Is it illegal to transport alcohol over state lines? ?

[ayize]

This subject came about when a friend and I toured a beer plant. We saw people who were out of state buying some. And I was told transporting it across state lines was illegal and I had never heard it before. My friend couldn't believe I had never heard that before. After our trip I asked other people I knew if they had heard it and they didn’t know. I did research because I couldn't believe there would be a law and no info about it. Or anything posted about it anywhere. I couldn't find anything concrete like a statute or anything online. In my search there are TONS of people asking the same question. So is it in fact true and if so why don't they have these rules in plain sight for people to know about? Is it one of those old laws that are not really enforced any more? If it is legal what are the general rules? I'm curious because when we were at the plant there were a few who had their whole back truck bed full of boxes and were from several states away.

I would like to put thee debate to rest. I just can't believe there would be a law out there but no information on it and no one really knows about it.

[nemausus36]

This subject came about when a friend and I toured a beer plant. We saw people who were out of state buying some. And I was told transporting it across state lines was illegal and I had never heard it before. My friend couldn't believe I had never heard that before. After our trip I asked other people I knew if they had heard it and they didn’t know. I did research because I couldn't believe there would be a law and no info about it. Or anything posted about it anywhere. I couldn't find anything concrete like a statute or anything online. In my search there are TONS of people asking the same question. So is it in fact true and if so why don't they have these rules in plain sight for people to know about? Is it one of those old laws that are not really enforced any more? If it is legal what are the general rules? I'm curious because when we were at the plant there were a few who had their whole back truck bed full of boxes and were from several states away.

I would like to put thee debate to rest. I just can't believe there would be a law out there but no information on it and no one really knows about it.

No.

[matyas]

Yes, but how do cops know what you're doing?

I live in Philly, which is across the Delaware River from Jersey. Our cops do get bent out of shape (well, maybe not them personally, but they do what they're told), because Jersey is cheaper - taxes wise. Also, in Philly beer, wine and then spirits are all sold in separate stores, so it's just easier to go to Jersey to buy one-stop. But most who go there go to the same mega-mart to get their booze, so when the cops are in the mood to bust people, they follow people home, and once they cross the bridge, they're fair game to bust.

We don't drink. (Nothing against alcohol, it's just that I think it taste nasty and neither of us can afford it anyway. lol) If we were going to buy booze, we'd just pick a smaller shop further into Jersey. Then cops would have no idea we have it.

But, yes, it is illegal, and they do enforce that law - on special occasions. (Often around Labor Day and Memorial Day.)

[werner72]

Well in California I can buy wine from any state that produces it, beer from all 50 states, and liquor from wherever. I think you are looking for personal consumption, which is where interstate transportation laws come in to play and vary widely. A commercially licensed vehicle can transport as much alcohol as it can hold basically, provided taxes and fees are paid. Same with tobacco. A private consumer, however is limited between states and that depends on the state. I can take a case of Chardonnay regularly to Washington state, but I am limited to two bottles if I go to Utah. The state of Kentucky will allow me to transport one gallon of hard liquor, even through dry counties, but I "can" not bring Jack Daniels up from Tennessee. I can bring as many cigarettes as I choose from South Carolina into Tennessee as I please, but the state of Kentucky limits it to two cartons.

[boynton35]

Transporting alcohol across state lines is not illegal. Transporting more than small quantities without paying taxes is illegal.