Darlington County, SC Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Section 54-72, adopted by Ord. No. 96-26 in August 1996, folds state alcohol law into county enforcement and adds its own open-container rule. Subsection (a) adopts the entirety of the state's alcoholic beverage, beer, and wine laws found in S.C. Code 1976 §§ 61-3-10 through 61-9-1260 as part of the county's own code wherever those state provisions can apply within the county, making a violation of state alcohol law also a county-code violation. Subsection (c) then adds a distinct county open-container rule: it is unlawful to openly display or consume beer or wine from an unsealed container, or to display or consume illegal drugs, on any public street or sidewalk, in any public parking area, or at any public gathering place.

The subsection carves out an exception for premises specifically licensed for public consumption of beer or wine, such as a licensed restaurant patio or event venue. The rule sits in Chapter 54's parks and public-places article alongside the park hours closure in § 54-70 and the property-damage ban in § 54-71, giving the sheriff's office and code enforcement a single ordinance covering both open-container conduct on county streets and drinking in county parks and gathering places in the unincorporated area.