The Alcohol laws of Tennessee are unique in that they vary considerably by county.
Local government jurisdictions (counties & municipalities) in Tennessee by default are dry and do not allow the sales of liquor or wine. These governments must amend the laws to allow for liquor-by-the-drink sales and retail package stores. In many cases, the county may be dry, but a municipality is wet. Selling beer does not impact a dry or wet designation. This list may not reflect recent changes. Visit the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) website for more information http://www.state.tn.us/abc/commission%20matters%20-%20lead%20page.html

Here is a list of dry and wet counties in the State of Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

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• Dry: The sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in these jurisdictions is prohibited or restricted. 26 out of Tennessee's 95 counties are completely dry.
• Wet: The sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in these jurisdictions is permitted. 9 out of Tennessee's 95 counties are wet.
• Limited: The sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in certain jurisdictions is permitted. This designation applies to 60 out of Tennessee's 95 counties.

Dry counties

In a "Dry County", neither the county nor any municipality in the county permits liquor sales of any type:

• Benton County
• Bledsoe County
• Cannon County
• Claiborne County
• Crockett County
• Dekalb County
• Fentress County
• Grainger County
• Hancock County
• Hawkins County
• Hickman County
• Houston County
• Jefferson County
  Jefferson County, Tennessee
  *...
  
  
• Johnson County
• Lake County
• Lewis County
• Macon County
• McNairy County
• Meigs County
  Meigs County, Tennessee
  Meigs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 11,753. Its county seat is Decatur.-History:Before 1819, the area that is now Meigs County was Cherokee territory. White settlers established ferries to cross the Tennessee River from Rhea County as...
  
  
• Morgan County
• Pickett County
• Polk County
• Rhea County
• Scott County
• Stewart County
• Union County

Wet counties

The designation of a "wet county" applies to unincorporated areas within the county only, as municipalities may vary. The designation covers retail packages of alcohol unless otherwise specified:

• Cumberland County
• Davidson County
  Davidson County, Tennessee
  Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
  
  
• Hamilton County
  Hamilton County, Tennessee
  Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
  
  
• Knox County
  Knox County, Tennessee
  Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
  
   (also Liquor-by-the-drink)
• Loudon County
• Perry County
• Rutherford County
  Rutherford County, Tennessee
  Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...
  
  
• Shelby County
  Shelby County, Tennessee
  Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Williamson County
  Williamson County, Tennessee
  Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
  
  

The state's four largest cities--Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

 (Shelby), Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 (Davidson), Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

 (Knox) and Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...

 (Hamilton)--are located in "wet counties".

Limited counties

In a "Limited county" at least 1 municipality within the county (not the unincorporated portions of the county) permits alcohol package sales or liquor-by-the-drink. Visit the Tennessee ABC website for specifics:

• Anderson County
  Anderson County, Tennessee
  Anderson County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, its population is 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
  
   permits both
• Bedford County permits both
• Blount County
  Blount County, Tennessee
  Blount County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 123,010 at the United States Census, 2010. The county seat is at Maryville, which is also the county's largest city....
  
   permits both
• Bradley County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Campbell County
  Campbell County, Tennessee
  Campbell County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 40,716. Its county seat is Jacksboro. The Census Bureau has identified the county as a Micropolitan Statistical Area, designated the LaFollette Micropolitan Statistical Area for the largest...
  
   permits both
• Carroll County
  Carroll County, Tennessee
  Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 28,522. Its county seat is Huntingdon. It was named for Governor William Carroll.-Geography:According to the U.S...
  
   Retail package stores
• Carter County
  Carter County, Tennessee
  Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 57,424. Its county seat is Elizabethton.Carter County is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined...
  
   liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Cheatham County permits both
• Chester County Retail package stores
• Clay County Retail package stores
• Cocke County permits both
• Coffee County
  Coffee County, Tennessee
  Coffee County is a county located in south-central portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of the counties of Middle Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 52,796. Its county seat is Manchester....
  
   permits both
• Cumberland County permits both
• Davidson County
  Davidson County, Tennessee
  Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
  
   permits both
• Dickson County permits both
• Decatur County Liquor-by-the-drink in restaurants with a dining capacity of 75 or greater within 3 miles of Tennessee River
• Dyer County permits both
• Fayette County permits both
• Franklin County
  Franklin County, Tennessee
  Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 41,052. Its county seat is Winchester.Franklin County is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
  
   permits both
• Gibson County permits both
• Giles County permits both
• Greene County Retail package stores
• Grundy County Retail package stores
• Hamblen County permits both
• Hamilton County
  Hamilton County, Tennessee
  Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
  
   permits both
• Hardeman County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Hardin County
  Hardin County, Tennessee
  Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. State of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 26,026. The Hardin County seat is Savannah. The county was named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina and...
  
   Retail package stores, Liquor-by-the-drink in restaurants with a dining capacity of 75 or greater within 3 miles of Tennessee River
• Haywood County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Henderson County Retail package stores ONLY (no liquor-by-the-drink yet), and only within the city limits of Lexington, new referendum passed September 8, 2011
• Henry County permits both
• Humphreys County
  Humphreys County, Tennessee
  Humphreys County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 17,929. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 18,212. Its county seat is Waverly.-Geography:According to the U.S...
  
   Retail package stores
• Jackson County Retail package stores
• Knox County
  Knox County, Tennessee
  Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
  
   permits both
• Lauderdale County permits both
• Lawrence County Retail package stores
• Lincoln County
  Lincoln County, Tennessee
  Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. , the population was 31,340. Its county seat is Fayetteville. It is named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
  
   permits both
• Loudon County permits both
• Madison County permits both
• Marion County
  Marion County, Tennessee
  Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 27,776. Its county seat is Jasper.Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
  
   permits both
• Marshall County permits both
• Maury County permits both
• McMinn County Liquor-by-the-drink ONLY for Athens
  Athens, Tennessee
  Athens is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000...
  
  . No other jurisdictions permit any liquor sales.
• Montgomery County
  Montgomery County, Tennessee
  Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county seat is Clarksville. The population was 172,331 at the 2010 census. It is one of the four counties included in the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
  
   permits both
• Monroe County permits both
• Moore County Retail package stores
• Obion County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Overton County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Perry County Retail package stores
• Putnam County
  Putnam County, Tennessee
  Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 62,315, a 21 percent increase from 1990. The was 72,321, an increase of 16.1% since 2000...
  
   permits both
• Roane County permits both
• Robertson County permits both
• Rutherford County
  Rutherford County, Tennessee
  Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...
  
   permits both
• Sequatchie County permits both
• Sevier County
  Sevier County, Tennessee
  Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
  
   permits both
• Shelby County
  Shelby County, Tennessee
  Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
  
   permits both
• Smith County permits both
• Sullivan County permits both
• Sumner County
  Sumner County, Tennessee
  Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville...
  
   permits both
• Tipton County
  Tipton County, Tennessee
  Tipton County is a county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 51,271. Its county seat is Covington. Tipton County is part of the Memphis, TN–MS–AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, centered on Shelby County, which borders Tipton on...
  
   permits both
• Trousdale County Retail package stores
• Unicoi County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Van Buren County Retail package stores
• Warren County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Washington County (also liquor-by-the-drink)
• Wayne County
  Wayne County, Tennessee
  As of the census of 2010, there were 17,021 people, 5,822 households, and 4,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile . There were 6,701 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
  
   Liquor-by-the-drink in restaurants with a dining capacity of 75 or greater within 3 miles of Tennessee River
• Weakley County liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• White County
  White County, Tennessee
  White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 23,102. Its county seat is Sparta.-History:...
  
   liquor-by-the-drink ONLY
• Williamson County
  Williamson County, Tennessee
  Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
  
   permits both
• Wilson County permits both

External links

Source: Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission

• http://www.state.tn.us/abc/Permit%20Numbers%202%20-%20updated%2001252011.pdf
• http://www.state.tn.us/abc/Permit%20Numbers%202%20-%20updated%2001252011.pdf [1]
• Tennessee: Municipalities and Counties allowing Liquor-by-the-Drink & retail package stores.