Kentucky · KY · Food & drink
Kentucky: Are happy hour drink specials legal?
Allowed with limits
Kentucky has no happy hour ban, but retailers can't offer coupons on alcohol, give drinks away, or sell below cost.
No Kentucky law addresses happy hours by name. The state ABC says retailers can't offer coupons on alcohol, and that limit on promotions is the basis for this answer. The 'treating' law (KRS 244.050) also bans free drinks and sales below the retailer's wholesale cost. Some cities and counties add their own rules.
Conditions
- No free drinks (except licensed sampling)
- No prices below the retailer's wholesale cost
- No retailer coupons on alcohol
What the law says
KRS 244.050 generally prohibits a retail licensee from selling alcoholic beverages to consumers for a price less than the retailer's paid or current wholesale cost for that product. ... A licensee cannot give away alcoholic beverages for free.
Sources
- Kentucky ABC Frequently Asked Questions Official · abc.ky.gov
- KRS 244.050, "Treating" prohibited -- Exceptions Official · apps.legislature.ky.gov
- KRS 244.050 (FindLaw) Mirror of official text · codes.findlaw.com
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
- Phone
- 502-564-4850
- Website
- abc.ky.gov
How bordering states compare
- Illinois Allowed with limitsIllinois allows happy hours, but only up to 4 hours a day and 15 a week, and not after 10 p.m.
- Indiana Allowed with limitsIndiana has allowed happy hours since July 2024, capped at 4 hours a day and 15 a week, never 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
- Missouri AllowedMissouri has no state rule limiting happy hour drink prices at bars and restaurants.
- Ohio Allowed with limitsOhio allows happy hours before 9 p.m. but bans late-night discounts, two-for-one deals, and unlimited drinks for a fixed price.
- Tennessee AllowedTennessee lets bars discount drinks as they see fit, as long as the price doesn't go below their cost.
- Virginia Allowed with limitsVirginia allows happy hours, but not between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., and two-for-one or all-you-can-drink deals are banned.
- West Virginia AllowedWest Virginia law has no rule against happy hours or drink specials, and licensees may advertise drink prices.