Manitou Springs, CO Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban
- Open alcohol containers barred from all public places citywide
- Penalty
- Up to $2,650 fine or 90 days in jail
- Vehicle rule
- Open containers also banned within reach inside vehicles
- Park exception
- City council can authorize drinking at approved park events
- Restaurant exception
- Resealed wine bottle up to 750 mL may leave premises
Summary
Manitou Springs makes it unlawful to possess an open container of any alcoholic beverage, including fermented malt beer, on any street, sidewalk, public park, alley or other public place, or on school grounds, and the same ban extends inside a vehicle. City Code Section 5.06.100 lets the city council authorize drinking at approved park events and lets restaurants reseal a partly used bottle of wine no larger than 750 milliliters for a customer to carry out.
A.It is unlawful for anyone to possess or have, within their immediate reach, any opened container containing an alcoholic beverage, including fermented malt beverages, on any street, sidewalk, public park or alley, or other public place in the city, or on the grounds of any public or private school therein. ... D.The city council shall have the power to authorize the consumption of alcoholic beverages, including fermented malt beverages, in public parks or buildings. Council, at its option, may require that the applicant provide security for the event.
Full Breakdown
100 of the Manitou Springs Municipal Code, part of the city's liquor licensing chapter, prohibits anyone from possessing or having within immediate reach an open container of an alcoholic beverage, including fermented malt beverages, on any street, sidewalk, public park, alley or other public place in the city, or on the grounds of any public or private school. The same prohibition applies to open containers carried inside a vehicle on those same streets, sidewalks, parks, alleys and public places, and subsection C makes it unlawful for a driver, owner or other person in control of a vehicle to let anyone in that vehicle keep an open container within reach.
The ordinance carves out two exceptions. Under subsection D, the city council can authorize consumption of alcoholic beverages in public parks or buildings, and may require an applicant to post security for the event, which is how Manitou Springs permits drinking at approved festivals and gatherings in city parks. Under subsection E, a hotel or restaurant licensed to serve alcohol may let a customer reseal and remove one opened, partially consumed bottle of vinous liquor that did not originally contain more than seven hundred fifty milliliters, exempting that customer from subsections A through C.
100: up to two thousand six hundred fifty dollars, up to ninety days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.
Violations & Fines
A conviction under Section 5.06.100 is punished under Section 5.06.150, which applies Section 1.01.100's citywide penalty: a fine of up to two thousand six hundred fifty dollars, up to ninety days in jail, or both. The city council may also hold a hearing to suspend or revoke any liquor license connected to a violation, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I carry an open beer on a Manitou Springs sidewalk?
Does Manitou Springs ever allow alcohol in its parks?
Can a restaurant let me take a half-finished bottle of wine home?
What happens if I'm caught with an open container in Manitou Springs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manitou Springs
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle public alcohol use.