Alcohol shipping laws in Maine
We track 5 Maine rules on shipping wine, beer and spirits to consumers; 3 are bans.
Check a specific item for MaineMaine
Permit neededWineries may ship wine to Maine consumers only with a wine direct shipper license from the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations.
28-A M.R.S. §1403-A(2) · draft
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A small winery or other winery holding a federal basic wine manufacturing permit located within or outside the State may obtain a wine direct shipper license by filing with the bureau an application in a form determined by the bureau accompanied by an application fee of not more than $200, a copy of the applicant's current federal basic wine manufacturing permit and a list of wine labels to be shipped in accordance with this section. ... Before sending a shipment to a resident of this State, a direct shipper must file an application for a wine direct shipper license under subsection 2 with the bureau on a form issued by the bureau along with a true copy of its current winery license issued in this State or another state and a $100 registration fee. ... A direct shipper may not ship a container of wine of less than 250 milliliters and may ship no more than 9,000 milliliters per shipment no more than 12 times to any one recipient address in a calendar year. ... A direct shipper may not ship to any address in an area identified by the bureau as a prohibited shipping area or a local option area. ... As a condition of receiving a license, a shipper located outside the State shall comply with the provisions of Title 36, Part 3 , including all requirements relating to registration as a seller and the collection, reporting and remittance of the sales and use taxes of the State, and shall agree to be subject to the jurisdiction of the State for purposes of the enforcement of those obligations. The requirements of this subsection apply notwithstanding any provision of law of the State to the contrary. ... A direct shipper located outside the State shall annually pay to the bureau all excise taxes due on sales to residents of the State in the preceding year, the amount of such taxes to be calculated as if the sales were in the State. ... A direct shipper shall submit a report to the bureau quarterly in a manner and form prescribed by the bureau that includes the following:
BannedOut-of-state retailers may not ship any alcohol (wine, beer or spirits) to Maine consumers; only licensed wineries may direct-ship.
28-A M.R.S. §1403-A(1)(A) · draft
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"Direct shipper" means a winery that has obtained a wine direct shipper license under subsection 2 .
BannedBreweries may not ship beer directly to Maine consumers.
28-A M.R.S. §2077-B(1) · draft
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Except as provided in section 1403‐A , a person may not sell, furnish, deliver or purchase liquor from an out-of-state company by mail order.
BannedDo not ship spirits to Maine consumers; only the State bureau may import spirits.
28-A M.R.S. §2073-A(1) · draft
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Except as provided in subsection 2 and section 2073‐E , a person other than the bureau may not transport spirits into the State or cause spirits to be transported into the State.
21+Sell and deliver alcohol in Maine only to buyers 21 or older; carrier must get a 21+ adult signature with photo ID.
28-A M.R.S. §1403-A(4)-(5) · draft
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A direct shipper or a direct shipper's fulfillment provider may only ship wine that was produced by or for the direct shipper, owned by the direct shipper or sold under the winery name of the direct shipper in accordance with the direct shipper's federal basic wine manufacturing permit to a recipient who is at least 21 years of age and that is intended for personal use and not for resale. A direct shipper or a direct shipper's fulfillment provider may not ship wine products commonly known as "wine coolers." A direct shipper or a direct shipper's fulfillment provider shall label each package to be shipped in accordance with this section so that it conspicuously reads "CONTAINS ALCOHOL: SIGNATURE OF A PERSON 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER IS REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY." ... Shipments made in accordance with this chapter must be made by a common carrier and must be accompanied by a shipping label that clearly indicates the name of the direct shipper and the name and residence address of the recipient. The common carrier shall obtain the signature of a person 21 years of age or older at the address listed on the shipping label prior to delivery of the shipment. The common carrier shall request photographic identification from the person signing for the shipment and verify that the person is 21 years of age or older.
Federal
Applies nationwide.
BannedNever ship wine, beer or spirits by USPS: all alcoholic beverages are nonmailable under federal law.
18 U.S.C. 1716(f) · draft
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§1716. Injurious articles as nonmailable ... (f) All spirituous, vinous, malted, fermented, or other intoxicating liquors of any kind are nonmailable and shall not be deposited in or carried through the mails. ... (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 781; May 8, 1952, ch. 246, 66 Stat. 67; June 29, 1955, ch. 224, 69 Stat. 191; Pub. L. 85–268, Sept. 2, 1957, 71 Stat. 594; Pub. L. 85–623, §5, Aug. 12, 1958, 72 Stat. 562; Pub. L. 91–375, §6(j)(25), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 779; Pub. L. 92–191, §1, Dec. 15, 1971, 85 Stat. 647; Pub. L. 99–570, title X, §10003, Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3207–167; Pub. L. 103–322, title VI, §60003(a)(7), title XXXIII, §330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1969, 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §607(g), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3511; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, §4002(b)(2), (6), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1807; Pub. L. 109–435, title X, §1008(d), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3261.)
Permit neededFedEx carries wine to consumers only for licensed shippers approved under a signed FedEx Alcohol Shipping Agreement, with adult signature.
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Only FedEx-approved, licensed alcohol shippers that have entered into a FedEx Alcohol Shipping Agreement may ship alcohol via FedEx services. Consumers may not ship alcohol of any type via FedEx services. For all alcohol shipments, you’ll need to sign a FedEx Alcohol Shipping agreement. Contact your FedEx account executive for details and assistance and if you don't have an assigned account executive, call FedEx Customer Services at 1.800.463.3339. Adult signature service option. State law, as well as FedEx policy, requires an adult signature at the time of delivery for every U.S. package containing alcohol. It is your responsibility to ensure the adult signature requirement service option is selected so that FedEx requests and obtains the required adult signature. A $5.75 fee per shipment applies for this service.
BannedDo not ship beer or spirits to consumers by FedEx: FedEx carries only wine direct to consumers.
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FedEx currently only permits wine shipments under licensee-to-consumer agreements; beer and spirits require licensee-to- licensee. Licensee-to-consumer FedEx only transports wine licensee-to-consumer.
Permit neededUPS carries wine, beer and spirits only for licensed shippers that have signed the UPS Agreement for Approved Wine/Beer/Spirits Shippers, with adult signature.
UPS: How To Ship Wine · draft
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UPS only accepts packages containing wine from shippers who are licensed under applicable law and who have signed and entered into a contract with UPS for the transportation of wine. All wine shippers must enter into a UPS Agreement for Approved Wine Shippers. All alcohol shippers must schedule a consultation call or speak to their Account Manager to review UPS alcohol shipping policies, submit copies of your state licenses, and complete a shipping agreement. The ability to ship wine depends upon the nature of the shipper's license to sell wine, and the laws of the destination states. UPS permits the following types of wine shipments: Shipments of wine from licensed shippers may be shipped to licensed consignees, where permitted by applicable law. For example, a licensed manufacturer may ship to a licensed distributor, or a licensed distributor may ship to a licensed retailer, so long as the shipments are made in accordance with applicable law. "Licensed to Licensed" shipments cannot be made to consumers. All wine shipments must be made using the UPS Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required service, requiring the signature of an adult 21 years of age or older upon delivery. Some states also allow shipments of wine from out-of-state licensed wine retailers to consumers. These states are known as "Retailer Direct Shipment States." Shipments of wine from licensed out-of-state retailers may be made to consignees in "Retailer Direct Shipment States" subject to all of the conditions applicable to Winery Direct Shipment States, except that the purchase is made from a licensed out-of-state retailer rather than a winery. Refer to Addendum A for approved Retailer Direct Shipment States. All shippers who wish to ship wine must enter into either the UPS Agreement for Approved Wine Shippers, or the UPS Wine Industry Fulfillment House Agreement For Approved Wine Shippers. UPS DOES NOT ACCEPT SHIPMENTS OF WINE FROM SHIPPERS WHO HAVE NOT ENTERED INTO ONE OF THESE AGREEMENTS.