Chandler, AZ Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

City Code § 11-3, Unlawful possession of spirituous liquor, opens by declaring that any person doing or permitting the acts it describes is guilty of a misdemeanor. Subsection A is the operative open-container ban: consuming or having in one's possession spirituous liquor in an open container in a public place, thoroughfare, or gathering is unlawful. The section then narrows itself with two exceptions rather than applying an absolute ban. Subsection B exempts a person consuming a malt beverage from an open container in a public recreation area if the Director of Community Services has authorized it, or on private property with the property owner's or lessor's permission, or on the walkways immediately surrounding that private property; the section defines 'public recreation area' as land in the City that is owned, operated, or controlled by the City.

' The ordinance dates to Ord. No. 6 and was amended through Ord. No. 2988 in 1999, meaning Chandler has regulated public drinking since incorporation-era code and periodically updated the recreation-area exceptions. 3.