SALT LAKE CITY — How do some Utahns return home?
If they’re traveling with alcohol, the return looks a lot like it would have during Prohibition.
“I sometimes hide it under a blanket in the back (of the car),” said Ann Murphy, who was describing her out-of-state purchases as she was buying bottles at a Utah-run wine store last week, “because I'm not sure what the rules are.”
Bottles and cans can ride in the open. The Utah Legislature in 2020 loosened the liquor laws, allowing individuals to bring up to 9 liters of alcohol — equal to a case of wine — into the state for private consumption.
Some airlines will even carry your booze.
Here are some things to know:
- Yep, 9 liters. That can be wine, liquor, beer or some combination of the three. It applies each time you fly, drive or pull a handcart back to Utah. Want to leave the state and return with 9 liters every day, or multiple times a day? Help yourself.
- You can check your booze. When Avelo Airlines in October launched its inaugural flight between Salt Lake City International Airport and Sonoma County, California, it included a perk – wine flies free. Avelo will check one case of wine per flyer. Delta Airlines will check a case of wine, too, with standard fees. The airlines require the cases to be thoroughly packaged. In California wine country, shipping stores will box your wine in Styrofoam packaging for about $35. Wineries might box your wine, too. Just ask.
- You can’t resell it. Utah law specifies the 9-liter rule only applies to individuals who intend to drink the spirits or share it with others. Bar and restaurant owners still need to order alcohol through the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services.
- No deliveries. Likewise, it’s still against Utah law to have alcohol delivered to your home. Orders need to go through DABS and be delivered to one of its stores or sites.
- Transplant imbibers welcome. One exception to the 9-liter limit: State law allows people moving to Utah to bring their private alcohol collections with them.
