The alcohol laws of Pennsylvania contain many peculiarities not found in other states, and are considered some of the strictest regulations in the United States. History Pennsylvania's complex alcohol laws can be traced back to the Prohibition era. Gifford Pinchot, who served as governor from 1923 to 1935, had a "dry" stance on alcohol. Even as Prohibition was repealed in Pinchot's second term, he maintained his tough stance on alcohol control. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was created to license establishments, set serving hours, and regulate prices. Also in 1933, alcohol sales became a local option whether or not to become wet or dry. Although the state does not have any dry counties, the state still has 683 municipalities (as of January 2019) that are at least partially dry. Many of the dry or moist municipalities are small communities in rural areas. Retail establishments selling alcohol must be licensed. The Liquor Control Board operates on a quota system, which has changed several times over the years. Currently, the quota is one license per 3,000 county inhabitants, but existing licenses in areas that exceed the quota are grandfathered-in. License types There are a number of types and sub-categories of liquor licenses available in the state. A retail license allows for the on-premises sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, retail licenses are further divided into retail liquor licenses, which can sell liquor, wine, malt and brewed beverages, and retail dispenser licenses, which can sell brewed and malt beverages only. Retail liquor Retail liquor licenses can sell liquor, wine, malt, and brewed beverages for consumption on-premises. A restaurant or hotel, who has sold a customer a bottle of wine with a meal consumed on-premises, may allow the patron to take the bottle off-premises as long as it is re-sealed. A peculiarity not found in many other states is that brewed or malt beverages can be sold for off-premises consumption in quantities less than 192 ounces (generally 6-packs and 12-packs of beer). Thus, many bars and restaurants double as beer stores. For both types of retail licenses, serving hours are from 7:00 am to 2:00 am Monday through Saturday, and from 11:00 am to 2:00 am on Sunday, provided the establishment has a Sunday Sales Permit. There are further exceptions where one can serve earlier than 11:00 am. Additional license categories: Restaurant Liquor - A restaurant that must have a minimum of 400