhere between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM, though some locations open later or close earlier depending on the community they serve. Every ABC store in the state is closed on Sundays. Most boards also close for major holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day, with the specific list varying by county.

Because each county board sets its own schedule, it is worth checking your local board’s website or calling ahead before you drive over, especially during holiday weeks. The NC ABC Commission’s site keeps a directory of local boards and their contact information.⁵

Delivery Hours

If you are ordering through an app, the same clock applies. North Carolina allows third-party delivery of beer, unfortified wine, and fortified wine through a state delivery service permit, and deliveries can only happen during the hours when sales are legal in the jurisdiction where the alcohol is being dropped off.⁶ The driver has to hand the package directly to someone at least 21, and the delivery cannot travel more than 50 miles from the retailer’s licensed location.

Liquor is not part of the delivery system. You still have to visit an ABC store in person for spirits, though many boards accept online orders for in-store pickup.

Quick Reference

Bars and restaurants, Monday through Saturday: sales 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM, consumption until 2:30 AM.
Bars and restaurants, Sunday: sales resume at noon, or 10:00 AM where a local brunch ordinance is in effect, through 2:00 AM Monday.
Grocery and convenience stores, Monday through Saturday: beer and wine from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM.
Grocery and convenience stores, Sunday: beer and wine from noon, or 10:00 AM with a brunch ordinance, through 2:00 AM Monday.
ABC stores (liquor): typically 10:00 AM to between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday; closed Sundays and most major holidays.

Local ordinances can shift Sunday start times and, in limited cases, restrict Sunday retail sales further than the state default. When in doubt, call the establishment or check your local ABC board’s website before heading out.¹

1
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 18B-1004 – Hours for Sale and Consumption
2
NC ABC Commission. Quick Guide for Retail Permittees – Section: Hours of Sale
3
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 18B-1001 – ABC Permits
4
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 18B-800 – Sale of Alcoholic Beverages in ABC Stores
5
NC ABC Commission. About the NC ABC Commission
6
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 18B-1001.4 – Delivery Service Permit