You can buy wine in South Carolina on Sunday in some places but not others. The state’s default rule prohibits Sunday wine sales, and the prohibition only lifts in counties and cities where voters have passed a local referendum. On-premise sales at restaurants and off-premise sales at stores are separate ballot questions, so the answer can differ depending on whether you want a glass with dinner or a bottle to take home.
The Statewide Default Is No
South Carolina law makes it unlawful to sell beer or wine between midnight Saturday and sunrise Monday.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 61 – Beer, Ale, Porter, and Wine – Section 61-4-120 That is the starting point everywhere in the state. Sunday sales only become legal when a local government has voted to allow them, and the vote covers a specific type of sale.
Buying a Bottle at a Grocery or Convenience Store
Off-premise Sunday sales of beer and wine are legal only in counties and municipalities where voters have specifically approved them.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-6-2010 – Temporary Permits The referendum ballot asks whether the Department of Revenue should be authorized to allow “the sale of beer and wine at permitted off-premises locations without regard to the days or hours of sales.”
Where that measure has passed, the restriction is gone entirely. Grocery stores and convenience stores in those areas can sell beer and wine around the clock, seven days a week, Sundays included. Where it has not passed, no off-premise Sunday wine sales are legal.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 61 – Beer, Ale, Porter, and Wine – Section 61-4-120
Ordering Wine at a Restaurant, Bar, or Hotel
Restaurants, bars, and hotels can serve wine on Sundays for on-premise consumption, but only in a county or municipality that has passed a local option referendum approving Sunday alcohol sales.3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 61 – Beer, Ale, Porter, and Wine – Section 61-4-630 An establishment with an on-premise beer and wine permit in an approved area does not need a separate Local Option Permit to serve on Sundays.4South Carolina Department of Revenue. Local Option Permit (LOP)
The Sunday hours where on-premise sales are authorized run 12:01 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. and then 10:00 a.m. to midnight, with no service between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.5South Carolina Department of Revenue. Operating an ABL Business The early-morning slot is really the tail end of Saturday night, not a Sunday morning opening.
The South Carolina Winery Exception
A South Carolina winery can sell wine on Sundays if the wine is made from grapes grown in the state and the grapes were harvested, processed, fermented, bottled, and sold all at the same location. The county or municipality must also have adopted an ordinance specifically allowing Sunday wine sales under those conditions.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 61 – Beer, Ale, Porter, and Wine – Section 61-4-120
This carve-out is aimed at in-state vineyards and tasting rooms. It doesn’t help you at a supermarket, but if you’re visiting a South Carolina winery on a Sunday, it may be open where the local government has opted in.
Liquor Stores Are a Separate Question
The rules above cover beer and wine. Retail liquor stores operate under different statutes, and no current law permits them to open on Sundays anywhere in the state. If you’re looking for a bottle of spirits on a Sunday, the local referendums that allow Sunday wine sales don’t apply.
How to Check Your Location
Because on-premise and off-premise Sunday sales are decided by separate ballot questions, some areas allow one but not the other, and rules can change at a county or city line. To confirm what’s legal where you are, check with the South Carolina Department of Revenue’s alcohol beverage licensing division or your local government office. The state election commission’s website also keeps records of past referendum results.