There are many bars and restaurants that serve alcohol in Arizona, so it is important to note that the liquor laws may not be the same as where you are visiting the state.
The legal drinking age, the hours that alcohol can be purchased or served, and other laws related to the consumption of liquor vary from state to state throughout the United States. For most people, knowing the most important rules about the sale of alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages in Arizona should save you trouble.
All information provided on this page is current as of January 2018 laws. However, you should check the official Arizona Liquor Law website before traveling to make sure everything is up to date and does not violate any legislation that may recently approved.
10 Important Rules About Liquor In Arizona
While you probably won’t have much trouble on your trip to Arizona if you follow the rules in your own state (or country) governing the consumption, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, there are some laws in the state that may differ from yours.However, these top 10 liquor laws should cover most of the basics.
- Liquor can be served by a licensed business from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays used to be different, but that changed in 2010 when Sunday hours were expanded to include the same hours as the other six days of the week.
- A licensed business cannot allow alcohol to be consumed on the premises after 2:30 a.m.
- It is illegal for licensed business customers to consume liquor in open containers between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.
- The legal drinking age in the state of Arizona is 21 years old.
- An underage person may be in a bar if they are accompanied by a spouse, parent or legal guardian of legal drinking age, or if they are a service employee of the company. The underage person cannot drink alcoholic beverages.
- A customer must present valid identification if the establishment asks them to show it for alcohol to be served.
- It is illegal to use false identification to buy liquor. An underage person who tries to buy liquor under false identification could be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor and could go to jail.
- An obviously intoxicated person can stay in a bar for 30 minutes from the moment the intoxication state is known. This allows time to organize proper transportation from the facility.
- It is illegal for a retail licensee to conduct beverage contests or provide an individual with an unlimited number of alcoholic beverages for a set period of time for a fixed price, to provide more than fifty ounces of beer, one liter of wine, or four ounces of spirits distilled at the same time for the consumption of one person. (ARS 4-244.23)
- The penalties and costs for a DUI conviction in Arizona are severe – no drinking or driving is recommended.
Other drinking rules and safety tips
Whether you are visiting Arizona for the first time or have been coming to the Grand Canyon for years, it is important to be careful when drinking anywhere away from home, especially if you are traveling alone. In addition to
As of January 2017, Arizona joined with forty-one other states to relax laws on shipments of wine for personal consumption. Arizona residents can now receive up to six cases of wine per year shipped home from any winery that obtains a state permit.
If you are interested in obtaining an Arizona Liquor License, you can find all the requirements, types of liquor licenses available, and application forms on the Arizona Department of Liquor Licensing and Control website.
