Where can you buy alcohol in Alabama on Sundays? (2024)

Drinking a beer or sipping on a glass of wine – even on Sunday – is as easy as placing an order or stopping by the store. In other places in Alabama, Sunday alcohol sales remain taboo.

Laws regarding Sunday alcohol sales, either take-out, on-premises or both, vary across the state. Most place that allow for Sunday sales allow retail establishments to sell alcohol for off-premise consumption; on-premises consumption regulations differ.

According to the Alabama Retail Association, Sunday sales can be permitted by resolution, ordinance, a majority vote of the governing body or referendum. Counties and must go to the Legislature for permission to allow alcohol sales on Sunday because of a state law making it illegal to sell alcoholic beverages after 2 a.m. on Sunday except when authorized by a separate law.

In Birmingham, Sunday sales are allowed starting at 10 a.m. The law had previously stipulated Sunday alcohol sales had to be delayed until noon. That changed last year, however, under a so-called “Brunch Bill” that allowed for earlier alcohol sales.

Mobile and Huntsville also allow for Sunday on-site consumption sales starting at 10 a.m.

Auburn allows for Sunday liquor sales starting at 10 a.m. but Tuscaloosa remains at noon, though efforts are currently underway to move the time back to 10 a.m. Sunday alcohol sales are also permitted in Montgomery, Hoover and in Shelby County.

Many other cities and towns have approved Sunday liquor sales, but the variations in regulations mean it often necessitates asking before ordering. For example, in Greene County, alcohol sales are allowed on Sundays but only at the dog tracks. Other cities and counties limits sales to on-premise consumption, such as a bar or restaurant, or to private clubs.

One thing is constant. ABC Stores, the liquor stores operated by the state of Alabama, are closed on Sunday.