Prince George's County, MD Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Sec. 14-136, adopted under the authority of Sections 19-103 and 19-204 of Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, bans drinking any alcoholic beverage and possessing one in an open container on public property, on the parking areas of shopping centers open to the public, on the parking area of any other retail establishment, and inside any vehicle parked in those locations, unless the government agency in charge of the property or the property owner has authorized it. "Public property" is defined broadly to include any building, ground, park, street, highway, alley, sidewalk, station, terminal, or parking area owned, leased, or operated by the state, county, a municipality, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, or the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The head of the agency controlling the property may permit drinking where the occasion is one where it is customarily allowed and won't offend the public. A carve-out excuses passengers in a vehicle equipped with a toilet, such as a tour bus, if the operator consents. The Police Department is required to keep a log of every citation issued under this Section, including convictions, repeat offenders, and the zip codes where violations occur, and to report that data to the County Council on request.