Alcohol laws of Pennsylvania

The alcohol laws of Pennsylvania are some of the most restrictive in the United States of America, and contain many peculiarities not found in other states.Fact|date=May 2008

Alcohol sales

For consumption off-premises

Pennsylvania is alcoholic beverage control state. Wines and spirits are to be sold only in the state owned Wine And Spirits shops, where all prices must remain the same throughout the state. People under the age of 21 are not allow to enter Wine and Spirits shops. The usual opening hours for these stores are from 9am to 10pm Monday through Saturday. These stores used to always be closed on Sundays, but now open for limited hours on that day. Wineries, which sell wine from grapes grown in the area, are also very common throughout the commonwealth.

Pennsylvania is one of the few states that is more restrictive towards the sale of beer than the sale of wine. Wine can be sold in either Wine and Spirit shops or wineries. Wineries can be located within supermarkets or other stores as long as there is a wall separating it from the rest of the store. A door is not required to separate the winery from the store, just a doorway. The wine must also be paid for in the winery, but may be carried into the supermarket after it is paid for.

Purchasing beer however, is more complicated. Pennsylvania is one of very few states that does NOT allow any form of alcoholic beverage to be sold in convenience stores/supermarkets/gas stations. To purchase a 6 pack, one must go to a tavern with an off-license, and a person is only allowed to purchase 2 six packs at a time. For larger quantities, one must go to a beverage distributor, which sells beer by the case. Beverage distributors may only sell beer, not wine or hard liquor. Many beverage distributors also sell soda. Unlike the Wine and Spirits shops, people under 21 may enter most beverage distributors, especially the ones that sell soda.

Non-Alcoholic Beer

Even though this beer contains no alcohol and can be sold at supermarkets, Pennsylvania requires a person to be the age of 21 to both purchase and consume non-alcoholic beer. Pennsylvania is the only state that has laws such as this one towards non-alcoholic beer.

For consumption on-premises

Closing time in Pennsylvania is 2am.

Drinking age

21 years

Drunk driving

Like every other state in the United States, driving under the influence is a crime in Pennsylvania, and is subject to a great number of regulations outside of the state's alcohol laws. Pennsylvania's maximum blood alcohol level for driving is .08% for persons over the age of 21 and .02% for minors. Penalties include fines, license suspension, and possible imprisonment.

References

See also

* Alcohol laws of the United States by state
* Sumptuary law