Alabama Liquor Laws

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 22:13:06 GMT, Brian Wickham
wrote:

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 13:42:29 -0800, Hatunen wrote:

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 19:44:05 +0000, Tiger wrote:


... I know we in the UK think the US liquor
laws extreme but this goes beyond that.

Which US liquor laws? There over 51 sets of liquor laws, from
quite liberal to quite restrictive.

WAY over 51! There are still dry counties in some states, each with
its own laws.

Those are under the the state liquor laws, as decided on by local
jurisdictions. I don't know about today, but Ohio used to allow
any voting unit to vote itself dry, including a precinct, which
is only a few blocks in size. Dry townships were common in my
home county leading to curious collections of bars on obscure
country roads at township lines.


************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Such laws are very common right across North America. (There's a good
chance that anyone who believes they don't have a similar law in effect
in their state or province would be surprised by the answer if they
phoned to check on it with their local police.) It's all about
protecting a vital tax source.

I wouldn't consider transporting liquor into Alabama given that they've
made a clear point of it on their state Travel Info website. You might
not be checked at the state line, but if you were to be stopped for any
sort of traffic infraction it would not be unusual for the officer to
search your entire vehicle.

You must also consider that if you are renting a car and have an
accident with it while in Alabama, if contraband liquor were to be
discovered in the vehicle and noted on the police accident report or
cross-referenced to a separate violation ticket written up for the
contraband, your rental car insurance would be null and void. All car
rental agreements I've ever seen have had a provision for nullifying the
Loss Damage Waiver for a number of specific causes, including
transportation of contraband.

Another point is that in some jurisdictions, transportation of
contraband is grounds for seizure and forfeiture of the vehicle (yet
another important source of state and provincial revenue!)

Such laws are very common right across North America. (There's a good
chance that anyone who believes they don't have a similar law in effect
in their state or province would be surprised by the answer if they
phoned to check on it with their local police.) It's all about
protecting a vital tax source.

I wouldn't consider transporting liquor into Alabama given that they've
made a clear point of it on their state Travel Info website. You might
not be checked at the state line, but if you were to be stopped for any
sort of traffic infraction it would not be unusual for the officer to
search your entire vehicle.

You must also consider that if you are renting a car and have an
accident with it while in Alabama, if contraband liquor were to be
discovered in the vehicle and noted on the police accident report or
cross-referenced to a separate violation ticket written up for the
contraband, your rental car insurance would be null and void. All car
rental agreements I've ever seen have had a provision for nullifying the
Loss Damage Waiver for a number of specific causes, including
transportation of contraband.

Another point is that in some jurisdictions, transportation of
contraband is grounds for seizure and forfeiture of the vehicle (yet
another important source of state and provincial revenue!)

In article ,
JibberJabber wrote:

Such laws are very common right across North America. (There's a good
chance that anyone who believes they don't have a similar law in effect
in their state or province would be surprised by the answer if they
phoned to check on it with their local police.) It's all about
protecting a vital tax source.

Most states have a rather small maximum amount you can bring across.
Apparently Alabama, being both a medieval fiefdom and a
fundamentalist-infested place, sets a zero limit.

In article ,
JibberJabber wrote:

Such laws are very common right across North America. (There's a good
chance that anyone who believes they don't have a similar law in effect
in their state or province would be surprised by the answer if they
phoned to check on it with their local police.) It's all about
protecting a vital tax source.

Most states have a rather small maximum amount you can bring across.
Apparently Alabama, being both a medieval fiefdom and a
fundamentalist-infested place, sets a zero limit.

In article ,
Tiger wrote:

I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
bottle of duty free next week?

I grew up in Pennsylvania, near the NJ border. Pennsylvania operates its
own liquor stores where the selection is decent, but the prices can be
high. Just about everyone I know would buy their liquor for parties
across the border in NJ. I live in NJ now and rumor has it that
sometimes PA Liquor Control Board agents would watch NJ liquor stores
and nab anyone who brought liquor back to Pennsylvania, but I never
witnessed that, and there are tons of liquor stores within walking
distance of where I live. I suspect the same situation is true in
Alabama.

In article ,
Tiger wrote:

I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
bottle of duty free next week?

I grew up in Pennsylvania, near the NJ border. Pennsylvania operates its
own liquor stores where the selection is decent, but the prices can be
high. Just about everyone I know would buy their liquor for parties
across the border in NJ. I live in NJ now and rumor has it that
sometimes PA Liquor Control Board agents would watch NJ liquor stores
and nab anyone who brought liquor back to Pennsylvania, but I never
witnessed that, and there are tons of liquor stores within walking
distance of where I live. I suspect the same situation is true in
Alabama.

Tiger wrote:
I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
bottle of duty free next week?

Tiger


Some people tend to find reasons for not doing anything. You will not be
stopped and searched at the Bama state line unless you are fleeing from
the Georgia Highway Patrol. Put the liquor in you travel bag and have
a good time. You will not be the first visitor to have ever done this...

A few months ago I was getting my passport checked at the gate at London
Heathrow airport. The person told me that my passport was not valid.
He then gave me his pen and told me to sign it. I was then allowed to
board the plane. It's just one of those things.

Tiger wrote:
I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
bottle of duty free next week?

Tiger


Some people tend to find reasons for not doing anything. You will not be
stopped and searched at the Bama state line unless you are fleeing from
the Georgia Highway Patrol. Put the liquor in you travel bag and have
a good time. You will not be the first visitor to have ever done this...

A few months ago I was getting my passport checked at the gate at London
Heathrow airport. The person told me that my passport was not valid.
He then gave me his pen and told me to sign it. I was then allowed to
board the plane. It's just one of those things.

Tiger wrote in message


I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
bottle of duty free next week?

On a theoretical basis, its illegal to take liquor (or tobacco) across
any state line. Residents are also supposed to write the state a
check for its lost sales tax for any purchses out of state.

THERE IS NO SEARCH AT A STATE BORDER IN THE USA. Crossing a state
border is merely noted by a sign on the highway. You will not get in
trouble for bringing a bottle or two for person use from place to
place. The notice is there to warn people who would bring in
truckloads (the state tax on liquor and tobacco varries greatly) into
a high tax state for illegal resale.