Sunday Liquor Sales

In Virginia, liquor cannot be sold on Sundays. Well, except where it can be sold. In an inexplicable twist of logic, Sunday liquor sales are allowed in urban areas, but forbidden in the rural parts of the state. Fredericksburg is one of those rural areas where the residents apparently cannot be trusted with such Sunday responsibilities. But, Virginia lawmakers have voted to correct that prejudice.

State-owned liquor stores in Virginia have the OK from the General Assembly to start selling booze on Sundays.

The Senate voted Thursday to allow the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control board to keep any liquor store it chooses open on Sundays. Currently, only urban areas and localities with a population greater than 100,000 people are eligible to sell alcohol throughout the entire week.

The bill previously passed the House but was hung up in the Senate when an effort to give that authority to localities gained momentum and passed the chamber earlier this week. But the Senate voted again Thursday and passed the House version of the bill 25-15.

Governor McDonnell has said that he will sign the legislation.

See "Va. Senate approves Sunday liquor sales for state-owned stores".