Why can’t I buy alcohol?

By Cobb & Counsel

Prohibition ended almost 90 years ago, but in some areas of Texas, you still can’t buy alcoholic beverages.

That’s because voters of any city, county, or justice of the peace precinct can call a local option election to prohibit the sale of all or certain alcoholic beverages—giving us “partially dry” and “dry” areas. You can possess alcohol in a dry area for personal consumption, but it’s illegal to manufacture or sell it.

Counties, cities, and justice of the peace precincts in Texas are wet except when the voters have prohibited the sale of all or certain alcoholic beverages by holding a local option election. At one time or another, the voters in almost every county in the state have adopted at least some local restriction on alcohol sales.