Los Angeles, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Alcohol threshold
- Over 0.5% ABV by volume
- Covered public places
- Streets, sidewalks, parks, Coliseum
- Open container near liquor stores
- Infraction under § 41.27(d)
- Licensee posting duty
- Must post warning signs, § 41.27(e)
- Struck-down subsection
- § 41.27(h) unconstitutional (Duran)
Summary
Drinking any beverage over one-half of one percent alcohol on an LA street, sidewalk, park, playground or the Coliseum is banned outright under LAMC § 41.27(c), unless the specific spot is licensed for on-site consumption. A related rule bars carrying an opened container onto the sidewalk or lot right outside a liquor store, making that violation an infraction.
SEC. 41.27. INTOXICATION. (c) No person shall drink any malt, spirituous or vinous liquor containing more than one-half of one per cent of alcohol by volume, upon any street, sidewalk or parkway, park, playground, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, or in any railroad depot or bus station, or in any public place, or in any place open to the patronage of the public, which premises are not licensed for the consumption of such liquor on the premises. ... * Note: Section 41.27(h) was declared unconstitutional in People v. Duran, 43 Cal. App. 4th Supp.1.
Full Breakdown
27(d) targets the area immediately around off-sale liquor stores: no one may enter or remain on the posted premises, or the posted adjacent parking lot, or the public sidewalk next to it, while carrying an opened, resealed or partially-emptied alcohol container; violating that subsection is an infraction. 27(g) exempts private residential parking lots immediately adjacent to the posted premises. 27(h), covering possession with intent to drink in any unlicensed public place, was struck down as unconstitutional in People v. Duran, 43 Cal. App. 4th Supp. 1, so the enforceable core of the ordinance today is the drinking prohibition in (c) and the posted-premises possession rule in (d).
Violations & Fines
Drinking in public under § 41.27(c) is enforced by LAPD as a violation of this section; carrying an open container onto a posted liquor store's adjacent lot or sidewalk under § 41.27(d) is expressly made an infraction, as is a licensee's failure to post the required warning signs under § 41.27(e). The broader possession-based ban in former subsection (h) is unenforceable following Duran.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink a beer in a Los Angeles park?
Is it illegal to carry an open beer near a liquor store in LA?
Does LA still enforce a ban on merely possessing open alcohol anywhere in public?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Angeles
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Angeles to another location·View the California public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle public alcohol use.