What are the hours for sale of alcoholic beverages in Mississippi?
The two different types of liquor licenses (sale for off-premises consumption and sale for on-premises consumption) each have different hours of sale (see ABC Regulation No. 12). For package retailers, these hours are 10AM--10PM, with no sales on Sunday or Christmas Day. For restaurants, lounges, hotels, private clubs, and other on-premises retailers, the hours of sale are 10AM--12M'night, no sales on Sunday. Package store hours of sale are consistent statewide but on-premises hours of sale may vary greatly from city-to-city (some locations have unlimited hours of sale). Contact either ABC or the local governing authority for the hours of sale at a specific location.

My business is ABC-licensed. Must my employees also be licensed?
Effective March 3, 1999 the ABC will no longer require employee identification cards for employees of package and on-premise retailers. Amendments to ABC Regulation Number 39 are pending which will eliminate this requirement. Owners and managers of package and on-premise retailers will still be required to maintain identification cards.

Persons convicted of a felony within the past three years prior to employment or jailed within the past 12 months are not eligible for employment at a permitted establishment. Permittees will be subject to administrative fines and penalties for willful employment of these ineligible persons.

May I permit "brown-bagging" in my restaurant?
No, your patrons may not supply their own beverages (see ABC Regulation No. 13).

Who may legally purchase alcoholic beverages in my business?
A patron must be at least 21 years of age, not visibly intoxicated, and not be a person to whom the sale of liquor has been prohibited by the Commission in order to purchase alcoholic beverages. A Chancery Court order removing one's minority will not allow that person to purchase or possess alcoholic beverages.

May a parent or legal guardian purchase alcoholic beverages for an under-twenty-one-year-old person in their care?
No. Mississippi law (S. 67-1-81) provides a criminal penalty for anyone who furnishes alcoholic beverages to an underage person. There is an exception in the beer laws that permits beer to be served to an 18-20 year old person accompanied by their parent or legal guardian (see S.67-3-54, 1972 MCA).

What types of identification should I accept as proof-of-age?
ABC Enforcement recommends that you and your employees accept only state issued photo identification cards or US military identification cards. Mississippi issues two types of photo ID cards, drivers licenses and identification cards. ABC offers training to assist you in identifying fraudulent, false, or altered ID cards. Contact ABC Enforcement (601) 856-1320 for more information or to schedule a training session.

What should I do if presented a "bad" ID by an underage person?
First, refuse to sell. Next, you may wish to keep the identification card and prosecute the person under S. 67-1-81 for making a false statement of age in order to purchase alcoholic beverages. ABC Enforcement offers a program entitled "Cops in Shops" to detect and prosecute underage persons attempting to purchase alcoholic beverages. If you wish to participate in this program, please contact ABC Enforcement at (601) 856-1320 for more information.

What can happen to me for selling alcoholic beverages to an underage person?
The criminal penalty for such sales ($500.00--$1000.00 fine for first offense) is a misdemeanor (see S. 67-1-81, 1972 MCA). The business faces suspension or loss of its ABC permit.

Where do I purchase my alcoholic beverage inventory?
All of your alcoholic beverage products, except for native wines, may be purchased from the Alcoholic Beverage Control. You may also purchase these products from approved "wholesale" package retailers. Please see your price book for a listing of these businesses or you may call (601) 856-1301 for more information.

How long will it take to receive my Special Order?
Delivery times vary greatly, dependent upon the winery or distributor owning the specific order. You should allow a few weeks for your order to arrive at your selected package retailer.

Why is ABC out of stock of a certain product?
The reasons are many. Please call ABC Purchasing at (601) 856-1340 with your questions.

What should I do about missing or damaged product received from ABC?
If the damage is "wet", contact the company that made the delivery. They have an established way of processing damage claims. For "dry concealed damage", ABC will provide credit for properly submitted claims (see any issue of the ABC Price List, page 8). Contact the ABC Warehouse at (601) 856-1380 for claim forms or assistance.

I have a restaurant. May I lease my business premises for a private party?
On-premises permittees may lease banquet rooms for private functions. Please review ABC Regulation No. 13 for information on these, and other, special events.

May an on-premises permittee sell alcoholic beverages "to go"?
No. All on-premises sales of alcoholic beverages are for consumption on the licensed premises (see ABC Regulation No. 13). Package retailers may not permit the consumption of any beverage sold by them on their licensed premises.

Where can I obtain ABC forms and applications?
ABC maintains forms at each of the State Tax Commission District Offices and most forms are also available in this site. Forms may be requested directly from ABC at (601) 856-1301.

Where may I obtain a copy of the Local Option ABC Laws, Rules and Regulations?
Each new permit application contains a copy of these documents. Most public libraries contain the Mississippi Code Annotated and the Local Option ABC laws are Section 67-1-1 through 67-1-99. ABC Regulations are also in this site.

If you need more information, or to report a violation, contact ABC Enforcement (601) 856-1320