Updated June 2026.
Virginia splits beer and wine from liquor. Off-premise wine and beer may not be sold from midnight to 6:00 a.m. (3VAC5-50-30) — so the statewide grocery window is 6:00 a.m. to midnight, unless a locality tightens weekends under Code § 4.1-129. Distilled spirits for the shelf are sold only at state ABC stores. ABC hours are store-specific, not a 2:00 a.m. clock. Check the store page. Age 21.
On-premise in mixed-beverage localities: no sale or consumption 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Everywhere else, on- and off-premise share the midnight–6:00 a.m. blackout, with a New Year’s Eve extra hour for on-premise in those non-mixed localities. Richmond is not a dry town by default. We will not invent a county table.
Beer vs the ABC store
| Channel | Statewide rail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery / c-store beer & wine (off-premise) | No sales midnight–6:00 a.m. | 3VAC5-50-30(A) — same as Sheetz |
| Local Saturday–Monday beer/wine | County/city may restrict noon Saturday–6:00 a.m. Monday | Code § 4.1-129 (fetched 2026) |
| ABC stores (spirits) | Store hours — not one statute clock | abc.virginia.gov store pages / store FAQs |
| On-premise, mixed-beverage locality | No sale/consumption 2:00 a.m.–6:00 a.m. | 3VAC5-50-30(A)(1)(a) |
| On-premise, other localities | Midnight–6:00 a.m. blackout (+ NYE extra hour) | 3VAC5-50-30(A)(2) |
| Private club licensees | No restricted-hours bar in this regulation | 3VAC5-50-30(B)(1) |
A 6:15 a.m. beer run can be legal at a grocer while every ABC store is still closed. That is the control-state split. ABC “typical” 10 a.m.–7/9 p.m. weekday and noon–6 p.m. Sunday numbers on trade pages are store practice, not a 2:00 a.m. ABC statute. Neighboring hours: Georgia. Gas stations sell beer on the off-premise licensegas stations.
Sources
- 3VAC5-50-30 Restricted hours; exceptions — official Virginia LIS (fetched 2026; amended through Feb. 12, 2025).
- Code of Virginia § 4.1-129 (fetched 2026): local weekend wine/beer ordinances, noon Saturday–6 a.m. Monday.
- Virginia ABC store locator / store FAQs for spirits hours: not a single closing time.
- No locality table (would go stale).