Alcohol delivery in Indiana is legal when a licensed retailer — a package liquor store, beer dealer, wine dealer, or brewery — sends the order to your door with its own employee. A 2025 law lifted the old per-order caps on beer and liquor, so you can now order larger quantities than before. You still have to be 21, present, and sober at the door.
Who Is Allowed to Deliver
Indiana ties delivery rights to the seller’s permit, and only the permit holder or an employee holding an ATC employee permit can physically bring the order to you.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-18-9 – Employee’s Permit
- Package liquor stores can deliver liquor in sealed containers to your home, office, or another location you name.2Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Advisory Opinion 19-07 – Alcohol Delivery by a Beer, Wine and Liquor Dealer
- Beer dealers can deliver sealed beer to your home or office. Those also licensed as package liquor stores can deliver kegs up to 2,016 ounces.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 7.1 – Section 7.1-3-5-3
- Wine dealers licensed as package liquor stores can deliver sealed wine.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 7.1 – Section 7.1-3-15-3
- Breweries can deliver beer directly to consumers in bottles or other sealed containers, up to half a barrel per delivery.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-2-7 – Scope of Permit
- Direct wine sellers, including out-of-state wineries with the correct Indiana permit, can ship wine to you through a licensed common carrier rather than delivering themselves.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-26-9 – Direct Wine Seller Authorized Activities
How Much You Can Order
House Bill 1276, signed as Public Law 164 and effective July 1, 2025, repealed the 864-ounce cap on beer deliveries and the 12-quart cap on liquor deliveries.7LegiScan. Indiana House Bill 1276 What’s left depends on what you’re buying:
- Beer from a beer dealer: no per-transaction delivery limit. Kegs delivered by a dual-permit dealer are capped at 2,016 ounces per container, and the dealer has to keep a written record of each delivery for at least a year.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 7.1 – Section 7.1-3-5-3
- Liquor from a liquor dealer: no per-delivery limit.7LegiScan. Indiana House Bill 1276
- Wine from a wine dealer: three standard cases per transaction.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 7.1 – Section 7.1-3-15-3
- Beer from a brewery: half a barrel per delivery.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-2-7 – Scope of Permit
- Wine from a direct wine seller: up to 216 liters (about 24 nine-liter cases) per consumer per calendar year.8Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 7.1, Article 3, Chapter 26 – Direct Wine Seller’s Permit9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-26-12 – Annual Limit on Seller’s Direct Wine Sales in Indiana
When Deliveries Can Happen
Indiana’s general dispensing hours run 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., seven days a week.10Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Rules and Laws Sunday is the exception. Because home delivery of sealed alcohol works as a carryout sale, Sunday deliveries fall inside the narrower Sunday carryout window of noon to 8:00 p.m. Individual retailers can set shorter hours than the law allows.
What Happens at the Door
The recipient has to be at least 21 and present in person. The driver checks a valid government-issued ID — driver’s license, state ID, or passport — and you sign for the order.
The driver also has to refuse the handoff if you appear intoxicated. Knowingly selling or delivering alcohol to an intoxicated person is a Class B misdemeanor in Indiana, and the same statute gives the driver a complete civil defense for refusing when they reasonably believe the recipient is intoxicated.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-5-10-15 – Sale to Intoxicated Person Prohibited
If nobody’s home, the ID doesn’t clear, or the recipient looks intoxicated, the driver takes the order back to the store. Refund policies vary by retailer and platform, and in many cases you won’t get one.
Third-Party Delivery Apps
The ATC has taken the position that Indiana’s delivery statutes “do not contemplate delivery by third-party companies on the permit holder’s behalf.”2Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Advisory Opinion 19-07 – Alcohol Delivery by a Beer, Wine and Liquor Dealer In practice, some platforms operate here by partnering with licensed retailers whose own employees make the final handoff, and they add their own restrictions on top. Instacart, for instance, refuses alcohol deliveries to college campuses, correctional and medical facilities, storage units, and other alcohol retailers.12Instacart. Alcohol, OTC, and Spray Paint Product Policies Uber Eats requires the driver to verify the recipient’s age through the app.13Uber Help. Guide to Delivering Alcohol
Senate Bill 381, introduced in the 2025 session, would create two new permit categories — a delivery service permit for the platform and a delivery agent permit for individual drivers — that would give third-party apps a clear legal path.14Indiana General Assembly. Senate Bill 381 – Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages Check the ATC’s website for the bill’s current status.
Ordering From Out of State
You cannot order spirits or beer from an out-of-state retailer and have it shipped to your Indiana address. Indiana law forbids any business, in or out of state, from shipping alcohol directly to a consumer who doesn’t hold a valid wholesaler permit, and that includes online orders.15Justia Law. Indiana Code 7.1-5-11 – Unlawful Transportation
Wine is the single exception. A winery holding Indiana’s direct wine seller permit can ship wine to your door through a licensed common carrier such as FedEx or UPS, and the carrier has to verify at delivery that the recipient is at least 21.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-3-26-9 – Direct Wine Seller Authorized Activities No other Indiana permit lets a common carrier handle the delivery instead of the retailer’s own employees.2Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Advisory Opinion 19-07 – Alcohol Delivery by a Beer, Wine and Liquor Dealer
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Delivering alcohol to someone under 21 is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A prior conviction bumps the offense to a Class A misdemeanor with up to a year in jail. If the alcohol causes serious bodily injury or death, the charge becomes a felony.16Justia Law. Indiana Code 7.1-5-7 – Minors
Delivering to a visibly intoxicated person is also a Class B misdemeanor, and once charges are filed the prosecutor must notify the ATC, which can pursue administrative action against the permit holder up to suspension or revocation.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 7.1-5-10-15 – Sale to Intoxicated Person Prohibited Handing over a fake ID to receive a delivery is a separate Class C misdemeanor. The driver, the business, and anyone helping the illegal delivery can all be charged.