Permissible Hours for Delivery
Permissible hours for delivery of liquor from eligible liquor sales licensed establishments, retail stores, holders of a by-the-glass endorsement or under an auction permit in Ontario, are:
- Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Regular hours for licensed establishments and under permits
Hours for the sale and service of liquor are:
- Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. (except for December 31)
- New Year’s Eve (December 31) 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on January 1.
All orders for liquor must be served before 2:00 a.m. (3:00 a.m. on New Year’s Eve). All signs of liquor must be cleared 45 minutes after the end time on the licence; for most this is by 2:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m. on New Year’s Eve). This includes the clearing of all glasses and bottles off the tables.
In the case of authorized events of significance, licensees may sell and serve liquor within the hours specified by the Registrar.
Some licence holders may have conditions on the Liquor Sales Licence that further limit the above-noted hours.
Permit holders may only sell and serve liquor during the hours that are specified on the permit. The Registrar may restrict the above-noted regular hours as a condition of the permit. All signs of liquor must be cleared 45 minutes after the end time of the period during which liquor may be sold or served under the permit.
Retail Sale Hours
Permissible hours of sale (including in-store or curbside pickup of online orders, where permitted) for all retail stores that may sell liquor in Ontario are:
- Monday to Sunday 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Permissible hours of delivery are:
- Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
* Note that some grocery or convenience stores may have general hours of operation that are outside the permissible hours of liquor sale (e.g. a 24 hour store) noted above, however they are only permitted to sell liquor within the permissible hours. Some licences may have conditions that further limit the above noted permissible hours.
Retail sales on Holidays
Retail stores that sell liquor may be permitted to open on a holiday in accordance with the permissible hours of sale depending on the laws or by-laws applicable to the business, such as the Retail Business Holidays Act (RBHA) and municipal retail holiday by-laws.
Please note that the RBHA does not fall under the AGCO’s authority. Questions about the RBHA may be directed to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. More information about the RBHA can be found on the Ontario.ca website.
Liquor Sales Licences located at Eligible Airports
Liquor Sales Licensees located in restricted areas of certain airports in Ontario may sell and serve liquor at any time (except where hours are further limited by conditions on a licence).
These establishments must be located in a “sterile area” beyond the passenger screening checkpoint of an airport. Eligible airports are those that are designated by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as an Ontario Airport of Entry (AOE) as well as Airport of Entry/15 (AOE/15).
For questions about meeting the necessary requirements by an airport to be designated as AOE or AOE/15 please contact:
Canada Border Services Agency
Email: contact@cbsa.gc.ca
Phone: 1-800-461-9999 (within Canada), or 1-204-983-3500 (outside Canada)
Manufacturer’s By-the-Glass Endorsements
Permissible hours for the sale and service of liquor under a Manufacturer’s By-the-Glass Endorsement to a Winery, Brewery or Distillery Licence are:
- Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m to 12:00 a.m. (midnight)
Caterer’s Endorsements
Permissible hours for the sale and service of liquor under a Caterer’s Endorsement to a Winery, Brewery or Distillery Licence are:
- Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m to 12:00 a.m. (midnight)
Clock Changes
Spring Time Change
In the spring the clocks move forward one hour at 2:00 a.m., moving to 3:00 a.m. on the clock. At this time the sale of liquor must stop. The liquor sales licence holder has 45 minutes after this stop service time to clear all signs of service, even though the clock has gone forward one hour.
Autumn Time Change
In the autumn the clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m., to show 1:00 a.m. The liquor sales licence holder may turn the clock back one hour and continue to sell until 2:00 a.m. (new autumn time) at which time the sale of liquor must stop. The liquor sales licence holder has 45 minutes after stopping service to clear all signs of service.
Temporary Extension Endorsements
Permissible hours of sale under for temporary extension endorsements are the hours of sale of the farmer’s market or the event for which an industry promotional event Special Occasion Permit has been issued.
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