Alcohol laws of New York
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The alcohol laws of New York are among the most lenient of any state in the Atlantic Northeast of the United States, but they remain considerably more restrictive than those of Louisiana, Missouri (see alcohol laws of Missouri), Nevada, Illinois, New Mexico, and Arizona.
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[edit] Alcohol sales
[edit] For consumption off-premises
In New York, wine and spirits are required to be sold in dedicated liquor stores, while beer only may be sold at supermarkets, gas stations, and convenience stores. As such, certain types of alcoholic beverages are banned from being sold in package liquor stores, even though those stores are privately owned. New York State is not an alcoholic beverage control state.
New York law provides that unless a municipality further restricts the times through a local ordinance, beer may be sold 24 hours a day. Before 2006, there were five hours out of the week in which alcohol could not be sold, which was Sunday mornings from 3am-8am, however, this law has been repealed. In general, however, the further away from New York City and from any major upstate city, the more restrictive the sale hours become. In New York City, beer can be sold 24 hours per day and seven days per week, while in Onondaga County, where Syracuse is located, beer only may be sold between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., and rural Steuben County disallows beer sales after 1:00 a.m. and before 10:00 a.m. (or 11:00 a.m. on Sundays).
Sales of wine and spirits, however, are subject to stricter laws. Off-premises sales are banned from midnight to 9:00 a.m. on weeknights and Saturdays, and from both midnight to noon and after 9:00 p.m. on Sundays.
[edit] For consumption on-premises
In New York, there are only four hours out of each day of the week in which alcohol may not be served: 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. This rubric was designed to accommodate New York City nightlife as well as late night workers statewide in general. The 4:00 a.m. closing time is in effect in New York City, Buffalo, and Albany. Some areas have an earlier "last call," such as Syracuse and Rochester, where bars must close at 2:00 a.m., and Elmira, where bars must close at 1:00 a.m.
[edit] Drinking age
In response to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which reduced by up to 10% the federal highway funding of any state which did not have a minimum drinking age of 21, the New York Legislature raised the drinking age from 19 to 21, effective January 1, 1985. (The drinking age had been 18 for many years before the first raise in 1982.) Persons under 21 are prohibited from purchasing or possessing alcohol, from consuming alcohol in public, or from having a blood alcohol level of more than .02%.
[edit] Drunk driving
Like every other state in the United States, driving under the influence is a crime in New York, and is subject to a great number of regulations outside of the state's alcohol laws. New York's maximum blood alcohol level for driving is .08% for persons over the age of 21 and .02% for minors. Penalties include fines, license suspension, and possible imprisonment.
