The Texas blue law was a 1961 statute that barred retailers from selling 42 categories of goods on both Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend, forcing most stores to pick one weekend day to close. The legislature repealed the bulk of it in 1985. Two pieces survive: car dealerships still cannot sell vehicles on both Saturday and Sunday, and package liquor stores remain closed on Sundays and certain holidays.
What the 1961 Law Banned
The original law did not shut down Sunday commerce across the board. It singled out 42 specific categories of merchandise and said a store could sell those items on Saturday or Sunday, but not both. Owners had to pick a weekend day and close for the other.
The restricted categories covered much of everyday retail:
- Clothing and footwear
- Furniture, mattresses, mirrors, cookware, and kitchen utensils
- Large appliances like refrigerators and small ones like toasters
- Televisions, radios, cameras, and camera accessories
- Hand tools, power tools, and building materials
- Sporting goods, toys, games, musical instruments, and recordings
- Jewelry and watches
The line-drawing produced some odd results at the register. Disposable diapers were legal both days, cloth diapers were not. A bottle of beer was fine, a baby bottle was not. Screwdrivers could be sold, screws could not. Paper plates stayed available all weekend, but a single piece of china was off-limits on the second day.
The 1985 Repeal
After a failed attempt in 1981, the legislature repealed the 42-category ban effective September 1, 1985. Retailers could open both weekend days without worrying about which items they could legally ring up. Two sets of restrictions were deliberately left in place: one on car dealership operations, and one on alcohol sales. Both are still enforced.
Car Dealership Weekend Rule
Texas Transportation Code Section 728.002 prohibits anyone from selling or offering to sell a motor vehicle on both Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend, and bars employers from forcing employees to sell vehicles on both days.1State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code 728.002 – Sale of Motor Vehicles on Consecutive Saturday and Sunday Prohibited Most dealerships pick Sunday as their closed day.
Two carve-outs apply. The rule does not reach an occasional private sale by someone outside the car business, and it does not prevent quoting prices for motor homes or tow trucks at certain exhibitions. For anyone in the business of selling vehicles, operating both weekend days is illegal.
Civil penalties escalate with repeat violations:
- First violation: up to $500
- Second violation: between $500 and $1,000
- Third or later violation: between $1,000 and $5,000
If a court finds the violation was willful or showed conscious indifference to the law, it can triple those amounts. Each day a vehicle is offered for sale counts as a separate violation.2State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code 728.003 – Civil Penalty
Alcohol Sales on Sundays
The other major holdover involves alcohol, and the rules depend on what you are buying and where.
Liquor Stores
Package stores cannot open on Sundays. They also must close on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. On days they can operate, hours run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. These are the strictest remaining blue law provisions in Texas.
Beer and Wine
Grocery stores, convenience stores, and other off-premise retailers can sell beer and wine on Sundays, with restricted morning hours. A 2021 change moved the Sunday start time from noon to 10 a.m., matching the rule for bars and restaurants.
Mixed Drinks at Bars and Restaurants
Mixed beverage permit holders can serve alcohol on Sundays between 10 a.m. and midnight. Drinks served between 10 a.m. and noon must be accompanied by food.3State of Texas. Texas Code Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages That brunch rule is a softened version of what used to be a complete Sunday ban on mixed drinks.
Public Consumption
Consuming alcohol in a public place between 1:15 a.m. and noon on Sundays is a Class C misdemeanor in most areas. In places with extended-hours permits, the early-morning cutoff shifts to 2:15 a.m., but the noon restriction holds. Hotel guests drinking in the hotel bar are exempt.4State of Texas. Texas Code Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.06 – Hours of Consumption
If You Are Scheduled to Work on Your Sabbath
With most Texas businesses now open Sundays, employees whose religious beliefs require Sabbath observance sometimes end up on the schedule. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to reasonably accommodate a sincerely held religious belief, including Sabbath observance. Typical accommodations include shift swaps, schedule changes, and flexible break times. A request does not have to be in writing, though putting it in writing creates a record. An employer can decline only if the accommodation would cause substantial hardship to the business, weighing cost and the effect on other employees’ schedules.5U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fact Sheet: Religious Accommodations in the Workplace The protection applies regardless of which day the employee observes, so Sunday-worshipping Christians, Saturday-observing Jewish employees, and Seventh-day Adventists all have the same right to ask.