Acworth, GA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- General prohibition
- Unlawful on streets, sidewalks, parks, public places
- Open container district cup limit
- 16 fluid ounces, sealed clear plastic cup
- District hours
- Ends at midnight (§ 6-19.3(e))
- Event exception
- City-sanctioned events approved by mayor and board
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail (§ 1-11)
- Enforcing agency
- Acworth Police Department
Summary
Acworth bans drinking alcohol on streets, sidewalks, parks and other public places citywide, and bars anyone from leaving a licensed bar or restaurant with an open container. The only carve-out is for events the mayor and board of aldermen formally sanction, or the downtown open container district, where sealed 16-ounce drinks in clear cups are allowed during set hours.
(a)Container. No container in which an alcoholic beverage is dispensed and removed from the licensed premises shall exceed 16 fluid ounces in size. ... (b)Drinking from can, bottle, or glass prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to drink or attempt to drink any alcoholic beverage from an un/open can, bottle, glass, or plastic cup (other than clear) or to possess in an open can, bottle, or glass on the public streets, sidewalks, plazas, rights-of-way, and parking lots, whether public or private. ... Sec. 6-21. - Where drinking prohibited; exception. It shall be unlawful for any person to drink any whiskey, wine, beer or other alcoholic beverage while upon the streets, sidewalks, parks or public places of the city, or upon or within any vehicle upon the premises or in any adjacent parking area of any business establishment holding a license under this chapter, except as may be permitted under subsection 6-19(c).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-21 of the Acworth Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful for any person to drink whiskey, wine, beer or any other alcoholic beverage while on the streets, sidewalks, parks or public places of the city, or in a vehicle on the premises or parking area of any licensed alcohol establishment. Section 6-19(b) separately forbids a licensed bar or restaurant from letting a patron leave with an open cup, bottle or can. The only statutory exception runs through Section 6-19(c): a city-sanctioned event approved by a vote of the mayor and board of aldermen, or one permitted to a city department, board, commission or the downtown development authority.
5 create an open container district, defined by a map the mayor and board adopt by resolution, where a patron may carry a drink purchased at a licensed on-premises establishment in a sealed clear plastic cup of no more than 16 fluid ounces. Drinking straight from a can, bottle or non-clear cup on the streets, sidewalks or parking lots of the district is still prohibited, the drink must stay inside the district, and the privilege runs only from the start of Sunday sales hours under Section 6-20 until midnight.
Every establishment that lets patrons carry a drink out the door has to post an 11-by-17-inch warning sign at the exit. 5 says the article does not override.
Violations & Fines
Acworth sets no dedicated fine schedule for Sections 6-19 or 6-21, so a citation defaults to the Code's general penalty in Section 1-11: a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, up to 60 days of public works labor, or a court-ordered combination, with municipal court retaining authority to require community service or forfeit an appearance bond. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Acworth
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