Indiana began allowing Sunday alcohol sales on March 4, 2018, the first Sunday after Governor Eric Holcomb signed Senate Enrolled Act 1 into law on February 28, 2018.1Indiana Senate Republicans. Alting Sunday Sales Bill Signed by Governor That date ended a prohibition on Sunday carryout sales that had been in place since Indiana became a state in 1816.2Indiana Historical Society. Temperance and Prohibition Time Line
What Hours You Can Buy Alcohol on Sunday in Indiana
Sunday carryout runs on a shorter clock than the rest of the week. Liquor stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies may sell packaged beer, wine, and spirits for carryout on Sundays between noon and 8 PM. Monday through Saturday, the carryout window is much wider: 7 AM to 3 AM the following day.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-1-14 – Times When Sales Lawful
Those Sunday hours apply only to packaged alcohol taken off the premises. Bars and restaurants serve on-premises drinks from 7 AM to 3 AM every day, Sundays included.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-1-14 – Times When Sales Lawful Before 2018, that on-premises exception was the only way to get a legal Sunday drink in the state: you could order one at a table, but you could not buy a bottle to take home.
How Indiana’s Sunday Ban Ended
Repeal efforts had failed in the Indiana legislature for years, largely because retail alcohol groups wanted the guaranteed day off and feared losing weekend customers to competitors. The political picture changed in early 2018 when the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers and the Indiana Retail Council withdrew their opposition.
State Senator Ron Alting authored Senate Bill 1, which moved through the General Assembly with bipartisan support.4Indiana General Assembly. Senate Bill 1 – Sunday Carryout Sales Governor Holcomb signed it on February 28, 2018, and the law took effect immediately rather than waiting for the usual July 1 start date.1Indiana Senate Republicans. Alting Sunday Sales Bill Signed by Governor The next Sunday, March 4, 2018, was the first legal Sunday carryout day in Indiana history.
The Twenty-First Amendment is what gave Indiana the power to keep that ban in place for so long. It grants states broad authority to regulate the transportation, importation, and sale of alcohol inside their borders, and Indiana used that authority longer than almost any other state.5Constitution Annotated. State Power over Alcohol and Individual Rights By the time the 2018 law passed, Indiana was essentially the last holdout; Connecticut had dropped its own Sunday prohibition in 2012, and Georgia began allowing local Sunday sales votes in 2011.
One Other Rule to Know Before You Shop
Even on a Sunday afternoon, Indiana keeps a rule that catches a lot of shoppers off guard: only liquor stores can sell cold beer for carryout. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies have to sell their beer at room temperature. If you want a cold six-pack to drink that day, a liquor store is the only option, and you will still need to arrive inside the noon-to-8 PM Sunday window.
There was one narrow early exception to the Sunday ban before full repeal. Starting in 2011, small breweries producing under 30,000 barrels a year could sell their own beer for carryout on Sundays, but only at the brewery itself and only up to 576 ounces per transaction, roughly a growler’s worth.6Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 7.1, Article 3, Chapter 2 – Brewers Permits – 2011 Indiana Code For regular retail stores, though, nothing changed until March 4, 2018.