Mesa, AZ Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Mesa City Code Section 6-10-5 makes it unlawful for a person in a park to consume, possess, or have in their custody any spirituous liquor, with two narrow paths to lawful use. The first covers sale, consumption, or possession under a liquor license or special event license issued by the Arizona Department of Liquor License and Control combined with an alcohol permit under Subsection (B), consistent with Mesa City Code Title 5, Chapter 9. The second, more common path is a stand-alone alcohol permit the Parks Administrator issues under Subsection 6-10-6(B)(5), but it covers only beer and wine, never any other spirituous liquor, and it authorizes consumption and possession, not sale.

The permit can go only to someone at least 21, and every person consuming or possessing beer or wine under it, whether the permittee or a guest, must also be 21 or older. The permittee must stay on-site the entire time beer or wine is being consumed or possessed under the permit, and any violation or non-compliance with the permit's requirements is grounds for the Administrator to revoke it outright. Outside these two paths, any alcohol in a Mesa park, even a single unopened can carried into a picnic area, is a violation regardless of the person's age or intent to drink it.