Only Three Texas Counties Still Ban Alcohol Sales in 2025

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) says that as of March 2025, only three counties in Texas—Borden, Kent, and Roberts—remain ‘dry’ and alcohol-free. This means that no alcoholic drinks of any kind can be sold in those counties.

These holdouts are distinct from the 60 counties across the state that are now thoroughly wet, which means that all types of alcohol can be sold anywhere in the county. Most counties in Texas are located in the central part of the state.  They are referred to as "partially wet" because they permit the sale of alcohol in some areas but not others, depending on the outcome of local elections.

This patchwork approach is evident in the South Plains, which includes Lubbock County. Lubbock is partly wet, but only Crosby and Scurry counties are experiencing total saturation in the area. Counties such as Bailey, Cochran, Dawson, Floyd, Hale, Hockley, and others have different rules based on votes at the precinct level or city ordinances.

In Yoakum County, for example, on November 28, 2023, a local option election petition was circulated in the city of Plains, allowing residents to vote on a proposal to permit the sale of wine and malt beverages. Currently, Yoakum County will enable people to purchase beer and wine outside of bars and restaurants. However, only the unincorporated parts of Justice Precinct #2 let people buy full alcohol, which includes liquor by the bottle and mixed drinks by the glass.

The TABC updates its local option election data monthly to keep pace with changes as communities reassess alcohol rules established during Prohibition.

Dry counties are becoming less common, but the fact that they still exist shows that Texas communities still have power over how alcohol is regulated, often because of social, cultural, or religious beliefs.

People and businesses in Texas can use the TABC's online alcohol wet/dry map to find out about the legal state of selling alcohol in each county, as well as the most recent results from local elections.