Bar closing times: How Louisville compares to Indianapolis, Nashville and other cities
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Following the 3 a.m. mass shooting at Southern Restaurant and Lounge last weekend, Mayor Craig Greenberg suggested reexamining bar closing times as a way to curb violence in Louisville.
"There are too many of these incidents happening in the middle of the night when bars and clubs are the only businesses that are still open," Greenberg said. "So today, I’m calling on my colleagues at Metro Council to begin conversations with our administration and the community to determine whether bars in our city should stay open until 4 a.m. Or, like many other cities in America, 2 a.m. is late enough."
In Louisville, licensed restaurants and bars can sell liquor, wine and beer from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. However, establishments with an "extended hour supplemental license" can continue serving alcohol between 12 and 4 a.m. any day of the week.
Here's how nearby cities compare:
Indianapolis: Alcohol can be sold between 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. every day of the week.
Nashville: Beer and wine can be sold by bars and restaurants from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following morning from Monday through Saturday, while liquor is sold from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. On Sunday, all alcohol can be sold from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following morning. However, two bars are allowed to serve alcohol 23 hours a day.
Memphis: Wine and beer can be served from 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday, while liquor is served just one hour later, from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Liquor, beer and wine can be served from noon Sunday to 3 a.m.
Chicago: Businesses may not serve alcohol later than 2 a.m. Sunday through Friday, or past 3 a.m. Saturday evening into Sunday morning, unless they obtain an extended hour permit. In that case, the hours change to 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., respectively.
Cincinnati: Alcoholic beverages can be served at bars and restaurants from 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
Metro Council has taken a look at this issue before. In 2021, former councilwoman and current state Rep. Cassie Chambers Armstrong filed an ordinance that would move up the "last call" for alcohol sales in the city from 4 to 2 a.m. She then withdrew it in favor of another ordinance that funded new positions at Louisville Alcoholic Beverage Control and trainings for owners of late-night establishments.
The Courier Journal spoke with some council members about their perspectives on reexamining this issue and analyzed data on what times of the day homicides are most likely to occur in Louisville.
More: Bar closing time changes on the table, but not 'silver bullet,' Metro Council says
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @ellie_mccrary.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Alcohol laws: How Louisville bar closing times compare to other cities
