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Clay County, FL Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

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

Key Facts

County property/parks
Alcohol consumption banned, § 3-3
Package-store buffer
No drinking within 300 feet, § 3-2(e)
Standard sale hours
7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily
Christmas Day
No sales until 7:00 a.m. Dec. 26
Max penalty
$500 fine or 60 days jail, § 1-8

Summary

Clay County bans drinking alcoholic beverages on any county-owned property or county park, and separately makes it unlawful to consume alcohol within 300 feet of a business licensed only for package sales. Both bans apply throughout the unincorporated county under Chapter 3 of the Code of Ordinances, alongside separate hours-of-sale rules for on-premises consumption.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Clay County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(e)It is unlawful for any person or persons to consume any alcoholic beverages within three hundred (300) feet from any establishment which has an alcoholic beverage license providing for package sales only. ... Sec. 3-3. - Consumption on county property. It is unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverages on any county-owned property or county parks, except as provided for in chapter 12, article X of this Clay County Code.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 86).

Full Breakdown

Section 3-3 of the Clay County Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverages on any county-owned property or county park, with an exception carved out for activities separately authorized under chapter 12, article X of the Clay County Code, the parks and recreation chapter. This ban covers county parks and any other county-owned parcel, from conservation areas to the administration campus in Green Cove Springs, unless a permitted event under that separate chapter allows it. A second, narrower restriction sits in section 3-2(e): it is unlawful to consume alcoholic beverages within three hundred feet of any establishment holding an alcoholic beverage license limited to package sales only, meaning liquor stores and similar off-premises sellers, rather than bars or restaurants licensed for on-site consumption.

daily in the unincorporated county, on-premises consumption must stop when sales stop (with a 30-minute grace period), and no alcohol may be sold from the start of Christmas Day until the normal opening time on December 26. A special carve-out in section 3-2(f) lets 'limited hours establishments' along the Wells Road Corridor sell later hours. None of these alcohol sections in Chapter 3 currently states its own penalty, since the enforcement and penalty provisions that once sat at sections 3-4 through 3-7 were repealed by Ordinance No. 2022-35, so a violation defaults to the Code's general penalty in section 1-8.

Violations & Fines

Because Chapter 3's alcohol sections no longer carry their own enforcement clause, a violation of the county-property ban or the 300-foot package-store rule falls under section 1-8's general penalty: a fine of up to $500.00, up to sixty days in the county jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense. Enforcement runs through the Clay County Sheriff's Office and county code enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I drink alcohol in a Clay County park?
No. Section 3-3 of the Clay County Code makes it unlawful to consume alcoholic beverages on any county-owned property or county park, unless the activity is separately authorized under chapter 12, article X, which covers permitted park uses. Bringing alcohol to a county boat ramp or ballfield without that authorization violates the ordinance and exposes you to the Code's general penalty.
How close to a liquor store can I legally drink outside?
Not within 300 feet. Section 3-2(e) makes it unlawful to consume alcoholic beverages within three hundred feet of any establishment whose license is limited to package sales only, meaning off-premises liquor and beer stores rather than bars or restaurants.
What are Clay County's alcohol sales hours?
Section 3-2 authorizes sales from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. the next day in the unincorporated county, except no sales occur from the start of Christmas Day until 7:00 a.m. on December 26. On-premises consumption must stop when sales stop, though patrons get a thirty-minute grace period to finish a drink already served.
What happens if I violate the county's alcohol rules?
Since the specific penalty clauses in sections 3-4 through 3-7 were repealed in 2022, violations of the Chapter 3 alcohol restrictions fall under the Code's general penalty in section 1-8: a fine up to $500.00, up to sixty days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Clay County

All Clay County rules

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