Status of State Dram Shop Liability

ChangeLab Solutions conducted legal research to update the status of commercial host (dram shop) liability laws in states and the District of Columbia (DC), as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 2013 Prevention Status Reports (PSRs) on Excessive Alcohol Use.

Status of State Dram Shop Liability reviews dram shop liability in the 50 states and DC, identifying any changes to these laws from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2021. This version builds on an earlier memo that included updates from January 1, 2011, to January 1, 2015, which is retained here for reference.

To learn more, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s PSRs Commercial Host Liability FAQ, as well as our related resources below.