Park City Restaurant Association

Liquor Laws Affecting Residents and Visitors

From the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

It’s been said that you can’t get a good drink in Utah, or even that you can’t get any kind of drink (other than water) in Utah. The Park City Area Restaurant Association would like to let you know that you can in fact get a drink in Utah– and some mighty fine tasty drinks at that! Here’s some information from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to help you clarify when, where and what you can drink while visiting or living in this great state.

General Info
The sale and service of alcoholic beverages is regulated by the State of Utah. Alcoholic beverage control is a concept that Utah shares with other states and countries. Utah’s liquor laws are based on the general philosophy of making alcoholic beverages available in a manner that reasonably satisfies the public demand. In this respect, however, the state does not promote or encourage the sale or use of alcohol.

Legal Age
A person must be at least 21 years of age or older to purchase and consume alcohol in Utah.

The following is a summary of how residents and visitors to Utah may obtain alcoholic beverages.

Wine, Liquor, Flavored Malt Beverages, Beer, and Heavy Beer: Full liquor service is available in licensed restaurants, banquet and catering facilities, airport lounges, and clubs. Patrons may order liquor by the drink, wine by the glass or bottle, and beer in bottles, cans and on draft. Packaged liquor, wine, and heavy beer (over 3.2%) are available in State Liquor Stores and Package Agencies.

In restaurants with full service liquor licenses, liquor, wine, flavored malt beverages, and heavy beer (over 3.2%) may be served from noon to midnight. Beer (3.2%) is available from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Patrons must be dining in the restaurant in order to be served an alcoholic beverage.

In restaurants with limited service liquor licenses, wine, and heavy beer (over 3.2%) may be served from noon to midnight. Beer (3.2%) is available from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Limited restaurant licenses may not sell flavored malt beverages or distilled spirits.

An on-premise banquet license allows the storage, sale, service, and consumption of liquor, wine, flavored malt beverages, heavy beer, and beer for contracted banquet activities on the premises of a hotel, resort facility, sports center, or convention center. It also allows for room service in hotels and resorts. Alcoholic beverages may be sold on any day from 10 a.m. until 1 a.m.

In clubs, liquor, wine, flavored malt beverages, heavy beer, and beer may be served from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Clubs sell alcoholic beverages with or without food, and patrons may be served at a bar or table. Many clubs provide live entertainment.  There are four types of clubs; equity, fraternal, dining, and social.  Dining and Social clubs are open to the public. Equity clubs (such as country clubs) and Fraternal or Patriotic clubs are for members and their guests.

In airport lounges, liquor, wine, flavored malt beverages, heavy beer, and beer may be served from 8:00 a.m. until 12 midnight. Alcoholic beverages may be sold with or without food, and patrons may be served at a bar or table. Airport lounges are located at the Salt Lake International Airport.

Packaged liquor, wine, and heavy beer ‘to go’is sold at 37 full service state liquor stores. There are also approximately 105 package agencies that offer a more modest selection of these products. Package agencies are often located in smaller cities and towns, and in hotels and resorts for customer convenience.

Utah offers a world class wine selection at four specialty wine stores located at: 255 South 300 East, 1863 East 7000 South, and 280 W Harris Ave in Salt Lake City; and 1901 Sidewinder Drive in Park City. Several other state stores also offer expanded wine selections. Store locations, addresses, directions, phone numbers, and hours of operations can be found on our website. To locate a store, click here.

Beer
Beer establishments sell beer to customers in a variety of venues. These include taverns, lounges, cabarets, nightclubs, cafes, bowling alleys, golf courses, etc. The hours for beer sales in these establishments are 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Beer may be purchased without ordering food, and is sold on draft and in bottles and cans.   Packaged beer is also available at supermarkets, grocery and convenience stores. The maximum alcohol content is 4.0% by volume (3.2% by weight) for beer sold in taverns, beer establishments, and stores.”Taverns” are beer bars, parlors, lounges, cabarets, and nightclubs where the revenue from the sale of beer exceeds the revenue of the sale of food. Minors are not allowed on the premises of a tavern.

Private Parties
Individuals and organizations hosting private social, business, or recreational events or functions are not required to obtain a permit from the state if the event is not open to the general public, and alcohol is provided to invited guests without cost.

Metered Dispensing
Utah law requires restaurants, clubs, on-premise banquet licensees, and airport lounges to use a metered dispensing system that is calibrated to dispense no more than 1.5 ounces of primary liquor in a mixed drink. Secondary alcoholic flavorings may then be added to a mixed drink as the recipe requires, not to exceed a total of 2.5 ounces of spirituous liquor.

Wine Service
Restaurants (full and limited service), on-premise banquet licensees, clubs, and airport lounges may serve wine by the glass (5 ounces) or by the bottle.

Brown Bagging
“Brown Bagging” is a term-of-art that refers to the practice of bringing alcoholic beverages into an establishment that is open to the public for consumption on the premises. This practice is generally prohibited, however there are three exceptions.
1) A person may bring bottled wines onto the premises of a full service, or limited service restaurant or a club liquor licensee (at the discretion of the licensee) and consume the wine.
2) Alcoholic beverages may be brought onto and consumed in limousines and charter busses under certain restrictions.
3) A person may bring onto any premises, have, and consume any alcoholic beverage at a privately-hosted event (private party) that is not open to the general public

For more information on Utah’s liquor laws, please visit http://www.alcbev.state.ut.us/index.html