California · CA · Food & drink
California: Where can you buy liquor?
Private licensed stores
California licenses private businesses to sell distilled spirits for off-premises drinking; the state does not buy or sell liquor.
An off-sale general license lets a business sell beer, wine and distilled spirits to consumers to take away. A separate off-sale beer and wine license does not include spirits. The license text does not limit it to standalone liquor stores.
What the law says
An off-sale general license includes the privileges specified in Section 23393 and authorizes the sale, to consumers only and not for resale, except to holders of daily on-sale general licenses issued pursuant to Section 24045.1, of distilled spirits for consumption off the premises where sold.
Sources
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 23394 Mirror of official text · codes.findlaw.com
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 23393 Mirror of official text · codes.findlaw.com
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
- Phone
- (916) 419-2500
- Website
- abc.ca.gov
How bordering states compare
- Arizona Private licensed storesArizona licenses private liquor stores to sell spirits for off-premises drinking; the state runs no liquor stores.
- Nevada Private licensed storesNevada liquor is sold by privately owned licensed retailers, which must buy from state-licensed private wholesalers.
- Oregon Private agency storesOregon's liquor commission is the only legal seller of spirits; privately run stores sell on its behalf at prices it sets.
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