Apple Valley, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Sections
- § 11.20.045(E); § 11.68.040(t)
- Town-wide ban
- Open containers in public places
- Park ban
- All alcohol, open or closed
- Town-wide exception
- Private property, licensed premises
- Park exception
- Written Town Manager permit
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months
Summary
Apple Valley Municipal Code § 11.20.045(E) bars drinking or possessing an open or unsealed alcoholic beverage container in any public place in the Town, except on developed private property or licensed premises. Section 11.68.040(t) separately bans alcohol in Town parks unless the Town Manager issues a written permit.
No person shall drink, possess, or have under his or her control any alcoholic beverage in an open container or in a container the seal of which is broken in any public places within the Town, except on developed, private property or on those premises duly licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises. ... The possession (open and closed containers), consumption, sale, transportation or disbursement of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in Town parks and facilities unless a permit is obtained and approved in writing by the Town Manager, and in that event only in compliance with the conditions and restrictions of that permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Apple Valley layers two alcohol rules on top of each other. 045(E), sits inside the camping and public-conduct chapter and bars drinking, possessing or controlling an alcoholic beverage in an open container, or in a container whose seal is broken, in any public place in the Town, exempting only developed private property and premises duly licensed for on-site sale and consumption; the Town Council adopted it October 25, 2005 under Ordinance 302. 040(t): it bans not just open containers but the possession of any container, open or closed, along with the consumption, sale, transportation or giving away of alcohol, inside Town parks and facilities, and the only way around it is a written permit approved by the Town Manager, used strictly in line with whatever conditions the permit sets.
That park rule was added by Ordinance 459 in February 2014 and amended by Ordinance 462 in June 2014, the same ordinances that added the chapter's smoking ban and amplified-sound rules. 100.
Violations & Fines
Neither § 11.20.045(E) nor § 11.68.040(t) states its own fine, so both fall to the Town's general Code penalty at § 1.01.230: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 plus court costs or up to six months in county jail, or both. Section 1.01.220 lets the Town charge either offense instead as an infraction, with fines from $100 to $500 for repeat convictions within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone drink an open beer on an Apple Valley sidewalk?
Is alcohol allowed in Town parks at all?
What happens if someone violates the park alcohol ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apple Valley
California rules heatmap·Compare Apple Valley to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle public alcohol use.