Illinois Liquor Control Act 235 ILCS 5/6-22 bars consuming alcohol on public ways. Cook County Code Ch. 58 prohibits open containers in unincorporated areas. Forest Preserve Ch. 90 bans alcohol except by permit. Suburbs and Chicago enforce their own rules with fines from $50 to $500.
Illinois Liquor Control Act at 235 ILCS 5/6-22 makes it unlawful to consume alcoholic liquor on a public way unless authorized by local ordinance. The state Vehicle Code at 625 ILCS 5/11-502 separately bars open containers inside a motor vehicle. Cook County Code Ch. 58 carries the same prohibition into unincorporated areas, enforced by the Cook County Sheriff. The Forest Preserve District prohibits alcohol in preserves under Ch. 90 except with a permit for picnic groves. Most suburban Cook municipalities have parallel open-container ordinances; downtown special-event districts in some suburbs (Schaumburg's Septemberfest, Oak Park Avenue Days) authorize temporary on-street consumption. Chicago Municipal Code 8-4-030 provides separate city enforcement.
Open container fines in suburban Cook typically run $50 to $500 per offense. Driving with an open container under 625 ILCS 5/11-502 is a petty offense with up to $1,000 fine. Forest Preserve unauthorized consumption brings separate Ch. 90 fines.
See how Arlington Heights's public alcohol use rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.