Visiting Utah? Here's how drinking works

Utah has a reputation. Some of it is earned, a lot of it is out of date, and none of it should stop you from having a glass of wine after a day on the slopes. Here's what's actually different, in the order you're likely to run into it.

1. Yes, you can drink here

Bars, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, hotel lounges and ski resorts all serve alcohol with the right license. You don't need a membership (that ended in 2009) and the beer isn't all 3.2 (that ended in 2019). More on the outdated stuff in myths & quirks.

2. Grocery and gas stations sell beer, up to 5%

Beer up to 5% alcohol by volume is in most grocery and convenience stores, seven days a week, Sundays included. That's the only alcohol you'll find there: no wine, no spirits, nothing stronger.

3. Everything else comes from a state liquor store

Wine, spirits and beer over 5% are sold by the state itself, at 50-plus state liquor stores and smaller “package agencies” in towns, resorts and hotels. State stores are open Monday through Saturday, generally 11 a.m. to 7 or 10 p.m. They're closed on Sundays and state holidays, including Pioneer Day on July 24, a Utah state holiday that's easy to miss if you're from out of town.

4. Bring a real ID, every time

Grocery and convenience stores and package agencies check every customer's ID, whatever your age, and bars scan everyone at the door. Accepted: a U.S. driver license or state ID, a passport, or a U.S. military ID with photo and birth date. Since May 6, 2026, foreign driver licenses with a photo and birth date work too (foreign ID cards that aren't driver licenses don't). A driving privilege card doesn't count.

5. Restaurants want you to eat. Bars don't (but they're 21+)

At a restaurant, you're served a drink only if you're dining there, so “Will you be eating with us?” is a legal question, not small talk. You can order the drink first. Bars serve without food and are 21 and over, with every ID scanned on the way in. The full rundown is in bars & restaurants.

6. Drinks are measured, and there's no happy hour

Bartenders use metered pours: 1.5 ounces of the main spirit, 2.5 ounces of spirits total in any cocktail, and wine by the glass tops out at 5 ounces. So there are no doubles, and happy hour discounts are against the law.

7. The DUI limit is .05, the lowest in the country

Utah dropped its blood alcohol limit to .05 on December 30, 2018, the first state to do it. For a lot of people that's about half as many drinks as the usual .08. It applies on a bicycle too. If you're drinking, don't drive: use a ride, a shuttle or your feet.

8. Open bottles ride in the trunk

No open alcohol in the passenger area of a car. An opened bottle is fine in the trunk, out of reach of the driver and passengers. Drinking in public buildings, parks and stadiums isn't allowed unless the place has a license or event permit, and cities can add their own rules. Boats, parks and hotels are covered in out and about.

9. You can bring some with you

Driving in with a few bottles from home? You can bring up to nine liters of liquor bought outside the state for your own use. Selling it, or anything else, without a license is illegal. Having wine shipped to your hotel won't work either: wineries can't legally ship to consumers in Utah.

10. Resorts and hotels make it easy

Many hotels and resorts have a package agency for buying bottles on site, and licensed hotels can deliver alcohol through room service (no minibars, though). Ski resorts, golf courses and bowling alleys often hold beer licenses.