If you are thinking of selling, brewing, or just buying alcohol in Rhode Island, understanding their liquor laws and regulations is very important. Not every state has the same laws, and most are very different.

While there are some very strict states, very relaxed states, and some with just plain weird laws, Rhode Island is somewhere between all these.

Alcohol laws in Rhode Island apply to you, be you a resident or a visitor, and be aware that being unaware of the laws is not usable as a legal defense should you break one of the laws, even if it was totally by accident!

Rhode Island Minimum Age Laws

Most of us are fully aware that the legal drinking age in the United States of America is 21, and this is true for the U.S. in general. However, if you are, or if you know someone who is young and wants part-time work, then you may wonder if working with alcohol is off the cards.

The hospitality industries are one of the industries that provide the most employment opportunities, such as bartending.

Rhode Island alcohol laws allow adults to work in any stores which sell alcohol for consumption elsewhere. This means that those above the age of 18 can do these jobs. This can also include bartending and venues for on-site use.

Those who are under 21 can also drink alcohol should it be provided by a guardian or parent, as this is often done by parents to help teach responsible drinking and to demystify alcohol.

Buying alcohol is illegal for persons under 21 years of age, however, they can work with police to entrap clerks.

False ID for purchasing alcohol is also considered to be a crime, and it is also a crime to produce false ID.

Rhode Island Alcohol Laws

As well as the laws relating to age, Rhode Island also has a focus on other alcohol laws, one of these being alcohol sales.

Selling Alcohol

In Rhode Island you can sell alcohol on-site until 2 am, off-premise sale is legal from 9 am until 10 pm on Mondays. However, localized laws can reduce this should they wish.

Rhode Island Liquor Liability Act law requires any commercial alcohol servers to serve with responsibility, if they do not then they are responsible for resulting damage which would include a variety of consequences and compensation such as

• Permanent disability compensation.
• Loss of consortium compensation.
• Lost wages.
• Medical expenses.
• Personal injury.
• property damage.
• Wrongful death.

People who are harmed by an intoxicated customer can sue businesses that sold alcohol to them. Similarly, family members of persons who were killed by a customer can also sue the seller. Sometimes even a negligently served customer can sue a business.

It is also illegal to advertise happy hour in Rhode Island, and Happy Hour cannot begin until 6 pm.

Buying Alcohol

Buying alcohol is a non-issue as long as you are over the age of 21. However, if you are under the age of 21, underage purchase of alcohol convictions are dealt with in 3 parts.

The first is a fine which can vary from $100 – $500. Then is a driver’s license suspension for 30 days, and finally 3 hours of community service.

A second offense could constitute a fine of $500 – $700, a license suspension for 3 months, and 40 hours of community service. Should a third offense be committed, this would constitute fines of $750 – $1,000 and a year’s license suspension.

Possession of alcohol for underage persons results in 30 hours of community service, 60 days of license suspension, and a fine of up to $750. Should another offense occur these will increase.

Should a person under 21 be transporting alcohol then the penalties are license suspension for 30 days and a $250 fine. Should re-offenses occur, the penalties will increase.

Alcohol & Driving

For those under the age of 21, driving with a BAC of 0.02% or more are committing an offense, and they are charged with a DUI, which results in a license suspension for a year, a $500 fine, or 6–10 hours of community service.

If a driver has a BAC of 0.08% or more, this is considered a DWI, and the penalties are the same as above, however, there is also a required DWI course required as well as treatment which the offender must pay for.

If a person is older than 21 then they will be charged with a DWI if they are over 0.08%. DUIs and DWIs that result in vehicular accidents that can cause serious injury or death are considered felonies and are major crimes.

Distillery Licensing

The application for an initial wholesaler or manufacturer license including distilleries covers the costs per gallon produced by manufacturers on an annual basis.

See the fees for manufacturers of liquor in Rhode Island

After the application is submitted a hearing will occur to confirm or deny the application.

Here are several factors to consider per the application:

• Applicants need to provide secure premises for the storage of alcoholic beverages, with a proper repository for documents and invoices for inspection.
• Truck transportation area needs to be suitable for deliveries.
• Hours of operation need to be noted during the hearing.
• Licenses can only be issued to a citizen resident of Rhode Island or to a business formed in Rhode Island.
• Applicants cannot have any indirect or direct interest in a retailer’s license or businesses carried out under a retailer’s license (Although this doesn’t apply to brewpubs).

Overall 

While some of Rhode Islands’ laws and regulations surrounding liquor are complex, luckily their laws surrounding distillery licensing are very simple.

Most of their laws are fairly straightforward, however, so it is not too complex to understand for visitors or young persons.