Kankakee County, IL Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Kankakee County Code § 6-32
- Public places covered
- streets, alleys, sidewalks, public property
- Broken-seal possession
- also prohibited in public
- Unlicensed businesses
- may not allow on-site drinking
- Minimum fine
- $50.00 per day (§ 6-31)
- Enforcer
- Sheriff's Office / State's Attorney
Summary
Kankakee County bars anyone from drinking alcoholic liquor on any street, alley, sidewalk or other public property in unincorporated Kankakee County, and from carrying liquor there with the container's seal already broken. Section 6-32 also stops restaurants and stores that lack an on-premises consumption license from letting customers drink there at all.
No owner or proprietor, or agent or employee thereof, of any restaurant, store or other commercial establishment inviting or permitting public patronage shall permit the consumption of alcoholic liquors on the premises except those specifically licensed for consumption on the premises. No person shall consume any alcoholic liquor on any street, alley, sidewalk or other public property, or shall have in his possession any alcoholic liquor in such a place with the original seal of the container thereof broken.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-32, titled "Location of consumption restricted," does two things. First, it stops any restaurant, store or other commercial establishment that invites public patronage from permitting alcohol consumption on the premises unless that business is specifically licensed for on-premises consumption under chapter 6. Second, and separately, it bans an individual from consuming any alcoholic liquor on any street, alley, sidewalk or other public property in unincorporated Kankakee County, and bans possessing liquor in such a public place once the original seal on the container has been broken, the county's version of an open-container rule.
The section dates to a 1989 county board resolution and sits among the chapter's general-conduct provisions alongside the county's sanitary rules for licensed premises (section 6-33) and its ban on selling liquor to intoxicated persons (section 6-35). Because chapter 6 adopts the Illinois Liquor Control Act by reference under section 6-36 and applies the more restrictive of local or state law where the two conflict, an open-container violation on a county road can also implicate state liquor law enforced by the sheriff's department and the state's attorney's office in addition to the county fine.
Violations & Fines
Violating section 6-32 is punished under section 6-31's general chapter 6 penalty of a fine of not less than $50.00, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense. Because the same conduct can also break the Illinois Liquor Control Act adopted by reference in section 6-36, the sheriff's department can pursue the violation as a county ordinance offense, a state charge, or both, with the more restrictive provision controlling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I walk down a county road in unincorporated Kankakee County with an open beer?
Can a restaurant let customers bring their own alcohol and drink it there?
What is the penalty for public drinking in unincorporated Kankakee County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kankakee County
Compare Kankakee County to another location·View the Illinois public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.