Which States Allow Drive-Through Liquor Stores?

Drive-through liquor stores are a normal part of life in some states and completely unheard of in others.

Whether a drive-through is legal comes down to where your store is located. More than a dozen states allow drive-through liquor sales outright, and about a dozen more limit them by product or ordering method or ban windows, and a few bar both windows and curbside pickup. 

This guide covers where drive-throughs are permitted, where they’re restricted or banned, and what licensing and local approvals you need before adding one to your store.

What License Do You Need for a Drive-Through Liquor Store?

There’s no separate “drive-through license.” You need the same off-premise license any package store holds, which lets you sell sealed containers that customers take away and drink elsewhere. 

If you’re starting from scratch, the steps for opening a liquor store are the same whether or not you plan to add a window: form a legal entity, get an EIN, and apply to your state alcohol agency.

A few points are specific to drive-throughs:

• Check what your license covers. Beer-and-wine licenses are typically cheaper and easier to get than full liquor licenses, and some states set drive-through limits by license type. 
• Ask about window approvals. In Arizona, a store’s drive-through has to appear on floor plans approved by the state liquor director. In Montana, the window has to be approved by the state and listed on your floor plan. 
• Budget for the license itself. The liquor license cost ranges from a few hundred dollars in some states to hundreds of thousands in quota states, where you may have to buy an existing license from another owner. Whatever the format, the license is likely to be one of your biggest startup costs.

If you already hold a license and want to add a window, call your state agency first. Changing your licensed premises may require approval, and a window that conflicts with your license conditions can put the license at risk.

Which States Allow Drive-Through Liquor Stores?

Alcohol is regulated at the state level, so there’s no single national rule. These states allow drive-through liquor sales, with caveats noted where they apply:

• Arizona: Allowed - Liquor store licensees can sell beer, wine, and spirits through a drive-through, but the drive-through must be disclosed on floor plans approved by the state liquor director.
• Arkansas: Allowed in wet counties only. Windows are prohibited at outlets that hold only a beer or wine permit. 
• Colorado: Allowed at the state level. 
• Georgia: Allowed - Package stores can sell sealed alcohol, including spirits, through a drive-through window.
• Iowa: Allowed at the state level. Some cities, such as Davenport, ban it through local ordinances.
• Kansas: Allowed at the state level. 
• Kentucky: Allowed in wet territory only. Alcohol sales aren’t permitted in dry areas.
• Louisiana: Allowed - Also known for drive-through daiquiri shops, where frozen drinks must be in sealed cups with the lid on and no straw inserted.
• Missouri: Allowed - Some cities, such as Independence, ban it through local ordinances.
• Montana: Allowed - The drive-through window must be on the licensed premises, approved by the state, and listed on the floor plan. 
• North Dakota: Allowed - Some cities, such as Bismarck, ban it through local ordinances.
• South Dakota: Allowed at the state level. 
• Texas: Allowed - Some cities, such as Aubrey, ban it through zoning rules.
• Wisconsin: Allowed - Some cities, such as Milwaukee, ban it through local ordinances.

Rules change, and local ordinances can be stricter than state law, so confirm with your state alcohol agency before planning a drive-through.

States With Drive-Through Restrictions or Curbside-Only Rules

These states limit drive-through sales by product or ordering method, or ban windows but allow curbside or pre-order pickup:

• Alabama: Off-premises retailers can sell beer and wine through a drive-up window, but not liquor.
• Connecticut: Package stores can’t sell or deliver alcohol through a drive-up window or similar opening. Curbside pickup is allowed.
• Florida: Curb and drive-in service is prohibited for liquor sold by the drink, but state law doesn’t prevent licensed dealers from delivering sealed containers. Confirm with the state before designing a window.
• Michigan: The state won’t issue new off-premises licenses to businesses with a drive-up or walk-up window, and existing licensees can’t add one, though older licenses may be grandfathered. 
• Ohio: Beer and wine can be sold through a drive-through. Customers can’t buy spirits from their car.
• Oregon: Off-premises licensees can’t sell alcohol through a drive-up window. Curbside pickup within 100 feet of the licensed premises has been allowed.
• Pennsylvania: Beer distributors can operate drive-through windows. Spirits are sold through state-run stores, which don’t offer drive-through service, and wine is sold mainly through those stores plus some grocery stores and restaurants with wine permits.
• Utah: Grocery stores and other beer retailers can sell beer through a drive-through window or designated drive-up stall, but customers must order ahead. Wine and spirits are sold only through state-run stores.
• Virginia: Beer and wine can’t be sold to someone seated in a vehicle at a window. Retailers can bring beer or wine that a customer ordered electronically in advance out to the customer’s car in a designated parking area. Spirits are sold only through state-run ABC stores, which don’t offer drive-through service.
• Washington: Liquor licensees can’t sell through drive-through pickup or pass-through windows. Licensed grocery stores can offer curbside pickup of online orders.

Alabama, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia are all control states, where the government plays a direct role in selling spirits. In these states, drive-through spirits sales are generally not an option.

States That Don’t Allow Drive-Through Liquor Stores

These states don’t allow alcohol retailers to sell through a drive-through window or by curbside pickup. Other states ban windows but still allow curbside or pre-order pickup, covered above:

• New Mexico: State law bars licensees from selling or delivering alcohol from a drive-up window, and a state rule bars curbside pickup and similar sales to customers who stay in their vehicles unless the alcohol division approves in writing.
• South Carolina: The state doesn’t issue licenses or permits for drive-through or curb service sales. Bills to change this didn’t pass in the 2025–26 session and could return in 2027.

Zoning and Local Approvals

State approval is only half the picture, as cities and counties can restrict or ban drive-throughs even where state law allows them. Some Texas cities, like Aubrey, prohibit walk-up and drive-through access for liquor stores in their zoning rules.

Before you sign a lease, check:

• Zoning: Whether a liquor store is allowed at the address, and whether a drive-through is allowed in that zone.
• Site plan and traffic: Drive-throughs tend to draw extra review of lane layout, vehicle stacking, and traffic flow.
• Distance rules: Many areas bar liquor stores within a set distance of schools, churches, or libraries.
• Wet/dry status: In states with local option laws, a county or town can ban alcohol sales entirely. This matters in places like Arkansas, Kansas, and Kentucky, where wet and dry areas sit side by side.

Rules for Running a Drive-Through Liquor Store

Once you’re approved, the day-to-day rules are strict. Regulators tend to watch drive-throughs closely because the speed of a transaction makes it easier to cut corners on ID checks.

• Age verification: Every buyer must be 21 or older, and a customer being in a car doesn’t change that. Your staff should know how to prevent underage alcohol sales and have a clear process for checking ID through a window. Violations can mean fines and a suspended or revoked license.
• Sealed containers: Federal law pushes states to ban open containers in a vehicle’s passenger area, so everything you hand over should be sealed.
• Hours and products: Drive-through sales generally follow the same hours as other off-premise sales, and what you can sell depends on your license.
• Staff training: Train everyone who works the window, and set clear procedures for checking ID and refusing a sale.

Run Your Drive-Through Liquor Store With Santé POS

Speed is the whole point of a drive-through, and mistakes at the window can be costly. A liquor store POS system built for alcohol retail helps you keep the line moving while staying compliant.

Santé POS prompts your cashier to check ID on every alcohol sale, so age verification doesn’t depend on memory or slow the line. Bottles, packs, and cases sell from the same stock, and bottle deposits and mix-and-match promos calculate automatically, so there’s no manual math at the window. 

In-store, online, and delivery orders, including DoorDash and Instacart, all feed one inventory, so your stock counts stay accurate whether a bottle goes out the window, the front door, or a delivery driver’s car. And with detailed sales and inventory reporting, you have the numbers ready for audits and tax time. 

Schedule a demo to see how Santé can fit your store, with or without a drive-through lane.