In Virginia, bars and restaurants stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m. in nearly every part of the state, retail stores must stop selling beer and wine at midnight, and state-run ABC stores, which are the only place to buy spirits for home consumption, close earlier than that. So the answer to what time Virginia stops selling alcohol depends on what you’re buying and where you’re buying it.
Bars and Restaurants: 2 a.m. Cutoff
On-premises licensees, meaning bars, restaurants, and similar establishments, can sell and serve alcohol from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week, in what Virginia law calls a mixed-beverage locality. Almost every city and county in the state qualifies. A 2020 law made mixed beverages the statewide default; a locality is only outside that default if its voters have petitioned to prohibit them.
In the rare locality that has opted out, the cutoff is midnight instead of 2 a.m., with the same 6 a.m. reopen. That two-hour gap is the main practical consequence of a locality not authorizing mixed beverages.
Stores Selling Beer and Wine: Midnight Cutoff
Retail stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and other off-premises licensees selling beer and wine can do so from 6 a.m. to midnight every day of the week. The midnight cutoff is the same statewide, regardless of whether the locality has authorized mixed beverages. If it’s past midnight and you’re out of wine, you’re waiting until 6 a.m.
Local governments can shorten these hours further. Under § 4.1-129 of the Code of Virginia, a county, city, or town can adopt an ordinance prohibiting wine or beer sales between noon on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Monday, or set specific windows within that period when sales are allowed. Violating a local ordinance adopted under this statute is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The local restrictions do not reach wine and beer sold on trains, boats, or airplanes.
ABC Stores: Spirits Have the Shortest Hours
Virginia is one of 17 control states, which means distilled spirits for off-premises consumption are sold only through Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores. Because those stores are state-run, their hours are more limited than private retailers’. ABC stores generally operate from 10 a.m. to either 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, depending on the location. On Sundays, every ABC store opens at noon and closes at 6 p.m. Hours can change, so calling ahead or checking the Virginia ABC website is worth the effort, particularly on Sundays.
New Year’s Eve Gets One Extra Hour
On-premises licensees can keep serving until 3 a.m. on January 1 in mixed-beverage localities where the normal cutoff is 2 a.m. The extension applies statewide to all on-premises licensees. Off-premises sale hours are not extended, so stores still stop selling beer and wine at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Local Rules Can Tighten Things Further
Beyond the weekend-sale authority in § 4.1-129, Virginia gives local governing bodies power under § 4.1-128 to prohibit public consumption of open containers in parks, playgrounds, streets, and adjoining sidewalks. Some localities have used their authority to create stricter late-night sale rules. The City of Danville, for example, has historically adopted a local ordinance restricting late-night off-premises beer and wine sales beyond the standard midnight statewide cutoff.
The Virginia ABC Board can also impose individualized restrictions on a specific licensee. A bar with a history of compliance problems may find its permitted hours narrowed below the statewide default. Those tailored conditions apply only to the business involved and are separate from any local ordinance.
Private Clubs Are Not on the Clock
Private club licensees don’t operate under the same closing hours as public bars and restaurants. Under the Virginia Administrative Code, clubs face no restrictions on the hours during which they can sell or allow consumption of alcohol. The exemption reflects the members-and-guests-only nature of private clubs and does not extend to any other license type.
Delivery and Shipping
The hours above govern in-person sales. Direct-to-consumer shipping runs on its own track. Virginia permits shipping of wine and beer, but not spirits. Any winery, brewery, or retailer holding a Virginia ABC shipper’s license, whether based in Virginia or out of state, can ship up to two cases of wine or two cases of beer per month directly to a consumer’s home, for personal use only. Recipients must be at least 21, and the delivery person has to verify age with a valid government-issued photo ID. Third-party delivery services like Instacart or DoorDash that bring beer and wine from local retailers must verify age at the door as well.
What Happens If a Business Sells Outside Legal Hours
Selling alcohol outside authorized hours is a criminal matter in Virginia, not just a regulatory one. Under § 4.1-324 of the Code of Virginia, any licensee, agent, or employee who sells alcohol “in any place or in any manner” not authorized by the license or by state law is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Mixed-beverage licensees face the same classification under § 4.1-325. A Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia carries up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.
The criminal exposure is only part of it. The Virginia ABC Board can also suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew the license of anyone convicted of violating the alcohol control laws. For a business owner, losing the license is usually the heavier blow, and reinstatement is not guaranteed.