Alcohol delivery in Pennsylvania is legal, but only through sources the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has licensed: the state’s own Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, licensed direct wine and beer shippers, in-state breweries, wineries, and distilleries, and certain restaurants and hotels.1Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Contact Liquor Control Enforcement Every delivery has to be handed to an adult over 21 who can show ID, and third-party apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats are not authorized to carry it on their own.
Who Is Allowed to Deliver
Only PLCB-licensed entities can deliver alcohol to a Pennsylvania address. In practice that means five channels:
- Fine Wine & Good Spirits, the state-run retail system, which sells wine and spirits online and ships anywhere in Pennsylvania.
- Direct wine shippers, meaning in-state and out-of-state wine producers holding a PLCB direct shipper license.
- Direct beer shippers, which are out-of-state breweries with a DBS license.
- Pennsylvania breweries, wineries, and distilleries delivering their own products under their manufacturer licenses.
- Restaurants and hotels with the appropriate license, usually delivering alongside food.
Third-party delivery platforms are the gap. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart are not currently authorized to deliver alcohol in Pennsylvania. A “transporter-for-hire” license for these apps has been proposed but not enacted. If you place an alcohol order through one of those apps in Pennsylvania, the delivery is coming from a licensed business using its own delivery authority; the app is not the licensee.
What You Can Order and How Much
The channel dictates the product. Fine Wine & Good Spirits has the widest catalog and is the only route for spirits. Direct wine shippers handle wine only. Direct beer shippers handle beer only. Licensed restaurants and hotels can send beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails.
Wine From a Direct Shipper
A licensed direct wine shipper can send you up to 36 cases per year, with each case holding up to nine liters. That cap is per shipper, so orders from multiple licensed wineries each carry their own 36-case limit. The wine has to be for personal use and cannot be resold.2Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. How to Become a Direct Wine Shipper
Beer From a Direct Shipper
A direct beer shipper can send a Pennsylvania resident who is at least 21 up to 192 fluid ounces per month, roughly a 16-pack of 12-ounce cans. A separate annual cap limits any one brand to 96 fluid ounces per year to the same recipient. Beer received this way is for personal use only.3Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Bringing Beer Into Pennsylvania
From a Restaurant or Hotel
A single transaction with a licensed restaurant or hotel can include up to 192 fluid ounces of beer, up to 3 liters of wine, and up to 192 fluid ounces of ready-to-drink cocktails. All three categories can be maxed out in the same order.4Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. PLCB Summarizes Acts 57, 86 of 2024, Detailing Liquor Law Changes
Ordering From Fine Wine & Good Spirits
The state’s online store is the main way most Pennsylvanians get wine and spirits delivered. You can place an order on the Fine Wine & Good Spirits website and ship to any Pennsylvania address, home or business, or send it to a store for pickup. Orders can be placed from outside Pennsylvania, but the delivery address has to be inside the state.5Fine Wine & Good Spirits. Shipping Information and Fees
Standard shipping runs $7 to $12 depending on order size, and orders over $99 ship free. Large-format bottles carry surcharges of $5 for 3-liter bottles and $10 for 4- or 5-liter bottles. If no adult is home for the delivery, UPS makes three attempts before returning the order; you get a credit minus shipping and a $10 restocking fee.5Fine Wine & Good Spirits. Shipping Information and Fees
What Happens When the Package Arrives
Someone at least 21 has to be there to sign for it and show valid ID. No ID, no delivery. The carrier cannot leave the package on a doorstep, in a mailroom, or with anyone underage.5Fine Wine & Good Spirits. Shipping Information and Fees Deliveries can go to a home or a business address; both are acceptable under PLCB rules.6Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Act 39 of 2016
The box will not be discreet. Direct wine and direct beer shipments must be labeled “CONTAINS ALCOHOL: SIGNATURE OF PERSON 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY.”2Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. How to Become a Direct Wine Shipper3Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Bringing Beer Into Pennsylvania The label is what prompts the driver to check ID instead of leaving the package unattended.
Beer deliveries to individual consumers run 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday delivery is narrower: 9:00 a.m. to noon, and only for pre-arranged orders over $250 already paid in full before that Sunday.7Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Licensee’s Hours of Operation
What Crosses the Line
Bringing alcohol into Pennsylvania outside the Liquor Code’s authorized channels is illegal, and buying from an unlicensed source puts the buyer at risk along with the seller. The most commonly prosecuted delivery-related offense is reselling what you received through a direct shipper. Reselling wine from a direct wine shipper is a second-degree misdemeanor, and the penalty includes a fine of $4 per fluid ounce for every container found on the premises where the sale happened, on top of other criminal penalties.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 47 PS Liquor 4-488 The same penalty structure covers beer resold from a direct beer shipper.9Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Rules With Regard to Shipping Alcohol Into Pennsylvania From Other States Before you order, confirm the seller is PLCB-licensed for the type of alcohol they’re offering to ship you.