Training Resources – State Laws

Alcohol Laws by State

Alcohol laws regulate the manufacture, use, influence and sale of ethanol (ethyl alcohol, EtOH) or alcoholic beverages that contains ethanol. These laws mandate the legal drinking age, amount of pure alcohol by volume per serving, the use of vehicles and machinery, and where alcohol is allowed to be sold and consumed.  In the last 50 years, drunk driving laws have been put into place to protect individuals and the general public.

States where parents are allowed to purchase alcohol for minor children in public establishments

• Louisiana
• Ohio
• Texas
• Wisconsin

Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Thresholds by State and Province

• 0.08 for the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 49 U.S. States
• 0.05 for Utah
• 0.08 for all Canadian Provinces

THC Thresholds in Canada

• 2 ng to 5 ng of THC in the blood is a lower offense, $1,000 maximum fine for first offense
• More than 5 ng of THC in the blood, $1,000 minimum fine for first offense, 10 years in prison maximum for repeat offender
• Combination offense: 0.05 BAC + 2.5 ng of THC, $1,000 minimum fine, 1 to 3 years driving prohibition for first offense

All fifty states have drunk driving laws which limit how much alcohol a person can consume before driving a car on a road. The permitted blood alcohol content threshold ranges from 0.0% to 0.08%.

Punishments for violation include fines, temporary or permanent loss of driver’s license, and imprisonment. Some jurisdictions have similar prohibitions for drunk sailing, drunk bicycling, and even drunk rollerblading. In many places in the United States, it is also illegal to have an open container of an alcoholic beverage in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.