Montebello, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Montebello Municipal Code Section 9.04.010 sits in Chapter 9.04, Offenses Against Public Decency, within Title 9, Public Peace, Morals and Welfare. The text is short and absolute: no person may drink intoxicating liquor in or upon any public street or public place within the city. Unlike ordinances that carve out sidewalk cafes, festival zones or open-container exceptions for permitted events, this section names none, so any public consumption inside city limits falls under the ban unless a separate permit ordinance elsewhere in the code creates an exception.

Because Chapter 9.04 sets no penalty of its own, enforcement runs through the citywide default in Chapter 1.12, General Penalty. Section 1.12.010(A) makes every code violation a misdemeanor unless specifically designated an infraction, leaving the choice to the city attorney or city prosecutor in the interest of justice. Section 1.12.010(B) caps a misdemeanor conviction at a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, up to six months in jail, or both. If the same conduct is instead prosecuted as an infraction, Section 1.12.010(C) sets a graduated schedule: not more than one hundred dollars for a first violation, two hundred dollars for a second violation of the same provision within a year, and five hundred dollars for each additional violation within that year. Each day a violation continues can also be charged as a separate offense. The ordinance traces to former Section 4206 of the prior code.