The 13 states with full bans on car sales on a Sunday are Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The exact law depends on which state you’re in. Some states adopt a straightforward approach. North Dakota’s law, for example, simply states , “A motor vehicle dealer may not sell a motor vehicle on Sunday.” 

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Oklahoma has a much wordier way of saying the same thing, specifying that you are not allowed to “open, operate, or assist in keeping open or operating any place or premises or residences whether open or closed, for the purpose of selling, bartering, or exchanging, or offering for sale, barter, or exchange, any motor vehicle or motor vehicles, whether new, used, or secondhand, on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday.” However, despite the differences in wording, the underlying goal across these states remains the same: no car sales on a Sunday.

However, there are some exceptions. In some places, like Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, you can still buy a motorbike or an off-road vehicle on a Sunday. Colorado specifically excludes boats and snowmobiles from the Sunday ban, and Oklahoma allows the sale of antique and classic cars. A few states, including Maine and Wisconsin, provide exceptions for those who observe the Sabbath on Saturdays. If, for religious reasons, you refrain from doing business on a Saturday, you may open your car dealership on a Sunday.

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