Fayette County, GA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Chapter 4's open-container rule is broader than a simple public-drinking ban. Section 4-100 defines an "open container" as anything holding alcohol that's immediately drinkable or already unsealed, then splits the prohibition in two: subsection (b) bars carrying one inside a car's passenger compartment (closed containers can ride anywhere, but an open one goes in a locked trunk or locked storage box), and subsection (c) bars carrying one while walking, standing or otherwise occupying any public street, road, highway, sidewalk, county park, parking lot or other county-owned or leased property, including inside a public building.

A narrow carve-out lets Fayetteville Main Street, the county's economic development authority, and the county senior center serve alcohol inside buildings they lease from the county, but only through a duly licensed caterer, no more than four events a year, tied to their own programs, and with no direct sales to attendees; the board of commissioners can separately authorize on-premises sales at other county-owned property by resolution. Subsection (f) exempts passengers riding with a licensed chauffeur, bus passengers, and passengers in a self-contained motor home over 21 feet long.

The section works alongside two neighbors: § 4-110 bans actually consuming alcohol in the same public places, and § 4-101 separately bans "brownbagging," meaning bringing your own alcohol into a licensed bar or restaurant to drink there. All three violations run through the State Court of Fayette County under § 4-100(g), which authorizes fines and imprisonment as set by the Code and state law.