Long Beach, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- no public drinking without on-sale license
- Beach rule
- no bather drinking within 1 marine league
- Exempt venues
- 9 named public facilities (§9.22.060)
- Default penalty
- up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail
- Motorboats
- exempt from the beach drinking ban
Summary
Long Beach bans drinking in public almost everywhere in the city. Municipal Code § 9.22.010 prohibits transporting in, or drinking, any alcoholic beverage in any public place unless the premises hold an on-sale license under the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. A companion rule, § 9.22.070, separately bans any bather from drinking within one marine league, three nautical miles, of a Long Beach beach.
No person shall transport into or drink or consume any alcoholic beverage in any public place except upon the premises licensed under an on-sale or on-sale general license under the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. ... It is unlawful for any bather to consume any alcoholic beverage within one (1) marine league of any beach. However, this Section shall not be construed to regulate the consumption of alcoholic beverages on any motorboat.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
22 layers several distinct prohibitions onto the basic ban. 040 make it unlawful for a restaurant, cafe, theater, store or similar business to sell, furnish, or even permit a customer to combine and drink alcohol on the premises outside a licensed on-sale area. 050 blocks any new State ABC license application for a public area under the Recreation Commission's authority, except for authorized athletic events at Blair Field or events specifically authorized by City Council resolution. 060 carves out a narrow, no-permit exception: beer, wine and champagne may be served at nine named public facilities, including the Long Beach Museum of Art, Rancho Los Cerritos, Rancho Los Alamitos, the Main Library, Rainbow Lagoon Park, Promenade South, and Shoreline Aquatic Park, without needing an ABC license, as long as other applicable laws are met. 1, from drinking within one marine league of shore, but expressly does not restrict drinking aboard a motorboat. 32.
Violations & Fines
Because Chapter 9.22 has no penalty section of its own, a violation defaults to the general penalty at § 1.32.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in the City or county jail, or both, at the City Prosecutor's discretion to instead charge it as an infraction. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink a beer on Long Beach's public beach?
Are there any city facilities where I can legally drink without a permit?
Does the alcohol ban apply on a boat?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle public alcohol use.