Quick answer: The headline change from the 2025 legislative session is SB 650, which requires electronic ID scanning for most off-premise alcohol sales and carries criminal liability now even though TABC’s own enforcement is delayed to 2027. A handful of narrower changes took effect the same year, including a private-wine-collection allowance for restaurants and a limit on duplicate local fees. In 2026, TABC adopted rules on consumable hemp products and compliance reporting. Just as important, some widely discussed reforms, including a dram shop overhaul, did not pass.
SB 650: electronic ID scanning (the Deshawn Jagwan Act)
The most consequential change is SB 650, named the Deshawn Jagwan Act, which added §109.61(a-1) and (a-2) requiring retailers to electronically scan a buyer’s identification for off-premise alcohol sales. It was signed into law on June 22, 2025, and took effect September 1, 2025.
The practical effect hinges on a split timeline. Criminal liability for failing to scan, a Class A misdemeanor enforced by local prosecutors, applies now. TABC’s administrative enforcement, meaning license suspensions and penalties, is paused until on or after September 1, 2027, and TABC must adopt implementing rules by that date. An earlier committee version would have exempted package stores, but the enacted law applies to them; the exemption is for sellers that operate a restaurant or hold a Brewpub license, with additional exceptions in certain circumstances. For an affected off-premise retailer, the takeaway is that the duty is real today regardless of the 2027 enforcement date.
Private wine collections for restaurants
SB 1184, effective September 1, 2025, lets restaurants that hold a Mixed Beverage, Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer, or Private Club registration permit along with a Food and Beverage Certificate buy wine from a private wine-collection seller and sell it to customers for on-premise consumption. The seller cannot hold a TABC license. The notable change is the eligibility threshold: qualifying wines must have been manufactured at least 10 years before the sale and remain in their original sealed container. The restaurant must keep purchase records for at least two years. For a fine-dining program, this opens access to aged wines that were previously out of reach.
A limit on duplicate local fees
Another 2025 change restricts cities and counties from charging a local TABC-related fee to a business that already pays a fee to operate as a food service establishment, retail food store, or similar. For a restaurant that holds a TABC permit and already pays municipal food-service fees, the effect is to remove a layer of duplicate local charges.
2026 rule updates
In 2026, TABC moved on the administrative-rule side, most consequentially on hemp. Following Executive Order GA-56, it adopted enforceable rules barring TABC license holders from selling consumable hemp products to anyone under 21 (Rule 35.5) and requiring government-ID age verification before such a sale (Rule 35.6), with violations carrying license suspension or cancellation. A later rule addressed where these products may be consumed (Rule 35.7), and the agency amended its compliance-reporting rule and readopted its schedule-of-sanctions rules after routine review. These hemp restrictions reach the roughly 60,000 TABC license holders, including convenience stores and restaurants, and the area is still moving quickly.
What did not change
Some closely watched proposals from the 2025 session did not become law, which matters as much as what passed:
- Dram shop reform failed. A bill to bar intoxicated persons from suing providers over their own intoxication, and to remove the “indirect encouragement” wrinkle from the Safe Harbor defense, did not pass. That means the encouragement limit on the trained-employee defense remains current law.
- Beer direct shipping stalled again. Proposals to let breweries ship beer directly to consumers, a privilege wineries already have, did not pass. Beer remains the most shipping-restricted category.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest 2025 Texas alcohol law change?
SB 650, the Deshawn Jagwan Act, requiring electronic ID scanning for most off-premise alcohol sales. It took effect September 1, 2025, with criminal liability immediate and TABC administrative enforcement paused until September 1, 2027.
Does SB 650 apply to package stores?
An earlier committee version of the bill would have exempted package stores, but the enacted law applies to them. The exemption is for a seller that operates a restaurant or holds a Brewpub License on the premises, and additional exceptions apply in certain circumstances.
Did Texas change its dram shop law in 2025?
No. A proposed dram shop reform did not pass, so the existing standard, including the “indirect encouragement” limit on the Safe Harbor defense, remains in effect.
Can Texas breweries ship beer to consumers now?
No. Proposals to allow direct-to-consumer beer shipping did not pass. Wineries can ship directly to consumers, but breweries still cannot.
Current as of June 2026. This guide summarizes recent Texas alcohol law changes and is general information, not legal advice. Effective dates and enforcement timelines vary by provision.