Utah’s alcohol cutoff times depend on where you’re buying. Bars stop pouring at 1:00 AM, restaurants cut off liquor and wine at 11:59 PM and beer at 12:59 AM, and state liquor stores close by 10:00 PM and stay shut on Sundays. Grocery and convenience stores are the outlier: they can sell beer with no state-imposed time limit, any day of the week.
Bars and Taverns: Last Call at 1:00 AM
Bars are the latest-serving option in the state. A bar establishment license allows sales of all alcohol types from 10:00 AM until 1:00 AM, seven days a week. The statute frames it as a blackout window: no sales of any alcoholic product between 1:00 AM and 9:59 AM.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-6-406 – Specific Operational Requirements for a Bar Establishment License Unlike restaurants, bars don’t require you to order food with your drink.
After 1:00 AM, the bar must stay open for one more hour so patrons can finish what they’ve already purchased. During that grace period, you’re limited to one final drink: a single cocktail, a glass of wine up to five ounces, a heavy beer, or a regular beer up to 26 ounces.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-6-406 – Specific Operational Requirements for a Bar Establishment License No new orders once the clock hits 1:00 AM. The bar can close earlier within that hour once everyone has left.
Taverns hold an on-premise beer retailer license and can only serve beer. Their hours mirror bars, with the same 1:00 AM cutoff and the same one-hour grace period. The finishing drink is limited to a single beer of up to 26 ounces.
Restaurants: 11:59 PM for Liquor, 12:59 AM for Beer
Full-service restaurants with a liquor license operate under a split timetable that depends on both the type of drink and the day of the week:2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-6-205.2 – Specific Operational Requirements for a Full-Service Restaurant License
- Liquor and wine on weekdays: 11:30 AM to 11:59 PM
- Liquor and wine on weekends, holidays, or private events: 10:30 AM to 11:59 PM
- Beer on weekdays: 11:30 AM to 12:59 AM
- Beer on weekends, holidays, or private events: 10:30 AM to 12:59 AM
In practice: if you’re having dinner on a Friday night, your server can pour you a cocktail until 11:59 PM and keep bringing beer for another hour after that. On weekends and holidays, service starts an hour earlier at 10:30 AM, which matters for brunch.
Restaurants must also confirm you intend to order food before serving a drink. Alcohol is treated as secondary to the meal, so you can’t sit down, order a glass of wine on its own, and leave.2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-6-205.2 – Specific Operational Requirements for a Full-Service Restaurant License
Some restaurants hold a beer-only license and cannot serve liquor or wine at all. These follow a simpler schedule: beer from 11:30 AM to 12:59 AM on weekdays, and from 10:30 AM to 12:59 AM on weekends and holidays.3Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-6-905.1 – Specific Operational Requirements for a Beer-Only Restaurant License The food-ordering requirement still applies.
State Liquor Stores: 10:00 PM, Closed Sundays
The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS) runs every state liquor store and holds a monopoly on retail sales of wine, spirits, and heavy beer (any malt beverage above 5% ABV). Most locations open at 11:00 AM and close at 10:00 PM, Monday through Saturday, though some smaller stores shut their doors at 7:00 PM.4Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services. Find a Store Every state store is closed on Sundays and on all state and federal holidays. If your weekend plans include wine or liquor, Saturday is your last chance before Monday.
Where a full state store isn’t practical, DABS contracts with private businesses, called package agencies, to sell wine, spirits, and heavy beer on its behalf. These often operate inside hotels, resorts, or rural general stores, and their hours track the host business rather than the standard state schedule. Some close well before 10:00 PM; others keep later hours.
Package agencies follow the same Sunday and holiday blackout as state stores.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-2-605 – Operational Requirements for Package Agency Two exceptions apply. Package agencies inside resort or hotel properties can sell on Sundays and holidays as long as they don’t operate like a standalone liquor store. A package agency located at a licensed brewery, distillery, or winery can also sell its own products any day of the week.
Grocery and Convenience Stores: No State Cutoff
Utah law defines “beer” for grocery and convenience store purposes as a malt beverage containing no more than 5% alcohol by volume.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 32B-1-102 – Definitions Anything above that threshold is “heavy beer” and can only be bought at a state store or package agency.
There is no state-mandated time at which these retailers must stop selling beer. A 24-hour convenience store or gas station can legally ring up a six-pack at 3:00 AM. This is the one category of alcohol available every day, including Sundays and holidays, when every other retail channel is dark. Local cities and counties can impose their own restrictions, but Utah statute itself sets no cutoff.
Bring ID Starting January 1, 2026
Starting January 1, 2026, every licensed alcohol seller in Utah must check identification for every purchase, regardless of how old the buyer appears.7Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services. New 100% ID Law Begins Jan. 1, 2026 That covers state stores, package agencies, grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. Before the change, sellers could use their judgment about whether a customer looked old enough to skip the check. That discretion is gone. Bring your ID every time.