Missouri's Early Morning Beer Buying Laws Explained

Missouri's alcohol laws are among the most permissive in the United States. The state has a largely laissez-faire approach to alcohol regulation, in contrast to its neighbours, such as Kansas and Oklahoma, which have very strict alcohol laws. Missouri has no dry jurisdictions, and alcohol can be purchased from 6 am to 1:30 am daily, including Sundays. However, municipalities across the state may have separate laws. For instance, most municipalities, including St. Louis and Kansas City, have enacted local laws prohibiting the retail sale of liquor between 1:30 am and 6:30 am Tuesday through Saturday, and between midnight on Sunday and 9 am the following morning. So, while you can generally buy beer before 8 am in Missouri, this may not be the case in certain municipalities.

Alcohol sales are prohibited between 1:30 am and 6:30 am Monday to Saturday

Missouri has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the United States. However, alcohol sales are prohibited between 1:30 am and 6:30 am Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, the same hours apply, but businesses must pay an additional license fee to sell alcohol during those hours.

The state's approach to alcohol regulation is largely laissez-faire, perhaps owing to its position as the leading alcohol-producing state in America. Missouri is well-known for its wine production in the Missouri Rhineland and for beer production in St. Louis by Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Budweiser.

Before state alcohol regulation began in 1934, many Missouri cities, including St. Louis and Kansas City, had banned Sunday liquor sales. While Missouri's original 1934 Liquor Control Law prohibited Sunday sales of beverages with more than 5% alcohol by volume, this restriction was lifted in 1975.

Until recently, Missouri had a separate regulation for beer containing at least 0.5% alcohol by volume and no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, which was classified as "nonintoxicating beer". However, in August 2009, the Missouri General Assembly repealed this law, and now the Liquor Control Law controls all alcoholic beverages containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume.

While Missouri has no specific state limitations on where alcohol can be sold "off-premises" (i.e. for consumption elsewhere), businesses must obtain the proper licenses from the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and local authorities to sell alcohol. Additionally, businesses cannot sell alcohol within 100 feet (30 m) of a school or church unless they obtain approval in writing from the city's board of aldermen, city council, or other proper authorities.

The hours for sales of liquor by the drink (for consumption on the premises) are generally the same as liquor by the package: between 6:00 am and 1:30 am daily. However, some establishments in Kansas City, Jackson County, North Kansas City, St. Louis, and St. Louis County have been permitted to sell liquor by the drink between 6:00 am and 3:00 am daily since 1981.

Alcohol sales are prohibited between midnight on Sunday and 9 am the following morning

Missouri has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the United States. However, there are still some restrictions on the sale of alcohol in the state.

The hours for alcohol sales in Missouri are now the same every day of the week: between 6 am and 1:30 am. This is in line with the state's largely laissez-faire approach to alcohol regulation.

The hours for alcohol sales by the drink (for consumption on the premises) are also the same: between 6 am and 1:30 am, Monday through Sunday. However, in Kansas City, Jackson County, North Kansas City, St. Louis, and St. Louis County, properly licensed establishments with certain levels of annual revenue have been permitted to sell liquor by the drink between 6 am and 3 am every day since 1981.

There are no dry jurisdictions in Missouri, and the state has no specific state limitations on the places where alcohol may be sold "off-premises" (for consumption elsewhere). This means that grocery stores, drug stores, and even gas stations throughout the state can sell a wide variety of beer, wine, and liquor as long as they have the proper licenses.

However, there are some restrictions on the sale of alcohol near schools and churches. To sell alcohol within 100 feet of these institutions, businesses must obtain approval in writing from the city's board of aldermen, city council, or other proper authorities.

Alcohol can be purchased from 6 am to 1:30 am daily

Missouri's alcohol laws are among the most permissive in the United States. The state has a largely laissez-faire approach to alcohol regulation, in contrast to its neighbours, such as Kansas and Oklahoma, which have very strict alcohol laws.

Missouri's original 1934 Liquor Control Law prohibited Sunday sales of beverages with more than 5% alcohol by volume, but this restriction was lifted in 1975. In 2021, the state legislature approved a new law allowing businesses to sell alcohol from 6 am to 1:30 am on Sundays, aligning the day with the hours in place for sales during the rest of the week. This law took effect on August 28, 2021.

Missouri's drinking age has been 21 since 1945, and the state prohibits minors from possessing or purchasing alcohol. Consuming alcohol while under the age of 21 is a misdemeanour that can result in a $1,000 fine and/or up to a year in jail. However, Missouri law allows minors to consume alcohol if it is purchased by a parent or legal guardian and consumed on their private property.

Missouri has no dry jurisdictions

Missouri's alcohol laws are among the most permissive in the United States. During the height of the temperance movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Missouri never implemented its own statewide prohibition. Instead, the state took a largely laissez-faire approach to alcohol regulation, influenced by its position as the leading alcohol-producing state in America. An 1857 Missouri statute left all liquor regulation to localities, but this changed in 1934 when Missouri enacted its first Liquor Control Law, which established statewide control of liquor.

While Missouri has no dry jurisdictions, there are still some restrictions on the sale of alcohol in the state. For example, the sale of alcohol is limited to between 1:30 AM and 6:30 AM Monday through Saturday, and an additional license fee is required for sales between these hours on Sundays. Additionally, Missouri law prohibits the sale of alcohol to minors under the age of 21.

Missouri has no state law prohibiting drinking in public

In St. Louis, for example, picnickers in public parks are allowed to consume alcohol without limitation. On the other hand, drinking alcohol in a school, church, or courthouse is illegal in Missouri.

In 2005, the Missouri General Assembly passed a law that specifically allowed patrons of any "entertainment district" in Downtown Kansas City to remove any alcoholic beverage from any establishment in the district and carry it openly throughout the district. The law states that the beverage must be in a plastic cup marked with the logo of the establishment at which it was purchased.

The City Council later legalised the possession of an open container in any portion not open to vehicular traffic of the Power & Light District, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Crossroads Arts District, the 18th and Vine Historic District, the Liberty Memorial, Crown Center, and the Union Hill neighbourhood.

Frequently asked questions