Delaware’s alcohol laws emphasize strict controls on sales, deliveries, and service hours, with recent reforms allowing limited home delivery from licensed venues. Third-party delivery of beer, wine, and cocktails from restaurants became legal in 2025 under tight regulations, while direct winery shipments to homes started August 2025. Happy hour specials remain banned statewide to curb overconsumption.​
Delivery Rules
On-premise licensees like taverns contract with third-party delivery services (TPDL) for up to two 750ml wine bottles, six beer servings, or sealed mixed cocktails per order. Drivers verify age via ID scans and signatures, refusing intoxicated or underage recipients; no-contact drops or overnight storage allowed.​
Happy Hour Ban
No discounted drinks during “happy hours” since 1984; promotions must apply all day or via fixed-price meals only. Bars close at 1 a.m. weekdays, 2 a.m. weekends, with no Sunday morning sales until noon.​
Shipment Limits
Wineries ship up to 36 bottles per household yearly with licenses; breweries/distilleries lack direct-to-consumer shipping rights. Grocery stores sell beer/wine, but state-run liquor stores control spirits monopolies.
SOURCES
[1](https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/delaware/4-Del-Admin-Code-SS-507-4.0)
[2](https://www.delawarepublic.org/politics-government/2024-10-10/third-party-alcohol-delivery-legal-in-the-first-state-regulations-underway)
[3](https://oabcc.delaware.gov/regulatory-updates/)
[4](https://oabcc.delaware.gov/faq/)
[5](https://whyy.org/articles/delaware-wineries-direct-home-delivery/)
