Abington, PA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Chapter 57's stated purpose, set out in § 57-1, is protecting public health, safety, morals and welfare by reducing crime tied to public alcohol possession and consumption. Section 57-2 defines the terms that make the ban work: 'possession' means having a container on one's person or adjacent and under one's control, 'open' means a container whose cap, cork or seal has been broken or a can that has been punctured, and 'on or about the premises' covers anything close enough to reach without changing position.

Section 57-3 then does two separate things. First, it bars carrying or transporting liquor or malt brew, as defined by the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, on any street, highway, alley, sidewalk, park, public parking lot, playground or shopping center unless it remains in its original package with the seal unbroken. Second, and independently, it bars actually drinking or consuming liquor, wine, beer or any other alcoholic beverage in those same public places, a prohibition that applies even to a beverage carried lawfully in a sealed container elsewhere.

Section 57-4 sets enforcement in the hands of the District Justice: a violator faces a fine of up to $300 plus costs of prosecution, and if that fine and costs are not paid within 10 days, the alternative is county jail for up to 30 days. Section 57-5 carves out one exception: the Abington Township Police Department can issue a special permit allowing alcohol at a block party, the only lawful path around the ban.