Cicero, IL Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Public possession fine
- $25.00 to $750.00 per offense
- Licensee violation fine
- $200.00 to $500.00, license at risk
- Enforcing agency
- Cicero Police, Local Liquor Control Commissioner
- Applies to
- Any open container on public property
- Section
- Town Code Sec. 10-22(a)-(b)
Summary
Cicero bans possessing any open container of alcohol on public property under Sec. 10-22(b), with fines from $25 to $750 per offense, and separately bars licensees from letting patrons carry drinks outside a licensed premises.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any licensee, manager of a licensee, or any other person employed by the licensee or manager of any dram shop where alcoholic beverages are consumed upon the premises to allow any person to carry any opened bottle, can, or glass containing alcoholic beverages beyond the interior of such licensed premises. ... A minimum fine of $200.00 shall be imposed for a violation of this section, and a maximum fine of $500.00 shall be imposed for a violation of this section. In addition, the local liquor control commissioner and the deputy local liquor control commissioner shall have the power to suspend or revoke such license.(b)It shall be unlawful for any person to possess any opened bottle, can, or glass containing alcoholic beverages while such person is on public property. Any person convicted of violating this subsection shall be fined not less than $25.00 or more than $750.00 for each offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 121).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 10-22 of the Town Code, part of Chapter 10's liquor-control article, splits public drinking into two separate offenses. Subsection (a) is aimed at licensees: it is unlawful for any licensee, manager, or employee of a dram shop to allow a patron to carry an opened bottle, can, or glass of alcohol beyond the interior of the licensed premises, and the licensee must conspicuously post signs, as required by the local liquor control commissioner or deputy commissioner, warning of the prohibition. 00, and the local liquor control commissioner or deputy commissioner can additionally suspend or revoke the establishment's liquor license.
Subsection (b) reaches the general public directly: it is unlawful for any person to possess an opened bottle, can, or glass containing alcoholic beverages while on public property, regardless of whether that person holds a license. 00 for each offense. The section traces back to a 1917 ordinance codified at Code 1958 § 4-14 and was last amended by Ord. No. 20-07 in March 2007. Enforcement of both subsections falls to the Cicero Police Department and the office of the local liquor control commissioner, who also administers license suspensions and revocations tied to subsection (a) violations.
Violations & Fines
Public possession of an open container under subsection (b) is a strict per-offense fine of $25.00 to $750.00, with no exception for private parties on public sidewalks, parks, or streets. A licensee caught allowing drinks to leave the premises under subsection (a) faces a $200.00 to $500.00 fine plus possible suspension or revocation of its liquor license by the local liquor control commissioner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I carry an open beer on a Cicero sidewalk?
What happens to a bar that lets customers take drinks outside?
Does Cicero require bars to post open-container warning signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cicero
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle public alcohol use.