Updated July 2026.
In Ohio you can buy beer, wine, and spirits for carryout from 5:30 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. at most off-sale permits. That is not 2:30 a.m. — 2:30 a.m. is the late on-sale class. Sales are dark 1:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. under OAC 4301:1-1-49 (May 1, 2024). Sunday wine and spirits need a D-6 plus local option.
Ohio is a control state for spirituous liquor. Whiskey lives at contracted agency stores, not in every grocery cooler. Beer and wine are the C-permit aisle. Age 21. Local option can still dry a precinct. Updated July 2026.
Statewide hours (not a store’s opinion)
| Where | Mon–Sat window | Sunday | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery / carryout beer & wine (C-1, C-2, and OAC 49(B) class) | 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. | Beer: often allowed without D-6 if local option says so. Wine/spirits: D-6 + local option; then same hours, not before 5:30 a.m. Manner (on vs off) can still differ by precinct. | OAC 4301:1-1-49(B); ORC 4303.182 |
| On-prem bars with D-3A / D-5 late class (OAC 49(C)) | 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. | Same if Sunday sales authorized | OAC 4301:1-1-49(C) |
| Agency stores (spirituous liquor, ≥21% ABV) | Follow the contract / permit class; the legal window is not a promise the store is open. Sunday liquor if the agency is authorized (ORC 4301.172: Sunday hours = Mon–Sat hours) | Local option + agency contract | ORC 4301.17, 4301.172 |
| Dry precinct | No | No | Local option elections |
The 2023 page dumped Class 1 vs Class 2 permit codes and then said Sunday runs “5:30 a.m. until midnight only.” That midnight cap is the default without Sunday authority (no sales 1:00 a.m. Sunday until Sunday midnight unless authorized — OAC 49(B)(2)). With a D-6, ORC 4303.182(N) says Sunday hours match Monday–Saturday. We are using the rule and the statute, not a 10:00 a.m. Sunday blog clock and not a 2:30 a.m. grocery rumor.
Beer vs wine vs liquor
Carryout beer: C-1. Carryout wine and low-proof mixed beverages: C-2. Spirits: state-set prices at agency stores (the “Ohio liquor store” inside a grocery or a standalone). A Supercenter can sell beer and wine during C-permit hours and still not sell bourbon. Same split as Texas beer-vs-liquor, different statute. See Walmart and Sheetz — those pages are also state law, not a corporate last-call.
On-premise consumption stops in the same windows. You cannot keep serving after the permit’s hour just because the kitchen is open. A municipal corporation can set an earlier close (ORC 4301.22). It cannot invent a 4:00 a.m. grocery whiskey window. There is no holiday exception that temporarily wets a dry privilege.
How to check before a late run
- OAC 4301:1-1-49 for the statewide floor (re-checked: still May 1, 2024).
- Division of Liquor Control permit lookup / Sunday-sales guide for D-6 and local option. Beer often does not need D-6; wine, mixed beverages, and spirits do.
- OHLQ / agency store locator for spirits. The grocery beer cooler is not the liquor agency unless the contract is in that building. Agency stores may close earlier than 1:00 a.m. as a business hour.
- Call the store. POS lockout follows the permit, then the manager.
Home delivery, if offered, follows the permit’s sale hours — you cannot get a 3:00 a.m. drop in a 1:00 a.m. carryout state. For other state clocks, see Texas beer hours and California 7-Eleven.
What the 2023 permit dump was trying to say
Class 1 vs Class 2 on the old page was a restatement of OAC 49(B) vs 49(C): grocery-style permits go dark at 1:00 a.m.; a list of D-5 and D-3A late permits go dark at 2:30 a.m. That split is real. The letter codes move when the legislature adds a D-5 variant, which is why we cite the rule, not a 2023 bullet list of every F-permit. If you need the exact letters, read 4301:1-1-49 on codes.ohio.gov. A gas station is a C permit or it is not. A sports bar is a D permit or it is not. The register knows. For chain convenience hours in other states, see Circle K.
Sources
- Ohio Adm. Code 4301:1-1-49 (effective May 1, 2024): 1:00 a.m.–5:30 a.m. dark for (B) permits including C-1/C-2; 2:30 a.m.–5:30 a.m. for (C) late class; Sunday not before 5:30 a.m.
- ORC 4303.182 / 4303.182(N): D-6 Sunday intoxicating liquor; Sunday hours = Mon–Sat hours.
- Ohio Division of Liquor Control Sunday-sales guide: D-6 required for wine/mixed/spirits; beer often not; manner (on vs off) may differ by precinct.
- ORC 4301.172 (agency store Sunday hours); ORC 4301.22 (Sunday / municipal earlier close); spirituous liquor via agency contracts (ORC 4301.17).
- Age 21. Local option can prohibit sales. Updated July 2026.