Chesterfield County, VA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned locations
- County property, parks, schools, streets, roads
- Permit exception
- County administrator special permit + ABC license
- School exception
- None: permit never applies to schools
- Penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor, fine up to $250
- Governing section
- County Code § 14-23
Summary
Chesterfield County Code § 14-23 bars possessing an open alcoholic beverage container, drinking, or handing a drink to someone else on any county property, including parks and schools, and bars open containers on any street, road or highway in the county. A special permit from the county administrator can allow licensed alcohol service on county property outside schools; violating the section is a Class 4 misdemeanor.
(a)No person shall possess opened alcoholic beverage containers or drink an alcoholic beverage or tender a drink of an alcoholic beverage to another on county property, including property used for a park or a school, except as permitted by subsection (b) below.(b)After obtaining an appropriate license issued by the state department of alcoholic beverage control, alcoholic beverages may be served and consumed on county property pursuant to the terms of a special permit approved and issued by the county administrator or his designee. This subsection shall not apply to property used for a school.(c)No person shall possess opened alcoholic beverage containers on any street, road, or highway located in the county.(d)Violation of this section shall constitute a class 4 misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-23 lives in Chapter 14's public-conduct provisions and covers two distinct zones. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful to possess an opened alcoholic beverage container, drink an alcoholic beverage, or tender a drink to another person on county property, expressly including property used for a park or a school. Subsection (b) carves out a narrow exception: once an event organizer obtains the appropriate license from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, alcohol may be served and consumed on county property under a special permit approved and issued by the county administrator or a designee, though that exception never reaches property used for a school.
Subsection (c) then extends the ban past county property to the public right-of-way generally, making it unlawful to possess an opened alcoholic beverage container on any street, road or highway in the county. 00. 1-308, which lets a locality by ordinance regulate possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages on its own property and public streets.
Violations & Fines
A violation of any part of § 14-23, whether an open container on a public street, unpermitted drinking in a park, or serving alcohol at a school event, is charged as a Class 4 misdemeanor under subsection (d). Virginia classifies a Class 4 misdemeanor as its lowest tier, carrying no jail exposure but a fine of up to $250.00 under state law, and each instance is charged separately rather than escalating for repeat offenders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink a beer while walking down the street in Chesterfield County?
Can a festival serve alcohol on Chesterfield County property?
Is drinking in a Chesterfield County park always illegal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesterfield County
Compare Chesterfield County to another location·View the Virginia public conduct overview
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