This document provides an overview of "blue laws" in the United States, which are laws designed to enforce religious standards such as prohibiting certain activities on Sundays. It then lists the blue laws of individual states regarding activities like alcohol sales, retail shopping, and car sales on Sundays. States vary widely in their blue laws, from strictly prohibiting almost all commerce on Sundays to having few or no restrictions. The origins and historical context of blue laws in the US are also briefly discussed.

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Table of Contents
Blue laws in the United States..................................................................................................3
Arizona..........................................................................................................................................3
Arkansas .......................................................................................................................................3
Colorado........................................................................................................................................3
Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................4
Delaware.......................................................................................................................................4
District of Columbia...................................................................................................................4
Florida...........................................................................................................................................4
Georgia..........................................................................................................................................4
Illinois ...........................................................................................................................................4
Indiana..........................................................................................................................................4
Iowa ...............................................................................................................................................5
Maine.............................................................................................................................................5
Massachusetts..............................................................................................................................5
Michigan .......................................................................................................................................6
Minnesota .....................................................................................................................................6
Mississippi....................................................................................................................................6
Missouri ........................................................................................................................................6
New Jersey.................................................................................................................................... 7
New Mexico .................................................................................................................................. 7
New York ...................................................................................................................................... 7
North Carolina.............................................................................................................................8
North Dakota...............................................................................................................................8
Oklahoma......................................................................................................................................8
Pennsylvania ................................................................................................................................8
Texas..............................................................................................................................................9
Alcoholic beverages..............................................................................................................9
Beer and wine.......................................................................................................................9
Liquor ..................................................................................................................................10
Utah .............................................................................................................................................10

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Virginia........................................................................................................................................10
Polls related to Sunday hunting...................................................................................... 11
2012 Quinnipiac Poll ....................................................................................................... 11
2007 VDGIF Report ....................................................................................................... 11
2014 Virginia General Assembly.................................................................................... 11
Washington ................................................................................................................................ 11
West Virginia .............................................................................................................................12
Wisconsin ...................................................................................................................................12

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Blue laws in the United States
Blue laws in the United States vary by state. Blue laws are laws designed to enforce religious
standards. Many states prohibit selling alcoholic beverages for on- and off-premises sales in one
form or another on Sundays at some restricted time. Blue laws may also prohibit retail activity on
days such as Sunday.
Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley write that throughout their existence, first-day
Sabbatarian organizations have been supported by labor unions in lobbying "to prevent secular and
commercial interests from hampering freedom of worship and from exploiting workers." For
example, the United States Congress was supported by the Lord's Day Alliance in securing "a day
of rest for city postal clerks whose hours of labor, unlike those of city mail carriers, were largely
unregulated."
Blue law, in U.S. history, a law forbidding certain secular activities on Sunday. The name may
derive from Samuel A. Peters’s General History of Connecticut (1781), which purported to list the
stiff Sabbath regulations at New Haven, Connecticut; the work was printed on blue paper. A more
probable derivation is based on an 18th-century usage of the word blue meaning “rigidly moral”
in a disparaging sense. Strictest in Puritan, Bible-oriented communities, blue laws usually forbade
regular work on Sunday, plus any buying, selling, traveling, public entertainment, or sports.
Peters’s account of the New Haven Puritan government’s codes has been proved unreliable.
Among the 45 blue laws he listed in his History (1781) that were wholly or substantially true,
however, are the following: “The judges shall determine controversies without a jury”; “married
persons must live together or be imprisoned”; “a wife shall be good evidence against her husband”;
and “the selectmen, on finding children ignorant, may take them away from their parents and put
them into better hands, at the expense of their parents.” To some degree, similar laws existed in all
the American colonies. In general, they lapsed after the American Revolution. However, blue laws,
especially those regarding the sale of alcohol, remained on the statutes in some states into the 21st
century, and their influence persisted wherever public activity on Sunday was regulated.
Arizona
Arizona previously limited alcohol sales hours on Sundays (2 a.m. to 10 a.m.; the other six days
of the week alcohol could be purchased starting at 6 a.m.). This law was repealed in 2010
Arkansas
Arkansas has 75 counties, 39 of which are "dry", meaning the sale of any alcoholic beverage is
prohibited entirely. (Some exceptions are made for private facilities). Private facilities must have
licenses, which can be rigorous. Sale of alcoholic beverages on Christmas Day is entirely
prohibited, even in private facilities. Alcohol and liquor sales are entirely prohibited on Sunday
and Christmas Day. (Some exceptions for private facilities are made for Sundays).
Colorado
Vehicle sales are prohibited on Sundays in Colorado.

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Connecticut
Main article: Blue Laws (Connecticut)
Delaware
Main article: Delaware § Food and drink
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., allows private retailers (Class A) to sell distilled spirits, but the District Council
requires Class A retailers to be closed on Sundays (Class B retailers, such as grocery stores, may
sell beer and wine on Sundays). However, in December 2012, the Council voted to repeal the
Sunday restriction. The repeal took effect May 1, 2013
Florida
Several counties prohibit the sale of alcohol and sex toys on Sunday and during certain hours
Georgia
Sunday retail alcohol sales in stores were prohibited by the Georgia General Assembly up until
2011. On April 28, 2011, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed legislation allowing local
communities to vote on whether to allow alcohol sales on Sundays. Sales are still restricted on
Sundays before 12:30 p.m. On November 8, 2011, voters in more than 100 Georgia cities and
counties voted on a bill that would allow stores to sell alcohol on Sundays. It passed in Valdosta,
Atlanta, Savannah and many other cities. Before this, cities and counties of sufficiently large
populations such as most of Metro Atlanta already had Sunday alcohol sales at bars and restaurants,
with local ordinances to abide by, such as having a certain amount of food sales in order to be
opened and serve alcohol. Exceptions were also made by the drink at festivals and large events.
Illinois
Car sales are prohibited on Sundays
Horse racing is prohibited on Sundays unless authorized by the local municipality.
Sunday retail alcohol sales in stores are prohibited until after 11:00 a.m.
In city of Chicago, liquor sales may begin at 8:00 a.m. on Sundays only at "supermarkets", defined
as stores with "not less than 10,000 square feet of floor space" that sell a "variety of food and
household products", including fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry; the stores must have a
minimum of 25% of their floor area in use for retail sales other than alcohol.
Indiana
Carry-out alcohol sales were strictly prohibited on Sundays until 2010, when the State amended
its laws to permit qualified breweries to sell local brews for carryout (generally growlers).
Restaurants and taverns can generally still serve alcoholic beverages. Alcohol sales are no longer
prohibited on New Year’s Day unless it falls on a Sunday. The Sunday rule that prohibits alcohol

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sales at carry-out venues is still in effect. In 2010, a change in legislation allowed Indiana residents
to purchase alcohol on Election Day. Christmas sales are still prohibited.
In the state of Indiana, the sale of alcoholic beverages by retail stores is banned on Sundays,
although one still can legally purchase alcoholic beverages until 3:00 A.M. on Sunday mornings.
Due to this prohibition, liquor stores in neighboring Illinois (though having higher state alcohol
taxes) have parking lots full of vehicles bearing Indiana license plates.
Vehicle sales are also banned on Sundays.
Iowa
Iowa Code 322.3 states that a licensed car dealership cannot either directly or through an agent,
salesperson, or employee, engage in Iowa, or represent or advertise that the person is engaged or
intends to engage in Iowa, in the business of buying or selling at retail new or used motor vehicles,
other than mobile homes more than eight feet in width or more than thirty-two feet in length on
Sunday.
Maine
Maine was the last New England state to repeal laws that prohibited department stores from
opening on Sundays. The laws against the department stores opening on Sundays were ended by
referendum in 1990. Recent efforts to overturn the laws restricting automobile dealerships from
opening on Sunday have died in committee in the Maine legislature. Rep. Don Pilon of Saco has
led the effort to get rid of the laws that prohibit automobile dealerships from opening for business
on Sundays. Hunting is prohibited on Sundays.
Maine is also one of three states where it is illegal for almost all businesses to open on
Thanksgiving, most notably the big department stores.
Alcohol sales remain restricted but allowed between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday
through Saturday and 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Massachusetts
Most off-premises alcohol sales were not permitted on Sundays until 2004. Exceptions were made
in 1990 for municipalities that were within 10 miles of the New Hampshire or Vermont border.
Since 1992, alcohol sales have been allowed statewide from the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving
until New Year's Day. In both exceptions sales were not allowed before noon. Since the law
changed in 2004, off-premises sales are now allowed anywhere in the state, with local approval,
after noon. Retail alcohol sales remain barred on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Memorial
Day.
Massachusetts also has a "Day of Rest" statute that provides that all employees are entitled to one
day off from work in seven calendar days.
Retail employees working on Sundays must be paid time-and-a-half.

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Michigan
The sale of alcohol is banned from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. every day. The only exception to this rule is
New Year's Day, in which case alcohol sales are permitted until 4 a.m. Alcohol sales were likewise
banned on Sunday until 12 p.m., and on Christmas from 12 a.m. until 12 p.m., until a repeal in late
2010. Specific localities may petition [to whom?] for exceptions for either on-site or off-site
consumption.
Additionally, vehicle sales are banned on Sunday in counties having a population at least 130,000.
Vehicle dealers who keep seventh-day Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday may operate
on Sunday instead.
All "blue laws" which had restricted Sunday hunting, in specific Lower Peninsula counties, were
repealed in 2003.
Minnesota
Prior to the law being repealed in 2017, the sale of alcohol in liquor stores was prohibited statewide
on Sundays. As recently as the 2015 legislative session, proposals to allow Sunday liquor sales
were defeated regularly. However in 2015, Sunday growler purchases were made legal. On March
2, 2017, the state legislature passed a law allowing for Sunday Liquor Sales to begin on July 2,
2017. Governor Dayton signed the legislation as soon as it was passed. Liquor stores are not
required to be open on Sundays, but those who choose to do so are restricted to the hours of 11
AM and 6 PM.
Car dealerships are closed for sales and service on Sunday.
Mississippi
The sale of alcohol is prohibited in most of Mississippi on Sundays. Also, the sale of liquor is not
allowed at all in nearly half of the state's counties.
Missouri
The sale of alcohol is prohibited from 1:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Saturday through Monday. Alcohol
sales on Sunday are allowed from 9:00 a.m. to midnight subject to an additional liquor license fee.
Missouri Statute, Section 578.120, RSMo, prohibits a dealer, distributor, or manufacturer from
opening, operating, or assisting to keep open or operating any established place of business for the
purpose of buying, selling, bartering, or exchanging any new or used motor vehicle on Sunday.
This does not apply to:
Sales of manufactured housing;
Sales of RVs;
Sales of motorcycles;

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Sales of motor tricycles, motorized bicycles, all-terrain vehicles, recreational off-highway
vehicles, utility vehicles, personal watercraft, or other motorized vehicles customarily sold by
power sports dealers;
Washing, towing, wrecking, and or repairing operations;
Sales of petroleum products, tires, and repair parts or accessories; and
New vehicle shows or displays when five or more franchised dealers participate in a show or
display conducted in a town or city with five or less dealers (a majority of the city or town dealers).
New Jersey
In 1677, the General Assembly of East New Jersey banned the "singing of vain songs or tunes" on
SABBATH
One of the last remaining Sunday closing laws in the United States that covers selling electronics,
clothing and furniture is found in Bergen County, New Jersey. Bergen County, part of the New
York metropolitan area, has one of the largest concentrations of enclosed retail shopping malls of
any county in the nation; four major malls lie within the county. Paramus in Bergen County, where
three of the four major malls are located, has even more restrictive blue laws than the county itself,
banning all type of work on Sundays except in grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, hotels,
restaurants, and other entertainment venues. As recently as 2010, Governor Chris Christie had
proposed the repeal of these Blue Laws in his State Budget, but many Bergen County officials
vowed to maintain them. Two days later, Christie predicted that his planned repeal would not
succeed. Car dealerships are not allowed to be open or do business on Sundays anywhere in the
state. In November 2012, Christie issued an executive order to temporarily suspend the blue law
due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The blue law was suspended on November 11 but was back
in effect on November 18.
New Mexico
On-premise sale is allowed from 7 am. To 2 am. And until midnight for off-premise, except on
Sundays; no alcohol is allowed to be sold on or off-premise. Stores can apply for permits to sell
on and off-premise on Sunday if their municipality allows it. Selling on Christmas is never
permitted.
New York
Alcohol sales for consumption off-premises are not permitted between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. on
Sundays, while on-premises sales are not permitted between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. on any day. Prior
to 2006, off-premises alcohol sales were forbidden until noon on Sundays, and liquor/wine stores
were required to be closed the entire day. Because grocery stores are not permitted to carry wine
or liquor, the older law essentially meant that only beer and alcoholic malt beverages could be
purchased at all on Sundays.
Relatively few parts of New York actually permit alcohol sales at all times permissible under state
law; most counties have more restrictive blue laws of their own.

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The NYS Alcoholic Beverage Control Law prohibits the issuance of a full liquor license for
establishments on the same street or avenue and within two hundred feet of a building occupied
exclusively as a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship. Establishments within 200
feet of a church or school may obtain a beer and wine license.
North Carolina
The alcohol aisle of a grocery store in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on a Sunday morning. The
aisle is roped off for compliance with the state's alcohol laws.
North Carolina does not allow alcohol sales between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday
and between 2 a.m. and either 10:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. on Sundays, varying by county. Gun
hunting is prohibited on Sundays between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
North Dakota
North Dakota may have the strictest remaining blue law of the United States. Many goods and
items are restricted from being sold between midnight and noon on Sunday, rendering virtually all
retailers closed in those hours, including malls and some large retail chains; however, some
businesses that open 24 hours, like grocery stores, are allowed to be open on Sunday. However,
the big retail chain Walmart is closed. Prior to 1967, the law was stricter in that all businesses were
closed from 12 a.m. Sunday to 12 a.m. Monday. In 1967, changes more clearly defined which
businesses were exempt such as pharmacies, hospitals and restaurants. The changes were made
after a 1966 blizzard, after which citizens were not able to purchase some needed goods and
services due to the blue law. The law changed once more in 1991 to allow businesses to open at
noon on Sunday.
Oklahoma
It is illegal to sell packaged liquor (off-premises sales) on Sundays. Sales also are prohibited on
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas
Day.
Car dealerships are also closed on Sundays.
Pennsylvania
Organized sports competition on Sundays was illegal in Pennsylvania until 1931, when challenged
by the Philadelphia A's, the laws were changed permitting only baseball to be played on Sundays.
In 1933, Bert Bell, understanding that prerequisites to an NFL franchise being granted to him were
changes in the blue laws, played the primary role of convincing then Governor Gifford Pinchot to
issue a bill before the Pennsylvanian legislature to deprecate the Blue Laws. The legislature passed
the bill in April 1933, paving the way for Philadelphia Eagles to play on Sundays. The law also
directed local communities to hold referenda to determine the status and extent of Blue Laws in
their respective jurisdictions. On November 7, 1933, the referendum on the Blue Laws passed in
Philadelphia and it became law.

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Regarding alcohol, wines and spirits are to be sold only in the state owned Fine Wine and Good
Spirits stores, where all prices must remain the same throughout the state (county sales tax may
cause the price to differ slightly). As of April 2015, 157 of the 603 Fine Wine and Good Spirits
stores are open from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Beer may only be purchased from a restaurant,
bar, licensed beer store, or distributor. Six and twelve packs, along with individual bottles such as
40-ounce or 24-ounce beers, may only be purchased at bars, restaurants, and licensed retailers. For
larger quantities one must go to a beverage distributor which sells beer only by the case or keg, or
12-packs, which were added to beer distributors' inventories by state law in 2015. Beverage
distributors (which also sell soft drinks) may sell beer and malt liquor, but not wine or hard liquor.
In 2016, a bill was passed to relax the liquor laws. Updates include allowing grocery stores,
convenience stores, hotels, and restaurants to sell take out wine, allowing mail order wine
shipments, and allowing 24/7 alcohol sales at casinos. Special licenses are required for businesses
to take advantage of these new opportunities. Also Sunday restrictions on the hours at the state
owned "Fine wines and Good Spirits" stores were eliminated.
Hunting is prohibited on Sundays, with the exception of foxes, crows and coyotes.
Car dealerships are also closed on Sunday.
Texas
Car dealerships (both new and used) must remain closed on either Saturday or Sunday; the dealer
has the option to determine on which day to close.
 Alcoholic beverages
In Texas, alcoholic beverage sales are distinguished (and thus blue laws vary) in two different
ways:
The first way is by type of alcohol sold. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code defines "liquor" as
any beverage containing more than four percent alcohol by weight, and liquor sales are more
restrictive than "beer and wine" sales.
The second way is by where the alcohol will be consumed. Separate permits are required, and
differing laws apply, based on whether the alcohol is sold for "on-premises consumption" (i.e., at
a bar or restaurant) or "off-premises consumption" (i.e., in a retail establishment such as a grocery
store or "package store").
 Beer and wine
Beer and wine can be sold for "off-premises consumption" by any retailer that can supply and has
the proper licenses. A beer and wine seller may sell other non-alcohol items, and is not required to
be closed for business during periods when beer and wine cannot be sold.
Beer can be sold between 7 a.m. and midnight Monday–Saturday and on Sunday from midnight
to 1 a.m. and again between noon and midnight. On-premises consumption permit holders may
sell beer between 10 a.m. and noon but only with a food order. In certain large cities as defined
within the Code, beer sales are automatically extended to 2 a.m. on any day of the week; in smaller

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cities and unincorporated portions of counties such sales can be allowed if authorized by the local
governing body.
Wine sales are subject to the same rules as beer sales, except sales are allowed until 2 a.m. on
Sunday in all cases.
 Liquor
Liquor must be sold at specialized stores only (referred to as "package stores" in the statute) and
the store must be physically separate from any other business (such as an adjoining convenience
store). A package store can sell other items, but the store must be closed at any time when it cannot
sell liquor.
Liquor cannot be sold at retail stores during any of the following times:
ANY TIME ON SUNDAY,
Any time on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas (if any of those days except
Thanksgiving falls on a Sunday, then sales are prohibited at any time on the following Monday)
and between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. local time on any other day of the week.
Wholesalers can deliver liquor to retailers at any time except on Sunday or Christmas; however,
local distributors can only deliver liquor to retailers between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on any day except
Sunday, Christmas or any day where the retailer is prohibited from selling liquor.
Utah
Main article: Alcohol laws of Utah
Virginia
There are forms of hunting on Sunday that are illegal, such as deer, turkey, dove and duck, and
other forms that are legal. The forms of Sunday hunting that are legal are hunting on licensed
hunting preserves, bear hunting, raccoon hunting and fox hunting.
A recent [when?] grass roots effort is attempting to bring an end to the last of the blue laws in
Virginia? The grass roots effort has centered on a Facebook group called "Legalize Virginia
Sunday Hunting for all." During the most recent effort the Sunday hunting bill overwhelmingly
passed the Senate only to be voted down by a 4 to 3 vote in Delegate R. Lee Ware's (Committee
Chairman Republican Powhatan, Virginia) Natural Resources Subcommittee. During the debate
on February 1, 2012, in the Powhatan Today opinion section, Delegate Ware expressed his concern
over the dangers surrounding hunting activities in these quotes. "Bullets travel without regard to
property lines—and so do shotgun pellets or slugs or even arrows from powerful-enough bows.
And always, for an unsuspecting equestrian, there is the peril of encountering a hunter who
misconstrues a horse—or a person—for a deer or any other game." "Equestrians, hikers, bikers,
picnickers, bird-watchers, fishermen, canoeists, and kayakers: all of these wish, too, to enjoy
Virginia’s great outdoors, often on Sunday—and they wish to do so without the threat inevitably
posed by the presence of rifle- or shotgun-toting hunters."

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After the 2013 General Assembly in which Delegate Lee Ware's Natural Resources Committee
suppressed many compromise Sunday hunting bills, Roanoke College performed an independent
survey that shows there is more in favor of Sunday hunting than are opposed. The independent
survey asked the following question resulting these responses.
The sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption is prohibited between the hours of 12 a.m. and
6 a.m. daily. State-run Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) stores have limited hours of operation
on Sunday.
 Polls related to Sunday hunting
State law prohibits hunting on Sunday.
 2012 Quinnipiac Poll
Voters also back 48–40 percent lifting the current prohibition on Sunday hunting on private land.
The issue shows substantial partisan split as Republicans back Sunday hunting 53–39 percent, as
do independent voters 50–38 percent. Democrats disagree 48–37 percent. Men like the idea 53–
34 percent, while women disagree 46–43 percent.
 2007 VDGIF Report
The 2006 survey results indicate that 53% of all responding hunters said they Strongly Supported
Sunday Hunting in Virginia, compared to 28.5% who said they were Strongly Opposed. This
question was measured on a seven-point scale (1 = Strongly Oppose, 4 = neither oppose nor
support, 7 = Strongly Support). When the categories were combined, 62% of responding hunters
indicated some level of support for Sunday hunting compared to 34% who were opposed.
 2014 Virginia General Assembly
The matter of Sunday hunting has come up in the 2014 General Assembly as a private property
rights issue. A Compromise bill has been submitted that would leave public property out of Sunday
hunting. The compromises would also restrict any hunting within 200 yards of a place of worship
and further restrict the use of deer hounds in hunting on Sunday.
Washington
Historically, off-premises Sunday sales of spirits were banned, and all liquor stores were closed.
On November 8, 1966, Washington state voters adopted Initiative 229, repealing the so-called
"Blue Law," which had been enacted in 1909. Consumers still had the option of purchasing beer
or wine from grocery stores or on-premises spirits from bars and restaurants. In 2005, the state
began allowing off-premises spirits sales in select stores on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
On the election of November 8, 2011, voters passed Initiative 1183, which brought several changes
to the liquor distribution and retailing system. The most significant of these changes were the end
to the state monopoly on liquor sales and distribution. On June 1, 2012, Washington completed its
transition to private liquor sales. Under 1183, spirits may only be sold in premises of at least 10,000

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sq. ft., generally including grocery stores, warehouse clubs, department stores, and some larger
specialty shops.
The sale of alcohol for both on and off-premises consumption is prohibited between the hours of
2 a.m. and 6 a.m. daily.
New rule‐making by the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) based on alcohol sales
hour restrictions is being proposed as the model for state licensed Marijuana sales per initiative I-
502 as well.
West Virginia
Hunting on Sunday is illegal in 41 of 55 counties.
Alcohol sales are prohibited on Sunday in West Virginia until 1:00 p.m.
Wisconsin
Car dealerships are closed for sales on Sundays. All alcohol sales are restricted to 9 am to 9 pm.