The Times are a Changing!

DES MOINES, IA – There was a time when it mattered to Iowa bars, taverns and restaurants that New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday. Iowa’s “blue laws,” alcohol regulations passed in 1934 in the aftermath of Prohibition, banned the Sunday sale of alcohol statewide. The law was loosened in 1973 to allow Sunday sales with limited hours (noon until 10 PM), but local authorities could elect to continue the ban.

In fact, it mattered so much that, in 1978, the Iowa legislature even enacted a law authorizing normal hours of sale when New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday. As it happened, December 31, 1978 fell on a Sunday and the new law allowed licensed establishments to continue celebrating the New Year until 2 AM that year.

Much of that liquor regulation is now historic in nature as the legislature subsequently, in 1991, amended the Sunday sales law to mirror the closing time for the rest of the week. Iowa bars, taverns and restaurants, because of that history, are now able to remain open, and revelers are able to continue drinking, at least for a couple of hours, into the New Year.

Since 1963, the year the state authorized liquor by the drink, New Year’s Eve has fallen on a Sunday only on six occasions, with the last occasion being in 2000. The other years were 1995, 1989, 1978, 1972 and 1967.

One of the consequences of New Year’s Eve falling on a Sunday appears to be an increase in liquor sales. This fiscal year (July 1 to present) liquor sales have been at a record pace, with sales over 11 percent above the same period last year. In fact, the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (Iowa ABD), which operates the state’s wholesale liquor distribution system, set the all-time single-day sales record on December 18th, the Monday before Christmas. On that day, the Division recorded sales of $1,963,450.68 to private retailers.

“Bars and liquor stores have been very busy this month trying to keep their bars and store shelves filled with enough spirits for the holiday season,” Iowa ABD Administrator Lynn Walding noted. “The week leading up to New Year’s Eve on Sunday has been no exception as sales continue to spiral upward.”

Although Sunday sales in Iowa will be unrestricted on New Year’s Eve, Walding reassured that sales won’t go unregulated. The rest of the state’s liquor laws, especially those that prohibit selling to underage persons and to intoxicated patrons, will be strictly enforced this holiday weekend.

“During a holiday widely associated with alcohol consumption, servers need to be especially vigilant against underage and excessive drinking,” Walding cautioned. “The safety of the customers, the establishment and the general public as a whole largely depends on the responsible service of alcohol.”

While servers need to guard against illegal and unsafe sales, keeping the roadways safe on New Year’s Eve is also, by law, the responsibility of those that drink. Consumers should keep in mind that drunken driving is not only a public safety hazard, but also a significant personal financial burden. The Division outlined the various expenses associated with a first offense violation for Operating While under the Influence (OWI) and determined the all-inclusive cost to the offender totals approximately $4,435. A detailed analysis of the expenses associated with an OWI first offense is available on the Division’s web site at www.IowaABD.com.

So while the beer flows, the martinis shake and the corks pop this Sunday on New Year’s Eve, drinkers might want to reflect back on the history of Iowa’s liquor laws that enable them to buy a drink on a Sunday. At the same time, they should keep in mind the dangers of over-consumption and their responsibility under the law. In that fashion, everyone can ring in a New (and safe) Year!