Frequently Asked Boards and Stores Questions
ABC Boards
A local ABC board consists of a Chairman and from two to six members, depending on size, appointed by their city, town or county governing authority.
No. In North Carolina, ABC boards are local political subdivisions of the State. They operate as separate entities establishing their own policies and procedures.
Yes. A local ABC Board shall submit to the ABC Commission an annual independent audit of its operations, performed in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards and in compliance with a chart of accounts prescribed by the ABC Commission.
The local ABC Board manages the local ABC store(s) that is within its operating jurisdiction.
ABC Stores
There are approximately 435 stores in North Carolina
The local ABC board chooses the location of ABC stores within its jurisdiction, subject to the approval of the ABC Commission.
Yes. A sign is posted at the site of the proposed new store at least thirty (30) days before the commission members vote on the store location approval request.
No ABC store shall be open between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. or on Sundays. Each local board shall otherwise determine the opening and closing hours of its stores.
No ABC store shall be open, and no ABC store employee shall sell alcoholic beverages, on any Sunday, New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day. A local board may otherwise determine the days on which its stores shall be closed.
No. The retail price of spirituous liquor sold in North Carolina ABC stores shall be uniform throughout the state. There are monthly discounts on selected items but these also are uniform across the state.
No. In North Carolina, spirituous liquor may be sold only in local ABC stores operated by the local ABC Board.
All spirituous liquor sold by local ABC stores is ordered from the State Warehouse in Raleigh.
No. They are employees of the local board.
Visit your local ABC store and request to place a Spirituous Liquor Special Order. More information can be found at the link below.
Click for information on special orders
Normally, within four to six weeks, depending upon the availability of the requested item, and the supplier's delivery schedule.
No, all items are shipped directly to the State Warehouse for shipment to the local ABC store, who will advise when the item is ready for pickup.
Use our store locator to search for a store. This is found under the Local ABC Boards tab.
If you are interested in a job at an ABC store, you will need to contact your local ABC Board.
Any openings at the ABC Commission are posted on the Office of State Personnel web site. They are listed under the Department of Public Safety.
There are currently two counties with no ABC store: Graham and Madison.
Individuals cannot open liquor stores in North Carolina. Towns and counties have elections for an ABC store. The town/county appointing authority then appoints board members whose responsibility it is to establish the ABC store.
Click here to learn more about local ABC Boards
State Warehouse
Spirituous liquor that comes into the State of North Carolina is stored in a state-owned warehouse in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABC) is responsible for the administrative oversight of the state-owned warehouse and contracts for services there.
The state-owned warehouse is operated by a private contractor, currently LB&B Associates, who is responsible for the receipt, storage, and distribution of products throughout the entire state.
The purchaser of spirituous liquor pays the contractor’s fee indirectly. The State Warehouse operates under a bailment system in which the ownership of the product remains with the distillery until it is delivered to the local ABC boards at which time they have 30 days to pay for the product. The fee, called a "bailment fee," (currently $2.75 per case) is added to the price of liquor to pay for the warehousing and delivery to the local ABC boards.