Yes, you can buy beer on Sunday in CT. Package stores and grocery stores with beer permits sell from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and bars, restaurants, and hotels serve from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Monday morning.1Justia. Connecticut Code 30-91 – Hours and Days of Closing. Exemption Sunday sales have only been legal in Connecticut since 2012, which is why the window is shorter than the rest of the week.
Buying Beer to Take Home on Sunday
Package stores (Connecticut’s term for liquor stores) and grocery stores holding a beer permit are open for off-premise sales on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.1Justia. Connecticut Code 30-91 – Hours and Days of Closing. Exemption Monday through Saturday these same stores can run from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., so Sunday shaves several hours off both ends.
One thing to keep in mind about where you shop: grocery stores with a beer permit can only sell beer in standard-size containers. They cannot sell wine or spirits.2Justia. Connecticut Code 30-20 – Package Store Permit. Grocery Store Beer Permit For anything beyond beer, you need a package store.
Sunday Hours at Bars and Restaurants
On-premise establishments — bars, restaurants, hotels, and similar venues — can serve beer on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. the following Monday. The statute writes this as a prohibited window: on-premise sales are unlawful between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Sunday, with Monday’s cutoff arriving at 1:00 a.m.1Justia. Connecticut Code 30-91 – Hours and Days of Closing. Exemption Saturday night service, by comparison, runs an extra hour, closing at 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
When Sunday Falls on a Holiday
Three holidays close off-premise alcohol sales entirely: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Package stores and grocery stores with beer permits stay shut on all three.1Justia. Connecticut Code 30-91 – Hours and Days of Closing. Exemption If any of those dates lands on a Sunday, you won’t be able to buy beer at a store that day.
Bars and restaurants follow their own holiday rules. On Christmas, on-premise sales are allowed only where food is also available. On New Year’s Day, the prohibited window shifts to 3:00 a.m. through 9:00 a.m., and if New Year’s Day is a Sunday, that window becomes 3:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.1Justia. Connecticut Code 30-91 – Hours and Days of Closing. Exemption
Town Rules Can Shorten the Window
Connecticut law lets individual towns reduce alcohol sales hours below the state maximums through a town meeting vote or local ordinance.1Justia. Connecticut Code 30-91 – Hours and Days of Closing. Exemption Towns cannot extend hours past what the state allows, but they can shorten them, and a handful of Connecticut municipalities are classified as “dry” or “damp,” restricting or prohibiting certain alcohol sales altogether. In a smaller town, check locally before assuming the statewide Sunday hours apply.
Getting Beer Delivered on Sunday
Delivery is another option. Connecticut permits alcohol shipments to consumers, though every package must carry a label stating it contains alcohol and requires a signature at delivery from someone 21 or older.3CT.gov. Out of State Shipper and Winery Permits Deliveries have to be handled by the permit holder’s own employees or a licensed transporter. Third-party delivery apps operating in Connecticut work through licensed retailers, so the retailer holds the permit and carries responsibility for the sale.