Alcohol laws of Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Of the 120 counties in Kentucky
, 46 are completely dry, 42 are considered partially dry or "moist", 31 are entirely wet, and one is classified as wet but is actually closer to "moist". A county can be "moist" in several different ways:
The ABC uses specific terminology to classify counties:
A study of about 39,000 alcohol-related traffic accidents in Kentucky found that residents of dry counties are more likely to be involved in such crashes, possibly because they have to drive farther from their homes to consume alcohol, thus increasing impaired driving exposure. The study concludes that county-level prohibition is not necessarily effective in improving highway safety.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, 46 are completely dry, 42 are considered partially dry or "moist", 31 are entirely wet, and one is classified as wet but is actually closer to "moist". A county can be "moist" in several different ways:
- Under Kentucky Revised StatutesKentucky Revised StatutesKentucky Revised Statutes is the name given to the body of laws which govern the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States. They are created pursuant to the Kentucky Constitution and must conform to the limitations set out in the Constitutions of Kentucky and the United States...
(KRS) 242.123, an individual precinct within any dry territory—which can be a dry county, or a dry portion of an otherwise wet county—that contains a USGAUnited States Golf AssociationThe United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
-regulation golf courseGolf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
may vote to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages by the drink on that specific course. As of the last officially published update on Kentucky wet and dry counties by the Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) in October 2009, 18 golf courses in 12 different counties were approved for such sales. - KRS 243.155 allows individual precincts within dry territory to vote to allow a "small farm wineryWineryA winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
" to operate within the precinct. Once approved, a winery not only can produce and sell wine on its premises but also can apply for a license to sell wine and beer by the drink in a restaurant located on its premises. As of October 2009, 18 wineries were operating in 15 counties under this statute. At that time, two new wineries had been approved by voters, but for various reasons had not begun operation. KRS 243.154 allows a wholesale distributor of wine produced in small farm wineries to operate in dry territory. - Two different statutes authorize local option elections for sales of alcohol by the drink in restaurantRestaurantA restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s:- KRS 242.185(6) requires that restaurants seat at least 100 patrons and derive at least 70% of their total sales from food to be allowed to serve alcohol by the drink. (For the purpose of determining whether a restaurant meets the 70% requirement, sales of non-alcoholic beverages are classified as "food".) The Kentucky ABC listed 22 cities and three counties that had voted to approve such sales as of October 2009. The most recent areas to authorize such sales were the cities of Dry RidgeDry Ridge, KentuckyDry Ridge is a city in Grant County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,995 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dry Ridge is located at ....
and RussellRussell, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,645 people, 1,428 households, and 1,106 families residing in the city. The population density was 910.5 people per square mile . There were 1,584 housing units at an average density of 395.7 per square mile...
, which both approved limited restaurant sales on November 4, 2008. - KRS 242.1244, enacted into law in June 2007, also requires that restaurants derive at least 70% of their total sales from food, but lowers the seating limit to 50 patrons. Restaurants licensed under this statute are not allowed to have separate bars, and can only serve alcohol to customers who purchase a meal, and only during a time frame that starts with the serving of the meal and ends 30 minutes after the customer finishes his or her meal. The first jurisdiction to approve sales under this statute was the city of CampbellsvilleCampbellsville, KentuckyCampbellsville is a city in Taylor County, Kentucky, United States. The population within city limits was 10,498 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Taylor County, and the home of Campbellsville University...
.
- KRS 242.185(6) requires that restaurants seat at least 100 patrons and derive at least 70% of their total sales from food to be allowed to serve alcohol by the drink. (For the purpose of determining whether a restaurant meets the 70% requirement, sales of non-alcoholic beverages are classified as "food".) The Kentucky ABC listed 22 cities and three counties that had voted to approve such sales as of October 2009. The most recent areas to authorize such sales were the cities of Dry Ridge
- Nineteen cities in all are wet cities located in dry counties. An otherwise dry county for general retail sales that contains a wet city is also known as a moist countyMoist countyIn the United States, a moist county is a county on the "middle ground" between a dry county and a wet county . The term is typically used as a generalization for a county that allows alcohol to be sold in certain situations, but has limitations on alcohol sales that a normal wet county wouldn't...
. The only such county with two wet cities is Hopkins CountyHopkins County, KentuckyHopkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1807. As of 2000, the population was 46,519. Its county seat is Madisonville. The county is named for General Samuel Hopkins, an officer in both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and later a Kentucky legislator...
, in which both Dawson SpringsDawson Springs, KentuckyDawson Springs is a city in Caldwell and Hopkins counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The population was 2,980 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace of current governor of Kentucky, Steve L. Beshear. From the late 1800s to the 1930s, Dawson Springs was well known as a spa and resort town...
and MadisonvilleMadisonville, KentuckyMadisonville is a city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States of the Western Coal Field region, located along US 41 and The Pennyrile Parkway. The population was 19,307 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hopkins County. The city was named in honor of U.S...
allow full retail alcohol sales. - KRS 242.1242, enacted into law in June 2007, allows precincts in dry territory that also house a "qualified historic site"—defined in KRS 241.010(34) as either a site listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
or a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, which also includes dining facilities for at least 50 patrons plus lodging—to hold a local option election to allow sales of alcohol by the drink at qualified sites in that precinct. The first such election was held in the North BurginBurgin, KentuckyBurgin is a city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 874 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Burgin is located at...
precinct of Mercer CountyMercer County, KentuckyMercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer...
on November 6, 2007, in which voters approved such sales at the Shaker Village of Pleasant HillPleasant Hill, KentuckyPleasant Hill, Kentucky, USA, is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active from 1805 to 1910. Following a preservationist effort that began in 1961, the site, now a National Historic Landmark, has become a popular tourist destination...
, the largest restored ShakerShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
settlement in the U.S. - McCracken CountyMcCracken County, KentuckyMcCracken County is a county located in the Jackson Purchase, the extreme western end of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 65,514. The county seat, largest city, and only incorporated community is Paducah....
, although officially classified as "wet", is actually closer to moist. The county as a whole is dry; however, its county seat of PaducahPaducah, KentuckyPaducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
is wet, as are five county precincts outside of Paducah.
- Finally, KRS 242.125 allows individual precincts in a city or county to vote dry in a wet city or county. An example of this law was in September 2007, when four precincts in Louisville's west end voted to end liquor sales as a deterrent to crime in the area.
The ABC uses specific terminology to classify counties:
- Dry — Prohibits all sale of alcoholic beverages, with no exceptions.
- Wet — A county that allows sale of alcoholic beverages for on-site or off-site consumption in areas outside of an incorporated city. Most "wet" counties, with the notable exception of McCracken County, allow such sales countywide. Kentucky's two consolidated city-countyConsolidated city-countyIn United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
governments, Louisville and Lexington, are both wet, although as noted above, a few precincts in Louisville are dry. - Moist — A county in which alcohol sales for off-premises consumption are allowed only in a specific city.
- Limited — A county in which at least some otherwise dry territory has approved the sale of alcohol by the drink at qualifying restaurants.
- Golf Course — A county in which at least some otherwise dry territory has approved the sale of alcohol by the drink at a qualifying golf course.
- Winery — A county in which at least some otherwise dry territory has approved the operation of a winery.
- Qualified Historic Site — A county in which at least some otherwise dry territory has approved the sale of alcohol by the drink at a qualifying historic site.
A study of about 39,000 alcohol-related traffic accidents in Kentucky found that residents of dry counties are more likely to be involved in such crashes, possibly because they have to drive farther from their homes to consume alcohol, thus increasing impaired driving exposure. The study concludes that county-level prohibition is not necessarily effective in improving highway safety.