Kennewick, WA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- KMC 10.16.051
- Offense class
- Civil infraction
- Maximum penalty
- $500 civil fine
- Park exception
- Needs WSLCB permit or city approval
- Chapter
- 10.16, Alcohol & Tobacco Offenses
- Definitions source
- Title 66 RCW, via KMC 10.16.011
Summary
Kennewick makes it a civil infraction, not a crime, to open a package of liquor or drink it in any public place inside city limits. KMC 10.16.051 caps the fine at $500 and lets police cite offenders on the spot rather than book them, unless another law specifically allows the drinking.
10.16.051: - Opening or Consuming Liquor in a Public Place. Except as otherwise permitted by law, no person may open the package containing liquor or consume liquor in any public place. A violation of this section is a civil infraction and subject to a civil penalty up to $500.00. (Ord. 5057 Sec. 20, 2004; Ord. 2857 Sec. 4(part), 1984)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
051, "Opening or Consuming Liquor in a Public Place," reads in full: "Except as otherwise permitted by law, no person may open the package containing liquor or consume liquor in any public place. 010 and adopts "the definitions used throughout Title 66 of the Revised Code of Washington" for every word and phrase in the chapter, so what counts as "liquor" and a "public place" tracks the state Liquor Control Board's own definitions rather than a locally invented list. Because the offense is classified as a civil infraction rather than a misdemeanor, it is handled like a traffic ticket: an officer can issue a citation without an arrest, and the maximum exposure is the $500 penalty, not jail time.
" That means a beer that is legal to carry on a downtown sidewalk under the general open-container rule can still be unlawful once you step onto park grounds without one of those specific approvals. 020 bars anyone under 21 from entering a tavern or cocktail lounge.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of KMC 10.16.051 is a civil infraction carrying a penalty of up to $500, issued by citation rather than arrest. The related park-alcohol rule in KMC 10.16.061 has no separate fine of its own; because it falls elsewhere in Chapter 10.16, a violation defaults to the chapter's general penalty clause, KMC 10.16.900, which makes most Chapter 10.16 violations misdemeanors. There is no administrative appeal built into the section; a cited civil infraction is contested in court like any other infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is drinking a beer on a Kennewick sidewalk illegal?
Can I drink alcohol at a Kennewick city park?
Will I be arrested for an open container in Kennewick?
Does Kennewick define what counts as a 'public place' for this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kennewick
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