Forsyth County, GA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- No removing alcohol from licensed premises
- To-go exception
- PUD/MPD/MCD districts only
- Container limit
- 16 fluid ounces, one per person
- BYOB
- Prohibited in any establishment
- Max fine
- $1,000 plus up to 60 days jail
Summary
Unincorporated Forsyth County bans carrying alcohol off a licensed bar or restaurant and bans bringing your own bottle into any establishment. The only exception is a 16-ounce to-go cup, one per person, inside designated mixed-use entertainment districts.
Except where specifically authorized herein, licensees authorized to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises shall not permit a purchaser to remove from the premises any alcoholic beverage... This specifically prohibits the use of "to go" cups or any other device permitting any person to remove alcoholic beverages from the licensed premises, except as allowed in the planned unit development district (PUD), master planned district (MPD), or mixed-use center district (MCD)... (2) Size limited to a maximum of 16 ounces... No person shall hold in its possession on the streets and sidewalks, in parks and squares, or in other public places within such districts any open alcoholic beverage container which exceeds 16 fluid ounces in size. (3) Drinking from can, bottle, or glass prohibited. It shall be unlawful within such district for any person to drink or attempt to drink any alcoholic beverage from a can, bottle, or glass, or to possess in an open can, bottle, or glass any alcoholic beverage on the streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way, and/or parking lot, whether public or private.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 43).
Full Breakdown
Forsyth County Code section 6-135 makes on-premises consumption licensees responsible for stopping patrons from removing alcohol in any form, including paper or plastic "to go" cups, from the licensed premises. The county carves out one narrow exception: inside a planned unit development (PUD), master planned district (MPD), or mixed-use center district (MCD), a licensee may dispense a drink in a cup other than a can, bottle, or glass for carry-out, but each patron may carry only one drink at a time and the container cannot exceed 16 fluid ounces.
Even inside those districts, no one may possess an open can, bottle, or glass, or drink from one, on the streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way, or parking lots, public or private, and the carried drink cannot be taken past the district boundary, onto a sidewalk next to a church, school, or park, or onto private property without the owner's consent. Separately, section 6-140 prohibits "brown bagging," meaning no one may bring their own alcoholic beverages into any establishment, licensed or not, to drink during business hours while it is open to the public.
Because Forsyth County has no package-store carry-out or general municipal park exception outside these entertainment districts, drinking on a public street, sidewalk, or in a county park anywhere else in the unincorporated county remains unlawful under this framework.
Violations & Fines
Violating chapter 6's alcohol provisions is enforced through the county's general penalty in section 1-12: a fine of up to $1,000.00, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense. Licensees who let patrons carry drinks off-premises outside an authorized district also risk license suspension or revocation under the alcohol ordinance's separate enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I walk down a Forsyth County street with an open beer?
Can I bring my own wine into a Forsyth County restaurant?
What happens if a bar lets customers leave with drinks outside an approved district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
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