Minnesota Alcohol Related Laws and Regulations

Where to Buy Alcohol
Although laws vary by county as to where and how alcohol may be sold, alcoholic beverages are typically available for purchase in retail package stores, but some areas will only allow sales from state-owned stores. In areas where state-owned stores are not mandatory, beer and wine are sold in convenience and grocery stores. Alcohol is commonly sold from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, but not on Sundays. Alcohol is served at bars and restaurants all days of the week, from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Legal Age for Drinking/Serving Alcohol
As in all states, you must be 21 to drink in Minnesota. At 18, an individual can work as a server or bartender, and may sell alcohol in a liquor store or retail store.

Open Container Laws
It is against the law for anyone in a vehicle to consume alcohol, so previously opened containers of alcohol must be transported in the trunk of a vehicle where the driver and passengers will not have access.

BAC Limits
If chemical testing (breath, blood, or urine) indicated a BAC (blood-alcohol content) over .08 percent, a driver is considered ‘per se intoxicated’. ‘Per se intoxication’ means that the state doesn’t need further evidence in order to convict the driver of DUI (driving under the influence).

Underage drivers who consume alcohol are the main target of ‘zero tolerance laws.’ Young drivers may not test at any BAC of .00 percent or more in Minnesota without acquiring DUI penalties.

If a driver is to test at .20 percent or more above the legal limit of .08 percent or refuses to comply with chemical testing, greater penalties are available to the courts.

Penalties
‘Implied consent laws’ require a driver to take a breath, blood, or urine test for intoxication by a police officer’s request. The refusal of testing may incur mandatory suspension of the driver’s license for up to a year.

The driver’s license may be suspended by the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). For the first DUI offense, the suspension is 90 days; for the second offense, the suspension is 180 days; for the third offense, the suspension is one year.

The driver’s vehicle can be confiscated by the courts either permanently or temporarily with a third DUI conviction. Also with the third conviction, an ignition interlock device can be installed at the expense of the driver.

Education or treatment for alcohol abuse may be required for DUI offenders after the third conviction.

If the DUI causes death, it is considered a felony.