A
dry county is a
county in the
United States whose
government forbids the sale of any kind of
alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, a majority of them in the
South. A number of smaller jurisdictions also exist, such as cities, towns, and townships, which prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages. These are known as
dry cities,
dry towns, or
dry townships.