Chino, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Drinking in public
- Misdemeanor, § 9.24.030
- Open container possession
- Infraction, § 9.24.035
- Near liquor store premises
- Infraction, § 9.24.037
- "Public place" includes
- Streets, sidewalks, parks, city hall grounds
- Intoxicating beverage threshold
- Over 0.5% alcohol by volume
- Vehicle drinking/intoxication
- Misdemeanor, § 9.24.040
- Source ordinance
- Ord. 2016-014 §§ 1-2, 2016
Summary
Chino Municipal Code § 9.24.030 makes drinking or consuming any intoxicating beverage in a public place a misdemeanor, and § 9.24.035 separately makes mere possession of an open, uncovered alcohol container in public an infraction. "Public place" reaches streets, sidewalks, parkways, parks and even city hall grounds, and § 9.24.037 extends the open-container rule to sidewalks next to liquor stores.
9.24.030 - Drinking intoxicating beverage in public place prohibited. Any person drinking or consuming any intoxicating beverage in or upon any public place or going in or upon any part of any public place while he is drinking or consuming any intoxicating beverage shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. "Public place" means and includes any street, alley, sidewalk, parkway, off-street parking area, or park, and including the city hall, police station and fire station in the city and the grounds about the same or other public place within the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
030 targets the act of drinking itself: any person "drinking or consuming any intoxicating beverage in or upon any public place" is guilty of a misdemeanor, a rule dating to the pre-1995 prior code (§ 16-10). 035, added later by Ordinance 2010-12 and amended by Ordinance 2016-014, reaches further than the drinking ban by making mere possession an infraction: it is unlawful "to be in possession of, or to exercise control over, an open or uncovered container of an alcoholic beverage" in a public place, whether or not the person is actively drinking, referencing the container definition in the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.
037, added by Ordinance 2016-014 § 2, extends that open-container infraction to the posted parking lot of, and public sidewalk immediately adjacent to, any retail off-sale liquor licensee, closing a common loophole of drinking just outside a liquor store's door. 050 bars creating a nuisance on private premises from drunkenness, intoxication or narcotics use, showing the chapter reaches beyond streets and sidewalks into vehicles and private property in nuisance situations.
Violations & Fines
Drinking in a public place under § 9.24.030 is a misdemeanor. Simple possession of an open container under §§ 9.24.035 and 9.24.037 is charged only as an infraction, a lesser offense. Entering or remaining in a vehicle on a public street while intoxicated or drinking, under § 9.24.040, is likewise a misdemeanor, and each of these is enforceable directly by Chino police officers on patrol.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited in Chino for just carrying an open beer, even if I'm not drinking it?
Does Chino's open-container rule apply outside a liquor store's parking lot?
What areas count as "public place" under Chino's intoxication chapter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle public alcohol use.