Montana’s Home Delivery Law: A New Chapter In Drinking Culture

Montana, the state* that participates in the most binge drinking in the nation, has now passed a new law that will enable delivery for beer and wine.

House Bill 211 allows for off-premises delivery of beer and wine to Montana residents, as well as establishes a licensing system for businesses looking to start bringing libations right to the doorstep of customers.

The delivery drivers bringing the booze to your door will be required to have the same training as bartenders, as well as hold the same legal liability in the state for determining if someone is too intoxicated to serve; however, this time, instead of being at a bar, which may have a bouncer, it will be on the customer's property.

With the text of a bill, it would be perfectly legal for a delivery driver to lug a few bottles of wine in a cooler attached to a bicycle and deliver it to your hotel room. It would not be legal to deliver to any location that does not have a permanent numbered address, such as a park, lake, or other outdoor location where libations are enjoyed, as well as as to any establishment that has its own liquor license.

What will this mean for Montana's drinking habits?

According to the CDC, Montana has the highest rate of binge drinking in the nation, which characterized binge drinking as:

A person who consumes four or more drinks (women) or five or more drinks (men) on an occasion.

Among the top 5 binge drinking states* in the nation are:

1. Montana - 24% of the state

2. North Dakota - 23.9% of the state

3. Iowa - 23.3% of the state

4. Wisconsin - 21.8% of the state

T5. Minnesota - 21% of the state

T5. South Dakota - 21% of the state.

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How would the beer or wine be delivered?

It is unclear if businesses will set up their own POI system to sell the beer and wine to customers, or if apps like Drizzl (a booze only version of DoorDash) that are already in use in other states will set up shop in Montana.

* - Washington D.C. registers a 24.3% binge drinking rate, higher than any individual state.