Los Banos, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Chapter 7 of Title 5 splits public alcohol regulation into two sections. 01, adopted by Ordinance 536 in 1975, makes it unlawful for any person or member of a society, lodge, organization, or corporation to serve, drink, or consume any spirituous, vinous, malt, or other intoxicating beverage on any public street, sidewalk, or alley in the City, with no permit exception printed in that section. 02 covers City parks and recreation areas separately and more flexibly: except when authorized by a written permit from the Chief of Police, it is unlawful to consume alcohol or possess an open container in a community park, neighborhood park, greenbelt park, parkway, green space, trailway, youth sports or recreation field and its adjacent bleacher section, or any other City-owned or City-operated recreation area.

Applications for a park alcohol permit must reach the Chief of Police at least three business days before the event, and a copy of the issued permit must stay with a responsible party at the event location the entire time alcohol is consumed or possessed in an open container. The section defines 'alcoholic beverage' broadly to include any liquid or solid containing one-half of one percent or more alcohol by volume that is fit for beverage use, alone or mixed with other substances. 03 routes enforcement of the whole chapter through Title 4, Chapter 11's administrative citation process rather than only criminal prosecution.