The process of getting an alcohol permit is difficult enough without all of the extra confusion surrounding wet, dry and wet-dry counties. Wet-dry counties are counties that allow the purchase and consumption of certain kinds of alcohol, while still having restrictions on alcohol sales. Some wet-dry counties only permit the sale of beer and wine, while others may only permit the sale of spirits at certain times of the day or on specific days of the week.

It can be helpful to know what kinds of laws and regulations apply to counties near you, including in your own county, to give you important context about local liquor rules and the process of securing an alcohol permit in Dallas, TX or elsewhere. Since many of the laws regarding liquor have been around for a long time, they are constantly being amended and adapted for modern purposes. Even in the last year, dozens of changes have been made to existing laws in wet-dry counties in Texas, where the sale and consumption of alcohol is highly regulated:

• Chambers: In Chambers County, specifically in Mont Belvieu, a petition passed on November 7 permitting restaurants with full bars to serve mixed beverages in addition to beer and wine.
• Clay: On November 7, a countywide petition in Clay County opened local regulations to all alcoholic beverages. This includes the kinds of mixed drinks that are usually excluded from wet-dry counties in Texas.
• Collingsworth: Like Clay County, Collingsworth County also passed a countywide petition to permit all alcoholic beverages, including mixed beverages.
• Denton: In Denton County, a local petition passed allowing beer and wine to be sold off-premises. This does not extend to mixed drinks or any other kind of alcoholic beverages.
• Harris: A petition to permit mixed drinks in the City of Houston Heights failed in Harris County. Even though there is a lot of support for these kinds of petitions, it is still common for them to fail in certain areas. This can be caused by a number of things and it can vary greatly from county to county.
• Uvalde: In one part of Uvalde County, a petition was submitted to allow the sale of beer and wine; however, it failed.

Additional alcohol laws and regulations

Above is just a small sample of different petitions regarding the sale of alcohol in dry counties. There are many other actions being taken throughout the state of Texas in response to liquor laws. The state of Texas has certain time restrictions in place that dictate when alcohol can be sold. For example, most alcohol can only be sold between 7:00 a.m. and midnight Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Saturday and noon to midnight on Sunday. In addition, no alcohol that is more than 17 percent alcohol by volume can be sold on Sunday at all.

The different regulations that apply to wet-dry counties make it confusing enough to obtain an alcohol permit in Dallas, TX and elsewhere. Make it easier and get help from a team of experts when you need to get an alcohol permit or license. At LaBarba Permit Service, we have been assisting clients for decades with all of their permitting and licensing needs. Contact us today for help!