In Maryland, you buy beer to take home at a dedicated liquor store, and you drink it out at a licensed bar, restaurant, brewery, or taproom. Unlike most states, Maryland does not let grocery stores, gas stations, or convenience stores sell beer, with one county exception noted below. The state hands most of the rulemaking to its 25 local jurisdictions, so who sells beer, when, and under what conditions can look very different from one county to the next.
Liquor Stores Are the Default
A dedicated liquor store, sometimes called a package store, is the most reliable place to buy beer for takeaway anywhere in Maryland. These shops hold Class A off-sale licenses and handle the vast majority of retail beer sales statewide. Nearly every town of any size has at least one, and they carry the full range of beer, wine, and spirits.
Most counties limit who can hold a license: applicants typically must be Maryland residents, and a single person generally cannot hold more than one retail license, with narrow exceptions for pub-breweries and micro-breweries.1Maryland General Assembly. Ch. 462 (House Bill 902) Some counties add local residency requirements and caps on the total number of licenses per district.2St. Mary’s County Government. Instructions on Applying for an Alcoholic Beverage License In St. Mary’s County For a shopper, the effect is simply that the store down the street is probably independently owned rather than part of a chain.
Why Not Grocery Stores, Gas Stations, or Convenience Stores
Maryland is one of only a handful of states that prohibits beer and wine sales in grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores. The statewide ban has been in place since 1978 and applies to chain stores, supermarkets, and discount retailers. The lone exception is Talbot County, where grocery stores can sell beer and wine.3Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission for the State of Maryland. In What County Can I Buy Alcohol at a Grocery Store? A small number of grocery stores that were licensed before 1978 are grandfathered in, but new grocery store licenses are not issued.
This is the single rule that catches the most visitors off guard. If you are used to grabbing a six-pack at the supermarket in another state, you will need a separate stop at a liquor store in Maryland.
A Pending Bill Could Change This
House Bill 1303, the Alcoholic Beverages Modernization Act of 2026, was introduced in the Maryland General Assembly in early 2026. If passed, it would let qualifying food retailers, pharmacies, and gas stations buy a Class A license from an existing license holder and sell beer and wine, subject to size and other requirements.4Maryland General Assembly. House Bill 1303 First Reader (Alcoholic Beverages Modernization Act of 2026) As of early 2026 the bill was still in committee and had not become law,5Maryland General Assembly. HB1303 – Legislation Details and similar efforts in prior years have failed. Until that changes, the ban stands.
Breweries and Taprooms
You can buy beer directly from Maryland’s licensed breweries and their attached taprooms for both on-site and off-site consumption. State law creates several brewery license categories, including brewery, micro-brewery, and farm brewery licenses, all of which allow direct sales to the public in growlers, cans, and bottles.6Justia. Maryland Code Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Title 2 – State-Issued Permits and Licenses Subtitle 2 – Manufacturer’s Licenses Farm breweries can sell beer produced by the license holder or by other Maryland manufacturers, both for drinking on the premises and for carrying out. Recent sessions have generally loosened taproom sales limits, making breweries a practical option for buying straight from the source.
Bars and Restaurants
Bars and restaurants with the right license sell beer for drinking on the premises throughout the state. The Class B beer, wine, and liquor license is the standard on-sale license for restaurants and hotels. A restaurant must have table seating for at least 40 people, not counting bar or counter seats, and must take in more daily revenue from food than from alcohol.7Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 32-902 Counties may issue additional local license types with different requirements, so the specific rules at any given venue depend on where you are.
Montgomery County Works Differently
Montgomery County is the exception to most of what is written above. The county government holds a legal monopoly on wholesale distribution of all alcoholic beverages and on retail sales of off-sale liquor.8Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Alcoholic Beverages Code Section 25-307 (2022) – Monopoly Control Every bar, restaurant, and store in the county has to buy its alcohol through the county’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS). The county runs its own chain of retail stores where you can buy beer, wine, and spirits. Beer is sold at these government-run stores but cannot be displayed chilled, a deliberate policy to avoid undercutting privately owned beer and wine shops. Private licensees in the county can sell beer, but all of their inventory has to come through ABS.
In practice, the shopping experience in Montgomery County feels noticeably different from the rest of the state. The county stores are functional but tend not to have the craft-focused selection of a specialty liquor store elsewhere in Maryland.
When You Can Buy
Sales hours vary significantly by county, and this is where Maryland’s local-control system creates the most confusion. A common baseline in many counties is Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., but Sunday is where things get complicated. Some counties restrict Sunday sales to shorter windows, some prohibit Sunday off-sale entirely, and some allow it on the same terms as any other day. The Alcoholic Beverages Article, Division II, assigns each county its own title with specific provisions for hours and days of sale.
Before making a special trip, especially on a Sunday or holiday, confirm the hours with the store or check the county’s regulations. Showing up at a liquor store at noon on Sunday in the wrong county and finding it closed is a rite of passage for Maryland newcomers.
Delivery and Shipping
Beer delivery in Maryland is in legal flux. Until late 2025, state law let Maryland breweries deliver beer directly to consumers, but only using their own employees rather than common carriers like UPS or FedEx. Out-of-state breweries could not ship to Maryland consumers at all, though wineries, both in-state and out-of-state, were permitted to use common carriers.
In December 2025, a federal judge struck down this arrangement as an unconstitutional trade barrier because it favored in-state breweries over out-of-state ones. The court advised the legislature to create a delivery permit system open to all breweries regardless of location and to allow the use of common carriers. As of early 2026, the legislature had not passed replacement legislation, leaving direct-to-consumer beer shipping in limbo.
Retail delivery through third-party apps is also limited. Under the proposed HB 1303, new retail establishments that obtain a Class A license would be explicitly prohibited from delivering alcoholic beverages.4Maryland General Assembly. House Bill 1303 First Reader (Alcoholic Beverages Modernization Act of 2026) Existing licensees may have different rules depending on their license type and county, but delivery is not an area where Maryland makes things easy for the consumer.
Age, ID, and Taxes at the Register
You must be 21 or older to buy or possess beer in Maryland. Anyone under 21 is prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol, with limited exceptions for religious ceremonies or when a family member provides it in a private home.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law Title 10 – Section 10-114 – Underage Possession Adults who furnish alcohol to minors face misdemeanor charges with fines up to $2,500 for a first offense and $5,000 for a subsequent offense.
Retailers will ask for identification. Maryland accepts a state driver’s license with photo, a state MVA ID card, a U.S. military ID, a passport, or an immigration card. Using a fake or altered ID to buy alcohol is a misdemeanor that can carry up to six months in jail, a $500 fine, and suspension of your driver’s license.
Two layers of tax apply at the point of sale. The state imposes an excise tax of 9 cents per gallon on beer and mead, which is built into the wholesale price and will not appear separately on your receipt.10Maryland General Assembly. House Bill 736 (2026 Regular Session) – Alcoholic Beverage Tax On top of that, Maryland charges a 9% sales tax on all alcoholic beverages at the register, higher than the standard 6% rate that applies to most other goods, and the 9% replaces the 6% rather than stacking on top of it.11Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission for the State of Maryland. What Is the Sales and Use Tax Rate on Sales of Alcoholic Beverages in Maryland?
Once You Have It: Open Containers in a Car
After the purchase, Maryland law bars any occupant of a vehicle from possessing an open container of alcohol or consuming alcohol in the passenger area while on a highway, with limited exceptions for passengers in hired vehicles like taxis and limousines and for the living quarters of a motorhome.12Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 10-125 – Alcoholic Beverages; Open Containers in Motor Vehicles A violation is a civil offense with a fine of up to $100 and does not go on your driving record.13Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Alcoholic Beverages Code Section 6-322 (2022) – Restrictions on Consumption Keep the beer sealed on the way home and you will not have a problem.