Photo by JBrazito

Fifty-nine liquor stores have applied for permission to sell booze on Sundays so far, taking advantage of a D.C. law passed late last year that did away with the longstanding prohibition of the practice. The city’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration started accepting applications on January 16.

The retailers that have applied to sell their wares on Sundays range in size and location, including everything from locally owned favorites like Schneider’s of Capitol Hill to national retailers like Costco. (Ironically, Schneider’s owners argued against allowing Sunday sales at a D.C. Council hearing last year.) While wards 1 and 6 may have the most applicants, parts of upper Northwest and the section of Southwest D.C. north of the Anacostia River have none.

According ABRA spokesman Bill Hager, the first two of the applicants will be considered at the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s meeting tomorrow: Uncle Lee’s Seafood on Eastern Avenue NE and Cairo Liquor Store on 17th Street NW. The board will then consider applications on a weekly basis and in the order in which they were received.

“The board will be evaluating these applications on a case-by-case basis,” said Hager. “The basic standard at this point is that a license must not have a Voluntary/Settlement Agreement; or if one does exist, that the terms do not preclude Sunday hours of operation.”

View Sunday Liquor Sales Map in a full screen map