Kansas Alcohol Laws
Where to Buy Alcohol Laws vary between counties in Kansas, but generally alcohol is sold in retail package stores. Beer that is 3.2 percent alcohol content is sold in grocery and convenience stores. Liquor stores are closed on Sundays, although restaurants can serve on Sunday if local ordinances allow it.
Legal Age for Drinking/Serving Alcohol
The legal drinking age in Kansas is 21, and you must be 21 to work as a bartender or to sell hard liquor in a retail store. You can work as a server in a restaurant serving alcohol at age 18 and you can sell 3.2 percent beer at age 18.
Open Container Laws
All previously opened bottles of alcohol must be transported in the trunk of a vehicle.
BAC Limits
The maximum legal blood-alcohol content (BAC) level in Kansas is .08 percent. Over this amount, a driver is considered ‘per se intoxicated’ and no further evidence is needed to convict the driver of DUI (driving under the influence).
‘Zero tolerance laws’ are enacted to discourage underage drinking and driving. Drivers under the age of 21 who test with a BAC of .02 percent or more are subject to DUI penalties.
There is no enhanced penalty for extremely high blood-alcohol concentration in Kansas.
Penalties
‘Implied consent laws’ are those signed into effect when a person accepts a driver’s license. Under this agreement, a driver is to cooperate when asked for proof of insurance, a driver’s license, or to comply with chemical testing to check for intoxication. Refusing to cooperate with a police officer on these laws is punishable by mandatory license suspension for up to one year.
Penalties involving suspension of the driver’s license by the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) include 30 days’ suspension for the first offense, one year for the second offense, and one year for the third offense.
Vehicle confiscation is not a penalty option in Kansas, but installation of an ignition interlock device is a possibility with the second DUI conviction. Alcohol education or treatment and assessment for alcohol abuse can be required. DUI is considered a felony after the third conviction.