Does anyone know if I can transport wine through Utah in a private vehicle? Utah doesn’t permit importation but what if I am driving through from point A to B and it take me through Utah? Thanks.
I would imagine import means crossing the state line into Utah with the wine. There is apparently an exemption for wine for personal consumption which allows up to 9 liters. I think this excludes given or sharing with others, but driving through should be okay. Apparently, the exemption was added or increased in 2020.
-Al
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Utah is weird. Apparently, bars can’t sell pitchers of beer, only can sell single servings (which is probably defined).
-Al
In this case I’ll be moving a few dozen cases and I can envision some over zealous state cop confiscating my wine. I’ve been searching and I can’t find anything that covers transportation through the state. I agree the simplest reading of the term “import” would cover me driving into the state even if I have no intention of consuming or leaving the wine in Utah.
According to Google Maps, Steve, it’s only three hours longer to go through Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho, and you might find more interesting wine to try along the way!
If it were me, I would just drive on through, but obey the speed limit. How many times do you ever get pulled over, anyway? Maybe I wouldn’t make my stop en route in the state of Utah, though, if that’s what I was doing.
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I ran into this question a few years ago when moving some of my personal collection to California. I REALLY did not want to go out of the way. I finally bucked up and called the state police… here is a summary of what the officer told me and how it went.
- If you are passing through, pass through. It’s your stuff.
- This is where the phone call got funny. The officer then asked, “why exactly are you concerned about getting pulled over, anyway? Like… don’t drive like a jerk. Use your turn signals and don’t speed excessively.”
- I followed his advice on the driving instructions.
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Thanks all. Avoiding Utah is in the cards but it may depend on the weather. If there are snow squalls, wet roads and freezing temperatures forecast on the longer, but more scenic, mountainous route those may be a factor. Cheers.
Good luck! Headed to Idaho? Used to live not far from the Idaho border, up in the northern part.
-Al
Moving from New Mexico to western Washington. Wife is getting her wish to be nearer to the kidos, at least some of them. I lived in Pullman two years while getting an MS many moons ago. Spent quite a bit of time in the outdoors in northern Idaho and a little bit less time in bars in Moscow.
Sounds like retirement. If so, congratulations! My parents had a friend who was a prof in Pullman, but our last trip there was when I was pretty young. Hard to leave the ranch for long when there wasn’t any hired help.
-Al
Yes, retirement. And thank you. I would have kept working longer but someone beat me buying Twitter so I don’t need the additional funds now. Cheers!
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My understanding, being in a neighboring state, is you can transport wine through Utah for personal consumption, but I guess the definition of personal consumption is vague.
I sell a lot of wine to people who live in Utah.
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From the Utah DABC FAQ page:
"Individual Importation Exceptions include:
A person who clears U. S. Customs when entering this country may possess a maximum of nine liters of liquor purchased from outside the United States.
A person who enters this state may possess a maximum of nine liters of liquor purchased from outside the state.
A person who moves their residence into Utah may bring and possess their previously purchased liquor into Utah during the move.
A person who inherits liquor may transport it into Utah and possess it if they provide sufficient documentation to DABC that they are legally a beneficiary of the estate.
A person may transport or possess liquor purchased on a military installation if it is not as a gift to another person. The maximum amount the person may possess in this case is two liters of either wine or liquor or 2 liters in combination of the two, and one case of heavy beer or flavored malt beverages that does not exceed 288 ounces (9 quarts or 8.5 liters).
No prior approval or fees are required for these exceptions."
(emphasis added) Frequently Asked Questions | DABS
From the first bolded section, clearly you can bring up to a case with you to Utah for a vacation or other trip to Utah, as long as it is for personal consumption and not to be resold.
From the second bolded section, you can move to Utah with your collection. It would stand to reason that if you can move your collection INTO Utah, you could move it THROUGH Utah. That being said, the FAQ page doesn’t specifically say that.
From the same FAQ page I quoted above:
“It may not be sold or gifted at private social functions, auctions or charitable events It must truly be for personal consumption only.”
Most of this seems pretty clear to me, but “gifted at private social functions” does seem vague. I assume they want to make it clear you can’t host a large party with your untaxed hooch, but if I bring <9L into Utah for a ski trip can I drink it with the other couple who came with us on the trip? Does it make a difference if they are Utah residents? It would be a truly draconian reading of that wording to say that I have to drink my entire bottle of Chateau Fancypants myself or with my wife (since she co-owned it to begin with), and can’t pour a glass at dinner for my buddy and his wife.
The page also states you would need to obtain prior permission from the department to move collection into Utah, although does not discuss moving through Utah as you indicated. A reasonable interpretation would suggest he would be fine since he’s not trying to avoid taxes on sales, go on a bender inside the border, or to corrupt the youth of Utah.
-Al
The idea of relying on reasonable interpretation by a police officer during a traffic stop doesn’t excite me much, but I guess it’s a question of risk tolerance…