Sunday morning liquor run? Guide to which Johnson, Wyandotte county cities allow it
It’ll soon be legal in several Kansas cities in the metro area to purchase alcohol from a liquor store on Sunday mornings — something long prohibited in a state with some of the strictest alcohol laws.
In May, Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill allowing the sale of beer and alcohol to begin at 9 a.m. on Sundays. Before, Kansas law prohibited Sunday sales until noon — a remaining vestige of Kansas’ alcohol regulations dating back to the 1880s, when it became the first state in the country to write prohibition into its constitution.
The law requires that cities and counties modify their existing ordinances to authorize the Sunday morning sales, if they wish.
The law also permanently allows the sale of to-go and drive-thru alcohol, which some hope will provide relief to the restaurant and bar industry that began relying more heavily on takeout sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Missouri already allowed liquor sales starting at 9 a.m. Sundays. This past week, Gov. Mike Parson signed a new law allowing restaurants and bars to sell cocktails to go, a temporary feature of the pandemic that is now permanent.
In Kansas, the changes come after a gradual rollback of Prohibition-era liquor regulations over several decades. In 2019, the state made a sweeping change allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell “full-strength” beer, with up to 6% alcohol. And last November, Johnson County voters overwhelmingly repealed the liquor-by-the-drink law, which required businesses that serve alcohol to generate 30% of their sales from food.
State law still prohibits retailers from selling alcohol on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
But now several cities on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro are amending their laws to allow liquor sales on Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a 60-day delay for the changes to take effect.
Here is what’s happening in the major area cities on the Kansas side:
Johnson County
▪ Olathe: This past week, the Olathe City Council agreed to amend its ordinance and allow retailers to sell alcohol Sunday mornings. The ordinance will go into effect after roughly 60 days.
▪ Overland Park: The City Council on June 21 approved Sunday morning liquor sales, effective Sept. 5.
▪ Gardner: This past week, the City Council agreed to allow Sunday morning liquor sales, effective Sept. 5.
▪ Shawnee: The City Council will consider changing Sunday sale hours at a meeting on July 26.
▪ Lenexa: The city voted June 15 to allow Sunday morning liquor sales, effective Aug. 30.
▪ Prairie Village: The City Council voted June 21 to allow Sunday morning liquor sales, effective Sept. 12.
▪ Roeland Park: The City Council agreed June 7 to allow Sunday morning sales. The change is in effect.
▪ Merriam: The city will allow Sunday morning sales, starting on July 13.
▪ Leawood: The City Council has not yet considered it.
▪ Fairway: The City Council has not yet considered it.
Wyandotte County
▪ Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas: A committee of the Board of Commissioners will consider changing Sunday sale hours at a meeting on July 26.
▪ Bonner Springs: The City Council will consider changing Sunday sale hours at a meeting on July 12.
▪ Edwardsville: It began allowing Sunday morning liquor sales on June 14.
This story was originally published July 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
