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Are Car Dealers Open on Sundays? (Every US State Covered!)

Are Car Dealers Open on Sundays? (Every US State Covered!)

If you’re looking for a new car, Sunday may seem like it would be the perfect day to head down to the car dealership, but are car dealers open on Sundays?

Many states have laws prohibiting the sale of cars on Sundays, so dealers in those states remain closed. However, in the states where it is legal, it is up to the dealership if they will open their doors or not.

The complex and separate nature of US state laws often make questions like this difficult to answer. After all, plenty of different states have different laws about what businesses can be open and what goods can be sold on Sundays.

Still, you don’t exactly visit your car dealerships as often as you would your local grocery store so knowing if they’re open on Sundays isn’t exactly common knowledge. However, with a bit of extra information, you’ll know for sure whether or not your local car dealer is likely to be open on Sundays.

Why Is It Illegal to Sell Cars on Sundays in Some States?

If you didn’t know before, it might seem weird that some states don’t allow cars to be sold on Sundays, however, the reason behind this has to do with Blue laws.

Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, are laws that restrict or ban certain activities on Sundays. Many states implemented laws like these in the 1800s and 1900s in order to ensure that workers got a day off and that Sunday was kept as a day of rest.

As the years have passed, most states have repealed the majority of their Blue laws, but some states still restrict things like alcohol sales and car sales on Sundays.

Are Car Dealers Open on Sundays?

Whether car dealerships are open on Sundays varies widely depending on where you live. If you live in a state that limits or completely bans the sale of cars on Sundays, then there probably won’t be any car dealers open. 

In the states that do allow car sales on Sundays, you may be able to find a car dealership that is open, however, many car dealerships still choose to remain closed on Sundays for other reasons.

So, even if you do live in one of these states, it is not a guarantee that your local dealership will be open.

To save yourself an unnecessary trip, you should always call or check online to be sure if the dealership you want to go to is open before you actually go.

States That Don’t Allow Car Sales On Sundays

There are a total of 13 states that still have Blue laws in effect that completely ban the sale of cars on Sundays. It’s safe to say that if you live in any of the below listed states, all of the car dealerships in your area will be closed, as any dealer caught making a sale could lose their license.

  • Colorado 
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Louisiana 
  • Maine
  • Minnesota 
  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Wisconsin

States That Limit Car Sales On Sundays

Another group of seven states have restrictions on Sunday car sales but don’t outright ban them. These restrictions are things like only being allowed to sell during a certain time of the day or having to meet certain special conditions for a sale to be made. 

States That Limit Car Sales On Sundays

If you live in one of these states, while most car dealerships will probably be closed, you may be able to find a few that are open on Sundays. Calling them or checking their hours online will be your best bet in finding out if there is an open dealership near you.

  • Maryland 
  • Michigan 
  • Nevada 
  • North Dakota 
  • Rhode Island 
  • Texas 
  • Utah

States Where Dealerships May Be Open

The rest of the states all allow the sales of cars on Sundays, so it is completely up to each individual dealership whether or not they want to be open on Sundays. However, many dealerships do choose to stay closed, so again make sure to call or check online before heading out to your preferred car dealer.

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida 
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky 
  • Massachusetts
  • Mississippi
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Other Reasons Car Dealers Close On Sundays

Even if you do live in a state where there are no laws banning the sale of cars on Sundays, it still might be difficult to find a car dealership near you that is open, as there are other reasons a dealership might opt to stay closed.

First, Sunday is an important day of rest for workers everywhere. Many car dealerships recognize this and want to make sure that their workers have the day off, just like most others do on Sundays.

Another big reason that car dealerships often choose to stay closed on Sundays, even if they don’t have to, is that all the banks are closed on Sundays too.

Securing financing and facilitating a transaction are two very integral parts of the car buying experience and with the banks closed these things become a lot harder, if not impossible to accomplish, meaning that even if they can legally sell the cars, it doesn’t really make sense to try to. 

Key Takeaways to Car Dealers Being Open on Sundays

Whether or not car dealerships are open on Sundays largely depends on the laws that exist in the state they are in.

Sunday car sales are often restricted by Blue laws that were meant to limit activity on Sundays to preserve it as a day of rest and worship.

There are 12 states that outright ban Sunday car sales, and a further seven states that have limited Sunday car sales.

Even if you live in a state where Sunday car sales are legal, dealerships may still choose to stay closed in order to rest and because banks are also closed.

Zach Reed

Hi, I'm the founder of VehicleAnswers.com! Having owned a wide variety of vehicles in my life, I was astounded at how hard it can be to find answers to common automotive questions. Rather than sit idly, I decided to create this website to help others!