Businesses in the City of Cullman can now be open 24 hours a day on Sundays.

The city has long operated under a “Blue Law,” which dictated certain hours of operation for businesses on Sundays, typically requiring they close for a length of time. But, the state law allowing the “Blue Law” has since been repealed — taking Cullman’s “Blue Law” away with it.

The concept is outlined in the Code of Alabama, 1975 Section 13A-12-1 and 12-2, and an attorney general’s opinion in 2003 reaffirmed the existence of “Blue Laws.” But, the applicable sections in the state code were officially repealed in 2015.

The change will mostly affect major retailers that prefer to stay open most, if not all, of the time, such as Walmart, etc.

After doing some research into the topic over the past month, the Cullman City Council formally announced the change earlier this week.

“This means stores can now remain open 24/7,” city attorney Roy Williams said.

Though the state Legislature’s decision to repeal the “Blue Laws” last year do open the path for businesses to remain open all day on Sundays, it does not affect the sale of beer and alcohol. Since being legalized in 2011, alcohol sales on Sunday have been prohibited in the City of Cullman and remain prohibited. Officials noted a referendum vote would be required to change that, if the citizens ever deemed fit to change it.