California Business & Professions Code §25620 prohibits possession of open alcoholic-beverage containers in public places, parks, and parking lots in unincorporated Orange County, with limited exceptions for licensed venues and designated entertainment zones.
B&P §25620 makes it an infraction to possess any open container of beer, wine, or spirits on a public street, sidewalk, parking lot, or in a vehicle on a public road in unincorporated OC. OC Parks rules generally ban alcohol in regional parks except by special-event permit. Beach alcohol bans apply at all OC-administered beaches under park rules. SB 76 (2023) authorizes designated entertainment zones, but OC has not established one. Enforcement falls to the Sheriff, with citations typically resolved as infractions carrying fines up to $250.
Open containers in public, parks, parking lots, or vehicles on public roads trigger §25620 infraction citations with fines up to $250, and may be elevated when combined with intoxication or vehicular conduct.
See how other cities in Orange County handle public alcohol use.
See how Costa Mesa's public alcohol use rules stack up against other locations.
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