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Information for tourists, residents and the curious among us.
Information for tourists, residents and the curious among us.
Utah is a “control state," which means that the state of Utah has control over the wholesaling and retailing of all alcoholic beverages. Utah is one of 17 liquor control states, but of those 17, Utah is the only one that controls beer, wine, and liquors. Click here to see the list of other states.
Beer with less than 4% alcohol content can be purchased in grocery stores and gas stations. Heavy beer (over 4% alcohol content), wine, and liquor can only be purchased at state controlled stores and package outlets.
With that in mind, Utah has 44 state liquor stores and approximately 100 packaging outlets. To put that number in perspective, Utah has 29 counties. Of those 29, only 14 contain liquor stores, with the highest concentration (19) located in the capital. These numbers do not include package outlets, which are "private individuals or corporate entities under contract with the state for the purpose of selling packaged liquor, wine and beer to the general public." According to state statute, the total number of stores is tied to the population, with one store permitted for every 48,000 citizens.
All liquor stores are closed on Sunday’s and holidays, so it would be prudent to plan your liquor purchases ahead of time. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed on Monday, which shuts the liquor stores down for 2 days. If the holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on Friday, shutting liquor stores down from Friday to Sunday. Click here to see the list of observed holidays.
Did You Know?
Did You Know?
The total number of liquor stores is tied
to the state population. One store is permitted
for every 48,000 citizens.
Utah has what is colloquially known as the “dine in law,” which requires a patron of a full-service restaurant to state an intent to dine before ordering or consuming an alcoholic beverage. This does not apply to bars.
In restaurants with full service liquor licenses, alcohol may be served from 11:30AM to midnight. Beer (3.2%) is available from 10:30AM to 1:00AM. [Note that after July 2017, alcohol will be served beginning at 10:30AM in restaurants on weekends and holidays. H.B 442, which you can read more about in the “Recent Legislation” section, modifies the start time to an hour earlier (10:30AM.)]
First Published April 19, 2017
Updated April 19, 2017
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