Minnesota: Where can you buy liquor?
Minnesota liquor is sold by privately owned liquor stores licensed by cities, plus city-owned municipal liquor stores in some smaller towns.
Cities issue off-sale liquor licenses, with state approval, mainly to exclusive liquor stores; grocery stores generally cannot sell spirits unless they held a license on August 1, 1989, in a first-class city. Cities of 10,000 people or fewer may own and run municipal liquor stores. The state licenses private wholesalers and does not buy or sell spirits itself.
What the law says
A city other than a city of the first class may issue with the approval of the commissioner ... an off-sale intoxicating liquor license to an exclusive liquor store ... or to a drugstore to which an off-sale license had been issued on or prior to May 1, 1994.
Sources
- Minn. Stat. § 340A.405, subd. 1 Official · revisor.mn.gov
- Minn. Stat. § 340A.601 (municipal liquor stores) Official · revisor.mn.gov
- Minn. Stat. § 340A.301 (wholesaler licenses) Official · revisor.mn.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division
- Website
- dps.mn.gov
How bordering states compare
- Iowa State wholesale, private storesIowa is the only wholesaler of liquor, but privately owned licensed stores sell it to the public.
- North Dakota Private licensed storesNorth Dakota liquor is sold by privately owned retailers that need both a local license and a state license.
- South Dakota Private licensed storesSouth Dakota licenses private wholesalers and off-sale liquor stores; the state does not sell liquor itself.
- Wisconsin Private licensed storesWisconsin sells liquor through privately owned stores holding municipal Class A licenses, including many grocery stores.