Updated May 2026.
North Carolina splits the clock. ABC stores (bottled liquor only) may not sell 9:00 p.m.–9:00 a.m. and are closed Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (G.S. 18B-802). Grocery beer and wine: no sale 2:00 a.m.–7:00 a.m.; Sunday default noon unless a local brunch ordinance starts at 10:00 a.m. (G.S. 18B-1004). “No Sunday alcohol” is wrong for beer. Age 21.
There is no “North Carolina last call” that covers whiskey at a grocery store. Bottled liquor is not sold at Food Lion or Walmart. Local ABC boards set the exact open/close inside the 9 a.m.–9 p.m. window. A 2025–2026 Sunday-ABC bill is not law. Check the local board, not a 2023 blog.
Two clocks
| What you want | Where | Statewide default |
|---|---|---|
| Bottled liquor (whiskey, vodka, tequila) | ABC store only (G.S. 18B-800) | Not between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.; closed Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Local board sets hours inside that window and may close other holidays |
| Beer / wine (grocery, c-store, Sheetz) | Licensed off-premise | No sale 2:00 a.m.–7:00 a.m. Sunday: no sale until 12:00 noon unless local 10:00 a.m. brunch ordinance (G.S. 153A-145.7 / 160A-205.3) |
| Mixed drinks (on-sale) | Restaurant / bar with mixed-beverage permit | Same 2:00 a.m.–7:00 a.m. sale blackout. Customers may finish until 2:30 a.m. (18B-1004(a); ABC Quick Guide) |
Cities and counties may also restrict Sunday beer and wine after noon (18B-1004(d)). Dry towns still exist. Holiday grocery beer still follows 18B-1004 unless a local ordinance says otherwise — ABC holiday closures do not lock the cooler. Gas-station beer follows the grocery clockgas stations, Sheetz. Neighbors: South Carolina beer, Georgia. This page will not invent a 100-county table.
Sources
- G.S. 18B-802 (ABC store hours/days), current through 2024-41, s. 3: Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
- G.S. 18B-800 (spirituous liquor in ABC stores).
- G.S. 18B-1004 (fetched 2026): 2:00 a.m.–7:00 a.m. sale blackout; consume until 2:30 a.m.; Sunday noon default; local brunch 10:00 a.m.; locals may restrict Sunday after noon.
- NC ABC Commission Quick Guide for Retail Permittees (April 2024 edition, fetched): same 7 a.m.–2 a.m. / Sunday noon or 10 a.m.; on-sale consume to 2:30 a.m.