3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Mar 11, 2026 05:46 PM IST
The Chandigarh administration’s new excise policy for 2026-27 will let alcohol lovers enjoy round-the-clock service in several city hotels and bring notable changes to bar timings and retail outlets.
Category A hotels will now be allowed to serve liquor at any time of the day or night. Establishments in categories B and C can also opt for the facility by paying an annual licence fee of 30 lakh. The rules further permit operators to install minibars inside guest rooms for added convenience.
Standard bar and restaurant hours will stretch from 11 am to 1 am, though no fresh orders will be taken after midnight. Those wanting to keep serving until 3 am can do so by paying an extra 8 lakh a year, with the final order deadline fixed at 2 am.
Operators will also be free to set up additional bars on their premises by paying 75 per cent of the original licence fee, or serve at other locations for 25 per cent extra.
On the retail side, the liquor vend in Palsora village—right next to Mohali—has been fixed with the highest reserve price of Rs 11.41 crore ahead of the upcoming auction. In contrast, the outlet in Sector 41-C market carries the lowest reserve price of 1.93 crore. The excise department will auction 97 such retail licences with a collective reserve price of Rs 454 crore, up Rs 10 crore from last year. Forty of these shops have reserve prices above Rs 5 crore each.
Starting 1 April 2026, prices of countrymade liquor, Indian-made foreign liquor and Indian beer sold through these vends will rise by roughly 2 per cent.
Several new safeguards have also been introduced. All hotels, bars and restaurants must install alcometers to help curb drunk driving, and CCTV coverage is being strengthened to check smuggling. Tavern operators will need permanent walls, concrete roofs, at least eight tables and seating for 40 people. Every sale must come with a printed bill and digital payment options through point-of-sale machines, failing which a Rs 5,000 penalty will apply per violation.
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The administration has also revived licences for large departmental stores to sell liquor, aiming to make purchases easier for women, senior citizens, and other customers. Cow cess rates on liquor bottles will remain unchanged.
Overall, the new framework is expected to increase revenue while tightening compliance and responsible drinking norms across the Union Territory.
