An excellent infographic on U.S. liquor license laws and facts

Whether you prefer an IPA or a smooth stout, your ability to enjoy a beverage is heavily dependent on your local liquor license and BYOB laws. Alcohol is one of the most profitable industries in the United States (totaling about $90 billion per year in profits), and regulation in the form of liquor laws and licenses has become essential in the United States.

To sell alcohol, a business must purchase and adhere to different liquor licenses. From taverns to not-for-profit club licenses, consumption on premises-incidental activity licenses to outdoor patio licenses, businesses leave no stone unturned to make sure they have the right license to satisfy their customers. Depending on location, some businesses may also have the option to be “BYOB,” allowing customers to bring in their own liquor (often for a small corkage fee).

However, BYOB doesn’t fly everywhere — in fact, BYOB and liquor license laws can be very different depending on where you are in the United States. For example, in Connecticut, businesses were only recently allowed to sell alcohol on Sundays, and there are no laws against the transport of an open container in a car (as long as you don’t drink from it). In Colorado, meanwhile, businesses must obtain licenses at the local and the state level to sell alcohol, and BYOB is illegal.

Wherever you are, and whatever you like to drink, you have your local businesses to thank for their hard work in procuring the appropriate liquor license — let’s toast to them. Learn more in our awesome infographic below.

Tate Handy provided this post. He’s a digital content marketer for Digital Third Coast, a marketing firm in Chicago. Connect with Tate on Twitter or Google+.