DuPage County, IL Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

" The ban covers both drinking and simply carrying an open container anywhere on County trail property, not just actively consuming it. Section 20-71 backs the ban with a fine of up to $1,000 for each separate offense and strips the violator of status as an "intended or permitted user" of the trail system, a designation that matters because it affects the County's liability exposure toward that person while on the property. The Division of Transportation, which manages the trail system, enforces the ban: § 20-73 gives its Director or a designee authority to bring any legal or equitable action, including appeals, needed to enforce the article.

There is one carve-out, in § 20-72: the ban does not apply at the time and place named in a Division of Transportation permit allowing temporary use of the trail system for a special event, and any such permit is still subject to all applicable liquor control ordinances. Section 20-74 clarifies that these trail restrictions regulate use of County property and operate independently of, not in place of, the state's criminal statutes on alcohol possession and consumption.