You can buy alcohol in Indiana on Sunday. Carryout sales at stores run from noon to 8 p.m., and bars and restaurants serve on their normal daily schedule of 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following morning.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-1-14 – Times When Sales Lawful The Sunday carryout window is the last real trace of Indiana’s old blue laws, which banned Sunday retail alcohol sales entirely until Senate Bill 1 took effect on March 4, 2018.2Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission. Rules and Laws
Sunday Carryout Hours
Noon to 8 p.m., local time. That eight-hour window applies to every kind of off-premises seller in the state: liquor stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-1-14 – Times When Sales Lawful
It’s a much tighter window than the rest of the week. Monday through Saturday, those same stores can sell from 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. the next morning. So if you need something for a Sunday evening, plan around that 8 p.m. cutoff.
Bars and Restaurants on Sunday
If you’re drinking on the premises, Sunday looks like any other day. Bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and social clubs operate from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, seven days a week. Indiana’s statute draws no distinction between weekdays and Sundays for on-premises consumption.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-1-14 – Times When Sales Lawful The noon-to-8 rule only kicks in when the alcohol leaves with you.
Where to Buy on Sunday
For a bottle or a six-pack to take home, your options are licensed package (liquor) stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies. All of them share the same Sunday window.
One thing worth knowing before you drive to the nearest grocery: Indiana regulates beer by temperature. Liquor stores can sell cold beer any day of the week, Sundays included. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies are generally limited to beer at room temperature. If you want a cold six-pack for a Sunday afternoon, a package store is the place to go.
Christmas Is the Other Exception
Sunday isn’t the only day with a special rule, so it’s worth flagging the one holiday that trips people up. Carryout alcohol sales are prohibited on Christmas Day, though bars and restaurants can still serve drinks for on-premises consumption. Indiana repealed its Election Day sales ban in 2010, and beyond Christmas and the Sunday carryout window, the state doesn’t impose additional holiday-specific restrictions.
Sunday at a Glance
- Carryout at stores: noon to 8 p.m.
- Bars and restaurants: 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following morning, same as any other day
- Cold beer to go: liquor stores only; grocery and convenience stores sell beer warm
- Christmas Day: no carryout, but on-premises service is still allowed