Alcohol delivery in Virginia is legal and widely available. You can order beer and wine from breweries, wineries, and licensed retailers; spirits and mixed products from Virginia’s state-run ABC stores; and sealed cocktails from restaurants with mixed beverage permits. Third-party apps like Instacart and DoorDash can also bring alcohol to your door under a state delivery license. The rules on hours, quantities, packaging, and age verification are the same across channels, with a few specifics that depend on what you’re ordering.
What You Can Order
Beer and Wine
Beer and wine are the easiest to get delivered. Breweries, wineries, and farm wineries can send their own products directly to you, and any retailer licensed for off-premises sales can arrange delivery through its own employees or a licensed third-party service.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board Virginia ABC stores stock wine and beer too, alongside their spirits.
Spirits
Spirits in Virginia are sold almost exclusively through the state’s ABC stores, so no private retailer will deliver a bottle of bourbon. To get spirits delivered, order through the Virginia ABC online store.
Cocktails From Restaurants
Licensed restaurants with mixed beverage permits can deliver cocktails, but the rules are strict. Each drink must combine the spirit with at least one mixer, be served in a sealed container, and carry the label “contains alcoholic beverages.” Individual drinks are capped at 16 ounces. A restaurant can sell up to two cocktails per meal ordered, with a ceiling of four cocktails per delivery, so you need at least two meals in the order to reach that maximum.2Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Alcohol Delivery Splitting an order into separate transactions to get around the cap is explicitly prohibited.
Direct Shipments From Out of State
Out-of-state wineries and retailers holding a Virginia wine and beer shipper’s license can ship up to two cases of wine and two cases of beer per month to a consumer. A wine case is up to nine liters in any bottle combination; a beer case is up to 288 ounces. Shipments must go through a Board-approved common carrier, and packages must display a notice that they contain alcohol and require the signature of someone 21 or older.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-209.1 – Direct Shipment of Wine and Beer; Shippers License
Who Can Deliver
Several categories of businesses are authorized to bring alcohol to your door:
- Virginia ABC stores, which run their own delivery program through the state website.
- Breweries, wineries, and farm wineries delivering their own products in closed containers, using an owner, employee, or licensed third-party service.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board
- Licensed distillers acting as agents of the Board, including curbside delivery to a customer’s vehicle for orders placed electronically.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board
- Third-party services such as Instacart and DoorDash operating under a third-party delivery license issued by the ABC Board.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.2 – Third-Party Deliveries; Limitations; Penalties
- Out-of-state wine and beer retailers shipping through Board-approved common carriers under a shipper’s license.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-209.1 – Direct Shipment of Wine and Beer; Shippers License
Third-party delivery became a permanent option in 2025, when Governor Youngkin signed HB 2058 removing the original July 1, 2026 sunset date on the third-party delivery license.
Delivery Hours
Alcohol cannot be delivered between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in Virginia.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 4.1 – Subtitle I – Alcoholic Beverage Control Act That window applies across delivery types, so a late-night order isn’t going to work no matter which service you use.
How Much You Can Have Delivered
For beer and wine, a single delivery to one person cannot exceed four cases of wine and four cases of beer. Orders above that require the seller to notify the ABC Authority in writing at least one business day ahead, including the recipient’s name and address.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 4.1 – Subtitle I – Alcoholic Beverage Control Act Only one person can accept the alcohol during any given delivery.
Virginia ABC store orders have their own separate cap of 12 bottles per order, plus a $10 minimum.6Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery
Age Verification at the Door
Every alcohol delivery in Virginia requires the recipient to show they are at least 21. The driver will check your ID and can refuse the order if you can’t produce valid identification, appear to be underage, or are visibly intoxicated.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-304 – Persons to Whom Alcoholic Beverages May Not Be Sold; Proof of Legal Age; Penalty You’ll also sign an electronic or paper acknowledgment of receipt.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-212.1 – Delivery of Wine and Beer; Kegs; Regulations of Board
Acceptable IDs include an unexpired driver’s license from any U.S. state, a military ID, a U.S. passport, a foreign government visa, a Virginia DMV special identification card, or any other government-issued ID that shows your photo, signature, height, weight, and date of birth. A student ID does not count, even if it has a photo and birthdate.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-304 – Persons to Whom Alcoholic Beverages May Not Be Sold; Proof of Legal Age; Penalty
Where Alcohol Can’t Be Delivered
Some locations are off-limits regardless of who’s ordering. The ABC Authority lists military bases, childcare centers, medical facilities, schools, correctional institutions, and the State Capitol as prohibited delivery destinations.6Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery Virginia law separately makes it a criminal offense to deliver alcohol to any prisoner in a local correctional facility or to possess or drink alcohol on public school grounds.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 4.1 Chapter 3 – Prohibited Practices; Penalties Beyond those, deliveries go to homes and businesses within the store’s or service’s delivery zone.
How Virginia ABC Store Delivery Works
Ordering from the state store follows its own process. You place the order through the ABC website, pick a participating store (marked with a delivery truck icon), and choose delivery at checkout.6Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery Two speeds are offered.
Same-day delivery is available within five miles of a participating store if you order at least two hours before the store closes. The fee is $6.99 for the first three miles and $1.25 for each additional mile. Next-day delivery reaches up to 50 miles for a flat $9.99 plus $2.50 per bottle. Orders placed by 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday arrive the next day; orders placed Friday through Sunday may take two to three days.6Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Delivery Someone 21 or older with valid ID must be present, or the package goes back to the store.
Penalties for Underage or Improper Delivery
Selling or delivering alcohol to someone under 21, someone who is intoxicated, or someone who has been interdicted is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-304 – Persons to Whom Alcoholic Beverages May Not Be Sold; Proof of Legal Age; Penalty That carries up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.9Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 18.2 Chapter 1 Article 3 – Classification of Criminal Offenses and Punishment Therefor A seller who fails to check ID before delivering to an underage buyer faces the violation even if they didn’t know the buyer’s age, and delivery businesses can also face administrative penalties from the ABC Authority, including license suspension or revocation.