What Hours-of-Sale Rules, Including Sunday Sales, Govern Different Permit Types?

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Texas sale hours depend on what is being sold and under which permit. Bars and restaurants serving mixed drinks may sell from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, with drinks served before noon on Sunday only alongside food. Beer and wine follow the same weekday hours but start at noon on Sunday, with earlier exceptions for food service and for beer to go. Liquor stores may sell only from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., never on Sunday, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

Sale hours by type

Chapter 105 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code sets the hours:

Sale Monday to Saturday Sunday Section
Mixed beverages (MB) 7 a.m. to midnight midnight to 1 a.m.; 10 a.m. to midnight, with service from 10 a.m. to noon only during food service 105.03
Beer, and wine and beer under a BG or BQ 7 a.m. to midnight midnight to 1 a.m.; noon to midnight 105.05, 105.04
Beer or wine served on premises with food on Sunday morning not applicable 10 a.m. to noon, during food service 105.05(b)(1)
Beer to go from a BE or BF 7 a.m. to midnight also 10 a.m. to noon 105.05(b)(2)
Liquor to go (package stores) 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. no sales 105.01
Wine at a winery 8 a.m. to midnight 10 a.m. to midnight 105.08
Beer at a brewery 8 a.m. to midnight 10 a.m. to midnight 105.082

Package stores are also closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, and when Christmas or New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, the closure carries over to Monday. A distillery follows mixed beverage hours for drinks served on site and package store hours for bottles sold to go (Section 105.081).

Where the hours are longer

  • Late hours. In the state’s largest cities and counties, or where a city council or commissioners court has adopted extended hours, a business holding a late hours certificate may sell until 2 a.m.
  • Sports venues. Licensed premises in a sports venue may sell, and people may drink there, from 10 a.m. to noon in addition to the regular hours (Section 105.07).
  • Festivals, fairs, and concerts. The same extra 10 a.m. to noon window applies at these events (Section 105.09).
  • Hotel bars. A hotel bar may sell to registered hotel guests at any time (Section 105.091).
  • New Year’s Day at wineries. A winery may also sell from midnight to 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

Consumption hours are separate

Section 105.06 sets when people may drink on licensed premises, which the statute treats as a public place:

Area Consumption prohibited, Monday to Saturday Consumption prohibited, Sunday
Standard hours area 12:15 a.m. to 7 a.m. 1:15 a.m. to noon
Extended hours area 2:15 a.m. to 7 a.m. 2:15 a.m. to noon

TABC’s FAQs state two exceptions to the Sunday morning consumption limit: consumption is legal between 10 a.m. and noon on Sunday at an on-premise establishment when the drink is sold with food service, and at a winery, fair, festival, concert, or sports venue. Consuming during a prohibited period is a Class C misdemeanor for the drinker, and allowing it on the premises is a separate ground for action against the permit.

Putting the hours to work

Program the point-of-sale system to stop alcohol sales at the legal cutoff for each product type, train staff on the Sunday food-service rule, and set last call so drinks are finished before the consumption cutoff. A business that sells more than one product type, such as a restaurant with an MB and a separate package store, has to run each on its own clock.

This article is general information about Texas alcoholic beverage law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes and TABC rules change; confirm current requirements with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the relevant city or county, or a licensed Texas attorney before acting.

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