Amarillo, TX Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Two separate sections govern public drinking. Sec. 10-3-43 makes it unlawful to knowingly or intentionally consume an alcoholic beverage while in, upon, or immediately adjacent to a motor vehicle in a public place, public right-of-way, or public parking area citywide; it exempts licensed premises and permitted Block Parties or Festivals under Chapter 16-3. Sec. 10-3-44 goes further inside a specifically bounded Central Business District, running roughly between 5th and 8th Streets from Western to Forest, between 5th and 7th Streets from Forest to Washington/Adams, and east to the railroad tracks near South 15th Street: within that zone, simply possessing an open alcoholic beverage container in a public street, sidewalk, alley, or privately owned public parking area is prohibited outright, not just consumption near a vehicle.

"Open container" is defined to include any container transferred into, or previously opened and reclosed. The ordinance carves out three exceptions: up to four civic-promotional festivals per year (max 12 hours each) between Forest and Jackson Streets, up to eight festivals per year elsewhere in the district, both requiring a Traffic Engineer festival permit under Chapter 16-3; and a right-of-way exemption for restaurants with a licensed, designated outdoor dining area where alcohol sales are no more than 50% of gross sales. Enforcement and fines run through the Chapter 10-3 penalty section, Sec. 00 per offense with each day a continuing violation.