Arkansas alcohol laws

What Arkansas has enacted on alcohol, what each law requires, and what the bills still moving would do. Arkansas is one of 47 states that enacted an alcohol law in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

Bills in scope
16bills in scope
Past committee
14past committee
Most recent action
5 May 2025most recent action

Alcohol laws enacted in Arkansas

11 alcohol laws enacted in the Arkansas Legislature in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, newest first. Each links to the legislature's own page.

  • SB 523TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; AND TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT THAT A PRIVATE CLUB BE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.Enacted 18 April 2025

    What it requires: Corporations, partnerships, individuals, and limited liability companies may apply for hotel, restaurant, or large-event facility private club permits without forming a nonprofit corporation. Applicants must meet facility size requirements: eighty lodging rooms and five thousand square feet of public space for hotels, ten thousand square feet for large-event facilities, or one hundred seat restaurant capacity. Only guests may consume alcoholic beverages at these facilities.

    Licensing and retail permits

  • HB 1491CONCERNING THE EXCISE TAX ON CERTAIN BEER AND SAKE; TO CREATE AN EXCISE TAX CREDIT FOR CERTAIN BEER AND SAKE PRODUCED USING ARKANSAS RICE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.Enacted 17 April 2025

    What it does: Creates an excise tax credit for persons required to report and pay excise tax under specified statutes for qualified beer and sake produced using Arkansas rice.

    Excise taxes and fees

  • HB 1898TO CREATE THE REGULATORY DIVISION AND THE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT DIVISION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION; AND TO ALLOW PERSONNEL OF THE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO BE DESIGNATED AS AGENTS.Enacted 17 April 2025

    What it does: Creates the Regulatory Division and Regulatory Enforcement Division within the Department of Finance and Administration to oversee tobacco, alcohol, medical marijuana, and gambling regulation, and designates Regulatory Enforcement Division personnel as full-time law enforcement officers with statewide authority.

    Licensing and retail permits

  • HB 1730TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE ISSUANCE AND TRANSFER OF WHOLESALE PERMITS.Enacted 17 April 2025

    What it requires: A new wholesaler permit may not be issued on or after September 1, 2013, except that a new minimum wholesaler permit under Arkansas Code § 3-4-607 may be issued on or after the effective date of this act. A holder of a wholesaler permit issued on or before September 1, 2013, may renew and transfer the permit as permitted under applicable law or regulation of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.

    Three-tier, distribution and franchise

  • HB 1476TO AMEND THE DIRECT SHIPMENT OF VINOUS LIQUOR ACT; AND TO ESTABLISH A WINE DIRECT SHIPPER LICENSE.Enacted 16 April 2025

    What it requires: Wine direct shippers must obtain a wine direct shipper license. Licensed wine direct shippers may ship up to twenty-four nine-liter cases of wine annually only to consumers in their territory.

    Direct-to-consumer shipping and delivery, Licensing and retail permits

  • SB 564TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "BEER" TO CHANGE THE ALLOWABLE ALCOHOLIC CONTENT AND TO INCLUDE MALT BEVERAGES.Enacted 14 April 2025

    What it requires: Brewers and distributors of beer must not manufacture, bring upon premises, or keep beer with alcoholic content exceeding ten percent by weight. Retailers must not sell, barter, furnish, or permit possession of beer exceeding ten percent alcohol by weight on licensed premises. The act redefines beer to include malt beverages up to ten percent alcohol by weight.

    Licensing and retail permits

  • HB 1455TO AUTHORIZE CERTAIN PRIVATE CLUBS TO PURCHASE CERTAIN PRODUCTS DIRECTLY FROM A SMALL BREWERY PERMIT HOLDER UNDER AN EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT.Enacted 10 April 2025

    What it requires: A small brewery permit holder may enter into an exclusive agreement with only one private club at a time. A private club located in an entertainment district and a small brewery permit holder entering into an exclusive agreement must be located in adjacent counties.

    Three-tier, distribution and franchise

  • SB 365TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS SMALL BREWERY ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE OPERATION OF THREE SMALL BREWERY TAPROOMS BY A HOLDER OF A SMALL BREWERY LICENSE.Enacted 9 April 2025

    What it requires: A holder of a small brewery license may operate no more than three small brewery taprooms.

    Three-tier, distribution and franchise, Licensing and retail permits

  • SB 98TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; TO AUTHORIZE THE THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FROM CERTAIN RETAILERS; AND TO CREATE A THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY PERMIT.Enacted 25 February 2025

    What it requires: Holders of third-party delivery permits must ensure delivery employees and independent contractors complete an approved training program before making their first delivery and repeat it at least once every twelve months. The training must cover detecting signs of intoxication, identifying valid government-issued identification, and knowledge of wet and dry territories.

    Direct-to-consumer shipping and delivery

  • SB 97TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF ADDITIONAL RETAIL LIQUOR PERMITS TO CERTAIN EXISTING HOLDERS OF RETAIL LIQUOR PERMITS.Enacted 25 February 2025

    What it requires: A person, firm, or corporation holding one retail liquor permit may obtain up to two additional retail liquor permits, provided no more than one permit is held in the same county and additional permits are only issued in counties with a population of 200,000 or more persons according to the most recent decennial census.

    Licensing and retail permits

  • HB 1318TO AMEND THE EXCURSION TRAIN PERMIT TO INCLUDE EXCURSION BOATS.Enacted 18 February 2025

    What it requires: An operator of an excursion boat may apply to the Director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division for a permit to sell and serve alcoholic beverages on an excursion boat operated in Arkansas. A permit holder must post a copy of the permit in each excursion boat where alcoholic beverages are sold and served. A permit holder may sell and serve alcoholic beverages only when the excursion boat is located in a territory that has authorized the sale of alcoholic beverages.

    Licensing and retail permits

Alcohol in Arkansas, by topic

Alcohol bills in Arkansas

The bills not yet law, furthest along first, with what each would do.

11Enacted

3Past committee

2Introduced or inactive

16 bills in scope

Past committee

3

SB 635TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; AND TO AUTHORIZE BOTTLE LOCKERS IN CERTAIN RESTAURANTS.Passed chamber

What it would do: Authorizes restaurants in wet territories with on-premises consumption permits to offer guests the option to use bottle lockers to store alcoholic beverages purchased for later consumption at the restaurant, with guests paying a storage fee.

SB 447TO REQUIRE PERMITTED COMMON CARRIERS TO SUBMIT REPORTS DETAILING SHIPMENTS OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES INTO THE STATE.Passed chamber

What it would do: Requires permitted common carriers to submit reports detailing shipments of alcoholic beverages into Arkansas, including tracking numbers, recipient zip codes, and supplier or manufacturer information.

HB 1173TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "BEER" TO CHANGE THE ALLOWABLE ALCOHOLIC CONTENT AND TO INCLUDE MALT BEVERAGES.Floor vote

What it would do: Amends Arkansas alcoholic beverage law to define 'malt' as liquor brewed from fermented grain containing more than 5% alcohol by weight, and defines 'malt beverage' as such liquor with 5% to 21% alcohol by weight, including beer up to 14% alcohol by weight.

Introduced or inactive

2

SB 588TO ESTABLISH A WINERY PRIVATE CLUB PERMIT.In committee

What it would do: Establishes a winery private club permit allowing holders to manufacture up to 10,000 cases of wine annually, sell wine on and off premises, serve complimentary samples to members and guests, and conduct wine-tasting events, without requiring food service.

HB 1578TO ESTABLISH THE ARKANSAS HEMP BEVERAGE ACT.In committee

What it would do: Establishes the Arkansas Hemp Beverage Act to regulate hemp-based beverages containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol through licensing of manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers under the three-tier alcoholic beverage distribution system, with product testing, labeling requirements, and age restrictions to 21 years and older.

Bill titles link to the Arkansas Legislature's own page.

What LawSignals covers

What counts as alcohol legislation

In scope: Direct-to-consumer shipping and delivery; three-tier, distribution and franchise; licensing and retail permits; excise taxes and fees; hemp and THC beverages; and underage sales and liability.

Questions

Does Arkansas have an alcohol law?

Yes. Arkansas enacted 11 alcohol laws in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, among them SB 523, HB 1491 and HB 1898. Each is listed on this page with what it requires.

Which alcohol bills are moving in Arkansas?

3 bills not yet law have passed a committee or a chamber, the furthest along SB 635 (passed chamber), SB 447 (passed chamber) and HB 1173 (floor vote).

What does Arkansas legislate on most in alcohol?

Licensing and retail permits (10 bills), Three-tier, distribution and franchise (3 bills) and Direct-to-consumer shipping and delivery (3 bills).

Are these summaries reviewed by a lawyer?

No. Which bills count as Alcohol bills, and the line on what each law requires or each bill would do, are drafted by software from the bill's own text and not reviewed by an attorney. Every bill links to the legislature's own record: read the text before relying on it. The list covers bills from the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

Other practice areas in Arkansas

Alcohol legislation in other jurisdictions

52 more currently hold bills in this tracker

Know when Arkansas's alcohol law changes

An alert when a bill moves, and one report a month on what changed in every state and Congress.

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