Milwaukee Code Ch. 90 bans drinking alcohol or carrying open containers on public streets, sidewalks, and parks except inside permitted festival footprints. Wis. Stat. Ch. 125 sets the underlying licensing framework.
Milwaukee Code Ch. 90 prohibits possession of open intoxicants on public streets, sidewalks, alleys, parking lots open to the public, and city parks unless within a permitted special-event footprint such as Summerfest, Bastille Days, or a Common Council-approved beer garden. Wis. Stat. §125.09(2) authorizes municipal open-container bans. County parks fall under Milwaukee County beer-garden permits. Tavern patrons may not leave with open drinks. Designated outdoor refreshment areas (DORAs) are not generally adopted citywide. Riding inside a vehicle with an open container violates Wis. Stat. §346.935. MPD typically issues citations and confiscates the container.
Drinking on a public sidewalk or street, carrying an open beer outside a tavern, or possession in a park outside a permitted event leads to citations of roughly $100-$500 plus confiscation.
See how Milwaukee's public alcohol use rules stack up against other locations.
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