In California, you can buy beer any day of the week between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. The window is the same statewide, the same at a liquor store as at a bar, and the same on Christmas as on a random Tuesday. The only hours beer is off-limits are the four between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The Daily Sales Window
California Business and Professions Code Section 25631 makes it a misdemeanor for any licensed seller or their employee to sell or deliver alcohol between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. The same statute makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to knowingly buy alcohol during those hours. Most people assume the law only reaches the person behind the counter. It reaches both sides.1California Legislative Information. California Code Business and Professions Code 25631
The hours are identical for on-sale licenses (bars, restaurants, brewery tasting rooms) and off-sale licenses (grocery stores, liquor stores, gas stations, convenience stores). There is no separate schedule for beer versus wine versus spirits. If the business holds a valid license and the clock reads anywhere from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., beer is available.
One small wrinkle covers the two days a year when clocks change. For purposes of the statute, “2 o’clock a.m.” means exactly two hours after midnight. So on the spring forward day, when clocks jump from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., last call still arrives two hours after midnight rather than at the clock time of 2:00 a.m.1California Legislative Information. California Code Business and Professions Code 25631
Holidays and Sundays
Several states shorten alcohol hours on Sundays or ban sales on certain holidays. California does not. The 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. window runs every day of the year, including New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Super Bowl Sunday. If a store or bar is open, it can sell beer during the normal hours.
One narrow exception exists under BPC Section 25631.5. A fully enclosed arena in Inglewood with at least 18,000 seats — currently the Intuit Dome — can serve alcohol between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. in a small private club area after events. The space is capped at 2,500 square feet and 100 people, everyone present must be 21 or older, and the authorization sunsets on January 1, 2030.2California Legislative Information. California Code Business and Professions Code 25631.5
Lawmakers have tried more than once to extend late-night service. A 2025 bill, AB 342, would allow city governments to authorize bars and restaurants to serve until 4:00 a.m. on weekends and state holidays. As of early 2026, it has not become law. Until something passes, 2:00 a.m. remains the cutoff everywhere outside that single Inglewood venue.
Last Call at Bars and Restaurants
At any on-sale location, beer sales must stop at 2:00 a.m. California also bars the licensee from letting customers keep drinking on the premises after sales become unlawful. Allowing after-hours consumption is a separate misdemeanor under BPC Section 25632.3California Legislative Information. California Code Business and Professions Code 25632
In practice, bars announce last call around 1:30 or 1:45 a.m. so drinks are finished and patrons are moving out by 2:00. If you’re still working on a pint at 2:05, the bar is the one on the hook, which is why staff tend to clear glasses firmly rather than politely.
Delivery and To-Go Beer
Beer sold for takeout or delivered through an app follows the same hours. Deliveries cannot happen between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., and the driver must check a valid ID at the door to confirm the recipient is 21 or older and is the person who placed the order. Alcohol cannot be left unattended.4Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Requirements and Guidelines for Expanded Alcohol To-Go Privileges
Restaurants and bars with the right license can sell beer to go in sealed containers. The to-go privilege, created during the pandemic, was extended through December 31, 2026. The beer must be in a manufacturer-sealed container, and the person picking up the order has to show a valid ID matching the order.
If You Buy Outside the Hours
A sale between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. is a misdemeanor for the business, and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control can suspend or revoke the establishment’s license. Even a short suspension stops all alcohol sales for its duration, which can be financially serious.1California Legislative Information. California Code Business and Professions Code 25631
For the buyer, the exposure is smaller but real. A knowing purchase in that window is also a misdemeanor and would go on your record if charged. Prosecutions of individual buyers for an after-hours purchase alone are uncommon, but the authority exists, and officers do use it when other conduct is in the picture, such as public intoxication or disorderly conduct.
After You Buy
Beer bought legally still has to be transported legally. California Vehicle Code Section 23222 prohibits a driver from having any opened or partially consumed container of alcohol in their possession while driving. A sealed six-pack on the back seat is fine. A six-pack with one missing, within reach of the driver, is not.5California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23222
The safe move is to keep any opened container in the trunk or an area the driver and passengers can’t reach. It doesn’t matter whether anyone is actually drinking from it. An open growler in a cupholder is enough.