Johnson County, KS Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Section 50-3 of the Johnson County Code of Resolutions governs "the county square and adjacent property" downtown, the tract legally described in Sec. 6-12. Subsection (a)(3) makes it unlawful for anyone to possess, consume or drink alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage anywhere within that described tract "unless as authorized by Johnson County Resolution No. " That resolution number is the only carve-out the code names; there is no general permit process for occasional drinking, only a standing authorization tied to that specific 2022 action.

The same section bundles four other restrictions onto the Square: dogs, cats and similar pets must be kept leashed and under control (subsection (a)(2)); no fires, open flames or burning except during a permitted civic event; no sale, display or vending of products or services except during a permitted civic event; and no structures, booths, tents or stationary displays except during a permitted civic event. 2 percent alcohol-by-weight threshold used elsewhere in the county code, and define "leashed" to exclude electronic collars. The sheriff of Johnson County and the county's code enforcement officers in the codes division administer and enforce Sec.

50-3, and sheriff's deputies are deemed code enforcement officers for prosecution purposes. Violations are prosecuted in Johnson County District Court, codes court division, not municipal court, because the Square sits in the unincorporated civic core the county itself controls.