Cumberland County, NC Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Cumberland County Code Sec. 9.5-2
- Banned locations
- County buildings, parks, streets, sidewalks
- Named exceptions
- Civic Center, Riddle Ballpark
- Ballpark rule
- No beer sales after 7th inning
- Civil penalty
- Up to $100 per day
- Container littering
- Also barred on any public street
Summary
Cumberland County Code Sec. 9.5-2(b) bars selling or drinking beer, wine or liquor on any public building, lot, park, sidewalk, street or driveway the county owns or leases, with two named exceptions: the Civic Center and the Joseph P. Riddle, Jr. Baseball Stadium, where limited on-site drinking is allowed under stadium rules.
It shall be unlawful to sell and/or consume intoxicating liquors (beer, fortified or unfortified wine or liquors) in any public building, lot, park, ground, sidewalk, street or driveway or other premises owned or leased by the County of Cumberland, except the Cumberland County Civic Center and upon those premises known as the Joseph P. Riddle, Jr., Baseball Stadium... It shall be unlawful to dump, drop, throw, cast or deposit any intoxicating beverage container in any public place other than a bona fide trash disposal site or utensil, or upon any public street, sidewalk, alley or parking lot, or upon the private premises of another without permission of the owner or person entitled to possession of such premises.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).
Full Breakdown
Subsection (b) makes it unlawful to sell or consume intoxicating liquors, beer, fortified or unfortified wine or liquors, on any county-owned or leased property, from courthouse grounds to parking lots and sidewalks, except the Civic Center and the Riddle Ballpark on Legion Road. At the ballpark, subsection (c) requires any lessee or tenant to reserve at least ten percent of seating as a posted nondrinking section, stop beer sales after the seventh inning of a game, and bar anyone from drinking or carrying alcohol into that nondrinking section.
Subsection (d) separately makes it unlawful to dump or discard any alcohol container in a public place other than a trash receptacle, or on a public street, sidewalk, alley or parking lot, or on another person's private property without permission, which reaches littering of open containers well beyond county-owned land. S. S. rather than waiting for noon, a distinct rule from the public-property ban.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of Sec. 9.5-2, whether selling or drinking on banned county property or dumping a container in public, draws a civil penalty of up to $100.00 per day, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The county board of commissioners sets the penalty amount, and unpaid penalties go to the county attorney for collection as a civil debt if not resolved within 60 days of the demand for payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink a beer in a Cumberland County park?
Is alcohol allowed at a baseball game at Riddle Ballpark?
What if I just throw away a beer can on a county sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cumberland County
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