Alcohol shipping laws in Virginia
We track 3 Virginia rules on shipping wine, beer and spirits to consumers; 1 is a ban.
Check a specific item for VirginiaVirginia
Permit neededWineries, breweries and out-of-state retailers may ship wine and beer to Virginia consumers only with a Wine and Beer Shipper's License from Virginia ABC.
Va. Code § 4.1-209.1(A) · draft
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A. Holders of wine and beer shipper's licenses issued pursuant to subdivision F 1 of § 4.1-206.3 may sell and ship not more than two cases of wine per month nor more than two cases of beer per month to any person in Virginia to whom alcoholic beverages may be lawfully sold. All such sales and shipments shall be for personal consumption only and not for resale. A case of wine shall mean any combination of packages containing not more than nine liters of wine. A case of beer shall mean any combination of packages containing not more than 288 ounces of beer. Any winery or farm winery located within or outside the Commonwealth may apply to the Board for issuance of a wine and beer shipper's license that shall authorize the shipment of brands of wine and farm wine identified in such application. Any brewery located within or outside the Commonwealth may apply to the Board for issuance of a wine and beer shipper's license that shall authorize the shipment of brands of beer identified in such application. Any person located within or outside the Commonwealth who is authorized to sell wine or beer at retail in their state of domicile and who is not a winery, farm winery, or brewery may nevertheless apply for a wine and beer shipper's license if such person satisfies the requirements of this section. Any brewery, winery, or farm winery that applies for a shipper's license or authorizes any other person, other than a retail off-premises licensee, to apply for a license to ship such brewery's, winery's or farm winery's brands of wine or beer shall notify any wholesale licensees that have been authorized to distribute such brands that an application has been filed for a shipper's license. The notice shall be in writing and in a form prescribed by the Board. The Board may adopt such regulations as it reasonably deems necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including regulations that permit the holder of a shipper's license to amend the same by, among other things, adding or deleting any brands of wine, farm wine, or beer identified in such shipper's license. ... B. Any applicant for a wine and beer shipper's license that does not own or have the right to control the distribution of the brands of wine, farm wine, or beer identified in such person's application may be issued a shipper's license for wine and beer, if the applicant has obtained and filed with its application for a shipper's license, and with any subsequent application for renewal thereof, the written consent of either (i) the winery, farm winery, or brewery whose brands of wine, farm wine, or beer are identified therein or (ii) any wholesale distributor authorized to distribute the wine or beer produced by the winery, farm winery or brewery. Any winery, farm winery, or brewery, or its wholesale distributor, that has provided written authorization to a shipper licensed pursuant to this section to sell and ship its brand or brands of wine, farm wine, or beer shall not be restricted by any provision of this section from withdrawing such authorization at any time. If such authorization is withdrawn, the winery, farm winery, or brewery shall promptly notify such shipper licensee and the Board in writing of its decision to withdraw from such shipper licensee the authority to sell and ship any of its brands, whereupon such shipper licensee shall promptly file with the Board an amendment to its license eliminating any such withdrawn brand or brands from the shipper's license.
BannedDo not ship spirits to Virginia consumers: spirits are sold at retail only through Virginia ABC government stores, and the shipper license covers only wine and beer.
Va. Code § 4.1-119(A) · draft
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A. Subject to the provisions of §§ 4.1-121 and 4.1-122 , the Board may establish, maintain, and operate government stores for the sale of spirits, nonalcoholic spirit alternatives, wine produced by farm wineries, low alcohol beverage coolers produced by licensed distillers, vermouth, mixers, products used in connection with distilled spirits as may be approved by the Board from time to time, and products licensed by the Virginia Tourism Corporation as specified in § 4.1-103 in such counties, cities, and towns considered advisable by the Board. The Board may discontinue any such store.
21+Alcoholic beverages may not be sold to anyone under 21.
Va. Code § 4.1-304(A) · draft
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A. No person shall, except pursuant to subdivisions 1 through 5 of § 4.1-200 , sell any alcoholic beverages to any individual when at the time of such sale he knows or has reason to believe that the individual to whom the sale is made is (i) less than 21 years of age, (ii) interdicted, or (iii) intoxicated. Any person convicted of a violation of this subsection is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Federal
Applies in every state.
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.