States where breweries, distilleries, retailers, and wineries can ship DTC

This post has been updated. It was originally published in August 2020.

Most states permit wineries to ship directly to consumers (DTC). Far fewer allow breweries, distilleries, and retailers to make DTC shipments. Read on to discover which states allow direct shipments of beer, wine, and spirits.

As of December 2024, the following 10 states and Washington, D.C. permit breweries to ship DTC:

• Alaska (allowed by state law but prohibited in many dry communities)
• Kentucky 
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Rhode Island (but only for on-site shipments or beer shipments with over 3.2% alcohol by weight) (see also § 3-4-8)
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington, D.C.

Many states cap the amount of beer a producer may ship to a consumer in a year. In Alaska, for example, a brewery may not sell more than 288 ounces of brewed beverages to a purchaser in one transaction or more than 13.5 gallons of brewed beverages to a purchaser in a calendar year.

As of December 2024, seven states and Washington, D.C. generally permit distilleries to make DTC shipments:

• Alaska (allowed by state law but prohibited in many dry communities)
• Arizona (only craft distilleries that produce less than 20,000 gallons of spirits annually) 
• Kentucky 
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota
• Rhode Island (but only for on-site shipments or beer shipments with over 3.2% alcohol by weight) (see also § 3-4-8)
• Washington, D.C.

As of December 2024, retailers are authorized to make DTC sales in the following states and Washington, D.C.:

• California (for retailers from states with reciprocal laws)
• Connecticut
• Florida (except in dry communities)
• Louisiana
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico (for retailers from states with reciprocal laws)
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• Virginia
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Most states allow direct-to-consumer wine shipments. However, Delaware, Mississippi, and Utah do not allow wineries to ship directly to consumers in the state. 

In the states that do permit DTC wine shipping, the rules vary.

For example, Arkansas and Rhode Island allow the direct shipment of wine purchased in person from an out-of-state winery (on-site sales). This means a resident of Arkansas or Rhode Island may visit a winery, purchase wine while there, and ask the winery to ship the wine to their residence. Arkansas requires wineries to register with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division prior to making the first shipment; Rhode Island does not. Both states prohibit shipments of off-site sales, such as internet purchases.

New Jersey limits the size of wineries that are eligible for permits: Licensees cannot produce more than 250,000 gallons of wine per year or own (in whole or in part) any interest in a winery producing more than that. Ohio eliminated a similar capacity cap effective September 30, 2021.

Some states, including Alaska and Kentucky, have dry communities where alcohol shipments are prohibited, regardless of product type.

Bear in mind that state beverage alcohol requirements are subject to change. To wit, Alaska changed its licensing requirements for DTC shippers with the Title 4 Rewrite legislation. As of January 1, 2024, beverage alcohol producers need a license to ship alcohol directly to consumers in Alaska.

The Title 4 Rewrite also limits how much alcohol a manufacturer direct shipment licensee can sell and ship to Alaska purchasers. For example, they cannot sell more than 18 liters of wine to a purchaser in one transaction or more than 108 liters of wine to a purchaser in a calendar year. 

And similar to New Jersey, Alaska has production limits for breweries and distilleries. In order to be eligible for the manufacturer direct shipment license, a brewery cannot produce more than 300,000 barrels in total of brewed beverages, and a distillery cannot produce more than 50,000 proof gallons of distilled spirits annually.

Out-of-state retailers were allowed to ship directly to consumers in Alaska prior to the Title 4 Rewrite, when Alaska didn’t regulate shipping from out-of-state.

Kentucky authorized the direct shipment of wine with the enactment of House Bill 415 in 2020. Alabama followed suit on August 1, 2021. Whether Delaware, Mississippi, or Utah will ever authorize DTC wine shipping remains to be seen.

Delaware

Delaware allows residents who legally purchase beer, wine, or spirits from a manufacturer at the premises to carry the alcohol home themselves or arrange for shipment personally. Additionally, any out-of-state brewery or winery holding a Delaware Direct Shipper license may accept orders from Delaware residents and ship wine or beer to a licensed Delaware wholesaler for customer pick-up. Shipping to a Delaware residence is prohibited.

For years, Delaware lawmakers have been seeking to authorize DTC shipments. Recent legislation includes House Bill 262, introduced in July 2023. To date, all such efforts have failed.

Mississippi

The situation is similar in Mississippi. Several bills introduced in 2024, including House Bill 430 and House Bill 1280, sought to legalize DTC shipments of wine and distilled spirits. The bills all died in committee. For now, “it is illegal to bring wine into Mississippi” — residents may not order wine over the internet from either in-state or out-of-state wineries for delivery to their home.

However, individuals may purchase wine from a winery and have it shipped to a licensed package retailer in the state. This is due to the enactment of House Bill 1088, which took effect January 1, 2021.

Utah

Utah House Bill 157 (enacted March 2020) required the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to establish and administer a wine subscription program through which the department can purchase a wine subscription on behalf of an individual. Instead of being shipped directly to consumers, the wine must be shipped to a state store or package agency for collection by the consumer. Utah’s wine subscription program took effect May 4, 2024.

All legislative efforts to authorize DTC wine shipments in Utah have failed.

Need help with DTC compliance challenges? Avalara for Beverage Alcohol can help with licensing, product registrations, returns, and tax calculation. Contact us for more information.