New alcohol-related Virginia laws kicked in on July 1

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As of Tuesday, multiple new alcohol-related laws -- including two that impact how such beverages can be sold -- kicked in across Virginia.

On Tuesday, July 1, five new laws impacting the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC), as well as its current and prospective licensees, went into effect. These changes reflect bills recently passed by the Virginia General Assembly.

1. To-go cocktail delivery is here to stay.

To-go cocktails became very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restaurants were forced to pivot towards carry-out.

A provision that allowed licensed third-party delivery providers like DoorDash and Uber Eats to deliver wine, beer and to-go cocktails was set to expire -- until the General Assembly moved to make it permanent.

"These bills, in conjunction with prior legislation, continue the same public safety protections, including those related to packaging and labeling, that have been in place," the Virginia ABC said in a press release.

2. Customers can now be served full canned cocktails -- some of them, at least.

Mixed-beverage licensees face a variety of restrictions on how and what kind of drinks they can provide to their customers.

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Under this new law, these licensees can now serve individual customers an entire canned cocktail both in-house and to-go -- with some restrictions. The original canned cocktail must be 16 ounces or less and it must be no more than 15% alcohol by volume.

3. Human trafficking training has been added at Virginia ABC.

An online course on human trafficking, developed by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, will be offered by the Virginia ABC to retail licensees and their employees for training purposes.

4. A new group will focus on cracking down on underage smoking sales.

While this law may not involve alcohol, it does involve the Virginia ABC and its Bureau of Law Enforcement.

This new law created a working group to address enforcement on illegal, underage sales of tobacco, liquid nicotine and hemp products.

The Virginia ABC's Bureau of Law Enforcement conducts an underage buyer program with alcohol and tobacco sellers. It will contribute to this working group, per the agency.

5. Rules on how alcohol manufacturers conduct sales with vendors are now clearer.

This law, in theory, does not actually change any requirements currently on alcohol manufacturers, bottlers or wholesalers. Instead, it clarifies the language within existing statute to make current requirements clearer.

Under Virginia law, these manufacturers, bottlers and wholesalers can get retail licenses and provide products to their licensees as long as the products they provide are not alcoholic beverages.

MORE: Breaking some new Virginia laws come with hefty consequences

"Now marking its 91st year, ABC remains committed to progress and innovation in carrying out its vision of bringing good spirits and excellent service to Virginia," the Virginia ABC said in the release.