Grand Junction, CO Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

GJMC § 12.16.100(a) makes it unlawful to possess or drink malt, vinous or spirituous liquor on any public street, road, highway or public way in the City of Grand Junction, whether the way is publicly or privately owned, as long as it is used by the public. The only exceptions are consumption under a special events permit issued per § 44-5-101, C.R.S., or on premises covered by a valid State liquor license where drinking is otherwise lawful. Subsection (b) separately bans drinking from or using glass containers whenever alcohol is consumed in a public place, regardless of whether the drink itself is legal there.

A companion rule at GJMC § 12.04.050 applies the same possession ban, plus a glass-container ban, inside City parks, with a stricter version at Emerson Park and Hawthorne Park covering malt liquor too. Grand Junction Police Department officers enforce both sections, and because the code sets no dedicated fine for this offense, a citation is punished under the Title 1 general penalty at GJMC § 1.04.090. There is no daily-continuing-violation language here, so each drinking incident is charged as a single offense in Grand Junction Municipal Court.