Bloomington, IN Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- BMC § 14.36.090
- Where banned
- Publicly owned places, streets, accessways
- Golf course exception
- Cascades Clubhouse and grounds
- Theatre exception
- Buskirk-Chumley Theatre
- Permit exception
- State temporary beer/wine event permits
- Max fine
- $2,500 under general penalty § 1.01.130
Summary
In the City of Bloomington it is unlawful to drink any alcoholic beverage on a publicly owned place or on any public street, highway or accessway. Bloomington Municipal Code Section 14.36.090 carves out narrow exceptions for licensed festival permits and the Cascades Golf Course clubhouse and grounds.
It is unlawful for any person, within the city limits, to consume any alcoholic beverage in or on any publicly owned place or upon any public street, highway or accessway; provided, however, that it is not unlawful to consume beer or wine, regardless of where it was purchased, at an event for which the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission has issued a temporary beer permit, as authorized by Indiana Code 7.1-3-6-1 et seq., or a temporary wine permit, as authorized by Indiana Code 7.1-3-16-5 et seq., to a qualified person to sell beer or wine or both at that event; and provided, however, that it is not unlawful to consume beer, wine, or any other alcoholic beverage within the Clubhouse at the Cascades Golf Course and the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre when such consumption is in accordance with the rules and regulations of, and the statutes regarding, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. It is also not unlawful to consume beer or wine on the Cascades Golf Course grounds outside the Clubhouse provided that the beer or wine consumed is procured at the Clubhouse ...
Full Breakdown
090 of the Bloomington Municipal Code, adopted by Ordinance 05-32 and amended by Ordinance No. 12-12 in 2012, makes it unlawful for any person, within the city limits, to consume any alcoholic beverage in or on any publicly owned place or upon any public street, highway or accessway. The Common Council wrote in three narrow carve-outs rather than a blanket exception. issued by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to a qualified seller at that event, regardless of where the alcohol was purchased. Second, beer, wine or any other alcoholic beverage may be consumed inside the Clubhouse at the Cascades Golf Course and inside the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, as long as the consumption follows the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission's rules and statutes.
Third, beer or wine may be consumed on the Cascades Golf Course grounds outside the Clubhouse, but only if it was procured at the Clubhouse itself. Outside those three situations, walking with an open can or bottle on a city street, on a public sidewalk, in a city park or on any other publicly owned property is a straight violation with no permit to obtain. 130, governs any citation.
Violations & Fines
No specific fine is set out in Section 14.36.090 itself, so a violation falls under the Municipal Code's general penalty clause, Section 1.01.130: a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for a Code violation with no listed fine. Bloomington Police Department officers issue the citation, and continuing violations that can recur more than once a day are not stacked into separate daily fines under that clause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I carry an open beer on a Bloomington sidewalk?
Is drinking allowed at the Cascades Golf Course?
What about a festival with a beer tent?
What is the fine for public drinking in Bloomington?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomington
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