Blue Laws you've experienced first hand

[6a]

In terms of alcohol sales, Kentucky still has local option laws that provide a  wide variety of places where alcohol (and what types of alcohol) can be sold.

That is still the case in Columbus as well, alcohol sales and Sunday sales are drilled down to the voting precinct. I just last November had to vote whether to allow a new bar to allow Sunday spiritous liquor sales. In addition, some neighborhoods in Columbus have voted themselves dry to discourage crime and loitering.

[bandit957]

Also, there was a time - I think it was in the '80s/'90s - when NKU got county officials to refuse to issue new alcohol licenses within several miles of the university. You couldn't build a new bar in the area. I'm not sure about stores, though I remember one store having a terrible time getting a license just to sell beer. Yet another store up the street was allowed to sell beer.

That's because Campbell County is corrupt and selectively enforces laws. This also explains why the county refused to file charges against a neo-Nazi whose daddy was a bank president.

Also, sometime in the 1990s/2000s, one of the suburban townships in Ohio near Cincinnati went dry in an effort to force a strip club to close down. As a result, a Chinese immigrant who owned a restaurant in that township that served alcohol had to close down. Like the ban in Campbell County, this was enacted by officials, not a referendum.

[triplemultiplex]

Utah - I was visiting Utah, and remember really wanting a good beer to relax with that evening at my hotel.  Apparently, and perhaps this has changed, any beer that's more than 4.0% ABV (so basically anything with more alcohol than a Coors or Dud Light) has to be bought in a state run store.  Said stores are also closed on Sunday.  This was the strictest liquor laws I've encountered.

That was still the case when I was there last year.
Even dumber is they limit the alcohol content of draft beer in bars the same way.  Really wusses up the craft beer scene in that state.

[kphoger]

I was in Poland the same week Pope JP2 was visiting the country (kind of a big deal, his being Polish and all). While he was in the country, there was a nationwide alcohol ban. I think the first and last days we were there were the only ones we could buy alcohol.

[Pete from Boston]

Utah - I was visiting Utah, and remember really wanting a good beer to relax with that evening at my hotel.  Apparently, and perhaps this has changed, any beer that's more than 4.0% ABV (so basically anything with more alcohol than a Coors or Dud Light) has to be bought in a state run store.  Said stores are also closed on Sunday.  This was the strictest liquor laws I've encountered.

That was still the case when I was there last year.
Even dumber is they limit the alcohol content of draft beer in bars the same way.  Really wusses up the craft beer scene in that state.

The funny thing is, Uinta makes a delicious 6-7% IPA, Hop Nosh (renamed from "Hop Notch" to avoid confusion with Notch Brewing).  I don't know if it's sold there or what, but it sure is abundant here.

[US71]

I remember when Wal-Mart was closed on Sunday. Later, they would open but have sections roped off.

[wxfree]

In Texas, 0.5% drinks are both beer and not beer.  You can sell it in dry counties, but only during beer-selling hours.

Car dealers cannot be open both Saturday and Sunday (this may have been repealed; there was a proposal but I don't know if it passed).  A DFW area dealer years back advertised "Closed Saturday, Open Sunday" with emphasis on "Open Sunday" in the television commercials.  My guess is that they wanted to be one of a few dealers open Sundays.

I remember back in the 80s when non-food stores were closed on Sundays.  Supermarkets and convenience stores could be open, but couldn't sell most non-food items.  These days beer and wine can be sold Sundays after noon, but I don't remember if Sunday sales were banned years ago, or if they were considered food products allowed for sale.

[Duke87]

Connecticut only within the last few years legalized alcohol sales on Sunday. It is still illegal to sell alcohol after 8 PM any day.

Meanwhile in New York beer can be sold 24/7.

[Scott5114]

Casinos are illegal in Oklahoma. Problem with that is that there are lots of Native American tribes in Oklahoma, and the no-casino law doesn't apply to them. So we have this law on the books, presumably to promote anti-gambling morality, and still have casinos strewn all over the place and people gambling anyway. It's pretty entertaining if you're into absurdity.

The effect of it is that a white guy (or a Chinese guy, or whatever) can't start his own casino to compete with the tribal casinos, nor can a national chain like Harrah's or Station Casinos enter the market, and the tribes have monopolies over the areas that fall in their tribal jurisdiction. If you don't like the casinos in your area you might have to drive several hours to reach a competing tribe's casino.

[Concrete Bob]

Back in June 2000, I took a four day road trip involving a big loop covering the Great Basin and the Pacific Northwest.  The first leg of the trip involved taking I-80 from Sacramento to Salt Lake City.  After checking into my hotel room near the Salt Lake Airport, I decided to go to the Phillips 66 across the street to pick up a six pack of beer.  I was amazed to find Leinenkugel (this was before it was acquired by budweiser), and felt like I struck gold. 

I bought my Leinenkugel back to my hotel room, filled the sink with ice cubes, iced the beer down and ordered in dinner from room service.  After four beers and 90 minutes, I realized that I wasn't experiencing "That Perfect Four-Beer Buzz."  I looked at the label on the Leinenkugel, and saw the "Alcohol 3.2 Percent by Volume" and remembered I was in Utah.  I finished the other two beers and went to bed with a nice "Three Beer Buzz-ette." 

I believe that any beer sold in Utah having more than 3.2 percent ABV has to be labeled as "STRONG" and can only be purchased from state-run liquor stores.  That law has probably changed with the rise of microbreweries over the past few decades.  I've had some wonderful microbrews from Utah that were in excess of 5.0 percent in recent years. 

On another occasion, I was assisting my brother-in-law move the last of of his belongings from McKinney, TX to California back in early September 2001.  We had packed everything into the moving van on a Friday morning, and then drove to some town west of Abeline along I-20.  We were preparing to check into a motel, when my brother-in-law asked the desk clerk where the nearest liquor store was.  The clerk replied that they were in a dry county, and that we would have to cross into the next county to get any alcohol. 

My brother in law told the clerk to cancel the room, and we proceeded to the next county for lodging and cold beers.

It's kind of fun to go to other parts of the country to experience things you don't find close to home due to some odd law.  I still think its kind of cool to go to Oregon and have someone pump your gas.  I almost feel as though I should give the person who filled up my tank a tip or something !!! : )         

[jwolfer]

Clay County Florida used to restrict Sunday sales until after 2pm. There was a referendum a couple years ago that changed Sunday sales to match other days. But you still can't buy beer of Christmas because it Jesus' birthday. It is the land of Southern Baptists who of course are not supposed to drink alcohol. I was raised Episcopalian so we don't have such restrictions, we even get wine with Communion every Sunday. So I resent the majority Baptist county commission imposing their rules on me.

My parents are involved in political stuff and my mom had a discussion with one of the commissioners. He said it wasn't  to conform to the Baptist view but to stop drunk driving. That's bullshit, if people are drunk and want booze they just drive to Jacksonville

[Brian556]

It seems that a lot of local and state government officials forget that the United States Constitution requires the separation of church and state. Having blue laws based on religion blatantly violates the constitution.

Also, the blue laws are just ridiculously stupid, make no sense, and serve no purpose.

They also cause me to lose respect for the government in general. If the government has no respect for it's own laws, then why should I?

This same argument could also be applied to agencies that blatantly disregard the MUTCD.

This is one of the big reasons that I find bible bangers annoying. They claim to be such good people, but in reality many are buttholes.

I personally don't drink because I feel that it's bad for individuals as well as society as a whole. However, if alcohol's gonna be legal, then people shouldn't be restricted on when they can buy it just because of a few people's selfish stupid religious hang-ups.

[jakeroot]

Casinos are illegal in Oklahoma. Problem with that is that there are lots of Native American tribes in Oklahoma, and the no-casino law doesn't apply to them. So we have this law on the books, presumably to promote anti-gambling morality, and still have casinos strewn all over the place and people gambling anyway. It's pretty entertaining if you're into absurdity.

I remember visiting my tribal headquarters in Durant, and thought it was rather strange that there was this large hotel in basically the middle of nowhere. Then, I remembered: tribal land is exempt(?) from gambling laws.

Are there any casinos in Oklahoma that are not attached to a native tribe? Here in Seattle, there are a ton of Indian casinos, but there's also a lot of casinos that are independent chains not inherently related to any tribes.

[KEVIN_224]

@ DUKE87: Actually, Connecticut sales now end at 9 pm. I believe the sales are 10 am to 5 pm on Sundays. Usually, alcohol isn't sold on legal holidays (i.e. Memorial Day).

P.S. The package store a block from my house is still closed on Sundays. They're only open until 9 PM from Thursday to Saturday.

[Scott5114]

Are there any casinos in Oklahoma that are not attached to a native tribe? Here in Seattle, there are a ton of Indian casinos, but there's also a lot of casinos that are independent chains not inherently related to any tribes.

At least one, sort of–Remington Park in Oklahoma City, which is primarily a horse-racing facility that has a casino on the grounds. It was initially owned by a non-tribal entity, but it ran into financial trouble and was bought out by a corporation that, in turn, is owned by the Chickasaw Nation. Gaming is regulated by the state of Oklahoma, unlike the other Chickasaw casinos, which are regulated by the Chickasaw Nation Office of the Gaming Commissioner (CNOGC), an organ of the tribal government.

There might be others, but I'm not aware of them.

[dfwmapper]

In Texas, it's technically illegal to promote or sell porn or sex toys, and having 6 or more toys is considered possession with intent to promote. The jokes about experiencing this "first hand" write themselves.

[jeffandnicole]

I was in Poland the same week Pope JP2 was visiting the country (kind of a big deal, his being Polish and all). While he was in the country, there was a nationwide alcohol ban. I think the first and last days we were there were the only ones we could buy alcohol.

The Pope will be visiting Philly later this year.  You can bet there will be no ban on alcohol nationwide, citywide, or locally.

[NE2]

I don't think gambling laws are considered blue laws, unless they only apply on Sundays.

[1995hoo]

It seems that a lot of local and state government officials forget that the United States Constitution requires the separation of church and state. Having blue laws based on religion blatantly violates the constitution.

Also, the blue laws are just ridiculously stupid, make no sense, and serve no purpose.

....

The Supreme Court has said you're wrong on the constitutional aspect for several reasons. As far as requiring businesses to be closed, states claimed the laws ensured workers got a day off. The Court held that was enough of a reason to allow them to be upheld. The reason doesn't have to be one with which you agree or one you think makes sense–a legitimate secular reason was deemed to be enough. The fact that there may also be a religious motivation is irrelevant if there's an acceptable non-religious reason.

Alcohol sales are a unique matter due to the Twenty-First Amendment. States have an unusual amount of authority (although it's not unlimited) over that particular form of commerce. The amendment pretty much allows a state to say no sales on Sunday, or Friday, or whenever, or even to prohibit sales altogether (which is also how dry counties are allowed). It's a vestige of compromises made to get Prohibition repealed. Note the Twenty-First Amendment says you can't import alcohol into a state for beverage purposes in violation of the state's laws. That trumps, for example, the Interstate Commerce Clause giving Congress authority over interstate commerce–Virginia can make it illegal for you to bring in more than a gallon of liquor (never mind that liquor isn't sold by the "gallon") and Congress can't directly overrule that (hence why for the drinking age they tied it to highway funding–states do not have a right to receive federal highway funding). Certain other principles trump the Twenty-First Amendment, though–the Dormant Commerce Clause is an example, so a state cannot allow an in-state winery to ship directly to in-state customers but prohibit out-of-state wineries from shipping to the same customers (but they can prohibit all shipping if they want as long as they treat them all the same).

Alcoholic beverage law is really complex in the United States.

(BTW, I think preemptive bans on sales on Sunday, or any other day, are silly too. Of course, I have no problem with the ABC store being open only during certain hours regardless of whether it's inconvenient for someone. The ABC store is open for fewer hours on Sunday than on other days. Doesn't bother me. Most businesses aren't open 24/7 and that probably inconveniences someone, but who cares? Inconvenience at some point is a fact of life.)

[jeffandnicole]

...the Dormant Commerce Clause is an example, so a state cannot allow an in-state winery to ship directly to in-state customers but prohibit out-of-state wineries from shipping to the same customers (but they can prohibit all shipping if they want as long as they treat them all the same).

When NJ wanted to allow in-state wineries to ship to customers, they got tripped up on this.  I forgot the exact nature of the issue or what happened (no doubt someone sued someone), but in the end the law was modified so both in-state and out-of-state wineries can ship to residents within NJ. 

While some states have dry counties, NJ permits dry municipalities.

Now, this is where it gets interesting:  The law now permits local wineries to sell their wines in retail establishments without liquor licenses, and that includes allowing for sampling of wines.  This INCLUDES stores that are in dry towns!  A permit/license is necessary.  I was hoping that small restaurants, such as pizzerias or BYOBs that don't have liquor licenses (which in NJ are expensive and hard to come by) would side-step this by allowing wineries to sell their wines in their restaurants, but I haven't seen that occur much.

And speaking of - If a restaurant sells liquor, it's not illegal per state law to bring in your own alcohol.  But the individual establishment can ban people from bringing it in.  (I think it goes without saying that I would believe every establishment bans it.)

[OCGuy81]

Utah - I was visiting Utah, and remember really wanting a good beer to relax with that evening at my hotel.  Apparently, and perhaps this has changed, any beer that's more than 4.0% ABV (so basically anything with more alcohol than a Coors or Dud Light) has to be bought in a state run store.  Said stores are also closed on Sunday.  This was the strictest liquor laws I've encountered.

That was still the case when I was there last year.
Even dumber is they limit the alcohol content of draft beer in bars the same way.  Really wusses up the craft beer scene in that state.

The funny thing is, Uinta makes a delicious 6-7% IPA, Hop Nosh (renamed from "Hop Notch" to avoid confusion with Notch Brewing).  I don't know if it's sold there or what, but it sure is abundant here.

I've seen both Uinta and Epic tapped locally by me, and both are over 6% ABV.  Curious if these beers are tapped in Utah, if it's a "light" version.

[1995hoo]

Virginia allows "corkage," where you bring your own wine to a restaurant. The restaurant will usually charge a fee to open the bottle and serve it (since I've never done this, I have no idea what would happen if you tried to do it yourself; I assume they'd charge the fee anyway). I know of some restaurants that make what I consider to be a reasonable request that you not bring in any wine that appears on their wine list. That's not always an easy matter, of course–the Inn at Little Washington has an 88-page wine list!

Regarding Utah, I echo OCGuy81–I've had some of Epic's beers and I liked some quite a bit (especially Spiral Jetty), so do they have to sell a separate "in-state" version? Or do they just not offer it on tap in Utah?

[Pete from Boston]

Blasphemy is illegal in Massachusetts:

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter272/Section36

[1995hoo]

Blasphemy is illegal in Massachusetts:

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter272/Section36

Likely one of those unenforceable laws that remains on the books as a political statement. I suppose if you engaged in that sort of speech in a place and manner where your goal was clearly to incite people, it might (I emphasize "might") be prosecutable as disorderly conduct or some such (recognizing the despicable counterexample of Westboro Baptist Cult).

I read a case once where a court ruled that saying "God damn it" was protected speech but "God damn you" was prosecutable, but I don't remember what the rationale was nor when it was decided.

[NE2]

I read a case once where a court ruled that saying "God damn it" was protected speech but "God damn you" was prosecutable, but I don't remember what the rationale was nor when it was decided.

"Fighting words".