What States Allow Car Dealerships to Open on Sunday?

Most states allow car dealerships to open on Sunday, and the question of what states allow car dealerships to open on Sunday has a short answer: all of them except about thirteen with full statewide bans and three more with partial restrictions. If your state isn’t on the lists below, dealers there can legally sell on Sunday, though many still choose to close.

States That Ban Sunday Dealership Sales

In these states, licensed dealers cannot sell new or used vehicles on Sunday. Service departments, parts counters, and repair bays often stay open, but the showroom is closed for sales.

A couple of states that used to appear on this list no longer do. Rhode Island dropped its restriction in 2007, and Virginia ended its dealership blue laws in the late 1970s. If you’ve read older guides saying either state bans Sunday sales, that’s out of date.

States With Partial Restrictions

Three states sit in the middle. Dealerships there may open on Sunday under certain conditions.

Texas is the one most people get wrong. The law doesn’t ban Sunday sales. It bans selling on both Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend. A dealership picks one weekend day to close. Nearly all pick Sunday, which is why Texas lots look dark on Sundays even though the law would let any individual dealer flip the arrangement.10Texas Department of Transportation. Chapter 4 Compliance and Dealer Operations

Michigan applies its ban only in counties with 130,000 or more residents based on the most recent federal census. Dealers in smaller counties can sell on Sunday. The law also carves out dealers who observe the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset and close during that period instead.11Michigan Legislature. Act 66 of 1953 – Sale of Motor Vehicles on Sunday

North Dakota restricts sales between midnight and noon on Sunday. Afternoon shopping is fine.

States With No Sunday Sales Restriction

Every state not named above generally allows dealers to sell vehicles on Sunday without any legal restriction. That includes the big car-buying markets: California, Florida, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, and Washington, among many others. Whether a specific dealership opens is a business decision, not a legal one.

Plenty of dealers in these states still close on Sundays or operate reduced hours. Staffing costs, lower weekend foot traffic, and long-standing industry norms all push that way. Call before you drive out. Thirty seconds on the phone beats finding a locked gate.

Exceptions That May Let You Buy on Sunday Anyway

Even in the banned states, the restriction usually targets standard passenger vehicles sold by licensed dealers. Several exceptions can still get you behind the wheel on a Sunday.

  • Motorcycles and powersports. Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri exempt motorcycle dealers from their Sunday bans. Missouri also exempts powersports vehicles like ATVs, personal watercraft, and utility vehicles.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 24-4-6-1 – Sunday Transactions Prohibited7Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes Section 578.120
  • RVs and manufactured housing. Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma each allow some combination of RVs, motor homes, and manufactured housing to be sold on Sunday despite banning standard car sales.2Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/5-106 – Illinois Vehicle Code
  • Antique and classic cars. Oklahoma specifically exempts antique, classic, and special interest automobiles from its Sunday prohibition.9Oklahoma Motor Vehicle Commission. Oklahoma Motor Vehicle Commission Laws
  • Service, parts, and repair. Nearly every state with a Sunday sales ban still lets dealerships open for repairs, parts sales, petroleum products, towing, and body work. The ban is about the sale, not everything else that happens on the lot.

Private Sales Between Individuals

Sunday sales bans target licensed dealers, not private owners. Texas spells it out: the consecutive-day ban “does not prohibit the occasional sale of a motor vehicle by a person not in a business that includes the sale of motor vehicles.”10Texas Department of Transportation. Chapter 4 Compliance and Dealer Operations Other restricted states follow the same pattern, with statutes that reach only persons “licensed” or “engaged in the business” of selling vehicles.

Buying from a neighbor or a private online listing on a Sunday is generally fine anywhere. The sale itself is between two private parties. Titling and registration still have to wait until the DMV opens on a weekday, but the deal, the payment, and the handoff of the keys can happen on a Sunday.

Check for Local Rules

Even in states without a statewide ban, a city or county can impose its own Sunday sales restrictions through local ordinances. These rules are uncommon and change often enough that no reliable catalog exists. If your Sunday plan hinges on a specific dealership being open, call them first.