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Buena Park, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
BPMC § 8.36.010
Covers
streets, sidewalks, lots, parks
Enforced by
Buena Park Police Department
Related state law
Bus. & Prof. Code § 25620

Summary

Buena Park bans drinking alcohol on public streets, sidewalks, alleys, parking lots and parks under Municipal Code § 8.36.010.

It is unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverage, as that term is defined in California Business and Professions Code Section 23004, or any successor provision thereto, on any public street, public sidewalk, or public alley, or within any public parking lot, private parking lot open to the public, public park, or public property immediately adjacent to such park. (For possession of open containers in public parks as an infraction, see California Business and Professions Code Section 25620.)

B. This section shall not be deemed to make punishable any act or acts prohibited by any law of the state of California. (Prior code § 18-6.1; Ord. 1326 § 2, 1995)

Full Breakdown

It is unlawful in Buena Park, California, to consume any alcoholic beverage on any public street, sidewalk, or alley, or in any public or private parking lot open to the public, public park, or public property adjacent to a park. The ban covers open containers and drinking itself, citywide, and applies in addition to state open-container infraction law under Business and Professions Code § 25620.

Violations & Fines

Violating Municipal Code § 8.36.010 is a misdemeanor unless the city attorney or a citing officer charges it as an infraction; police can also cite it alongside the state open-container infraction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I drink beer on my apartment's parking lot?
Not if it's a parking lot open to the public, § 8.36.010 bans consumption there, not just in streets and parks.
Does a permitted event change this?
The code only exempts what state law already allows; a city-permitted event with an alcohol license would fall under that separate authorization, not this ban.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Buena Park

All Buena Park rules

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