New Bedford, MA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 17-10
- Scope
- Public ways, sidewalks, and vehicles on them
- Exception
- Special liquor-licensed event areas only
- Penalty
- Fine per general penalty Sec. 1-9
- Related chapter
- Liquor licensing, § 15-90 et seq.
Summary
New Bedford bans drinking or carrying open alcohol on any public way, sidewalk, or in a vehicle on a public way. Sec. 17-10 covers open cans, bottles, and containers with broken seals, with an exception for permitted special-license events.
Sec. 17-10. - Consuming or carrying alcoholic beverages. (a)It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverage, wine or malt beverage on any public way or area or way to which the public has right of access, or on any sidewalk appurtenant thereto within the city.(b)It shall be shall unlawful for any person to have alcoholic beverages, wine, or malt beverages in such person's possession in any can, bottle or container which has been opened, or has the seal broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed while on any public way or area or way to which the public has right. of access, or on any sidewalk appurtenant thereto within the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19).
Full Breakdown
Section 17-10, "Consuming or carrying alcoholic beverages," bans four overlapping things: drinking alcohol, wine, or malt beverages on any public way, area, or sidewalk to which the public has access; possessing an opened, seal-broken, or partially emptied can, bottle, or container of alcohol in those same public spaces; drinking alcohol inside a motor vehicle while it is on a public way; and possessing an opened container of alcohol inside a private vehicle on a public way. The section carves out one exception in subsection (e): it does not apply within a designated area during an event covered by a special liquor license issued for that event.
Subsection (g) defines the covered beverages in detail, borrowed from state alcohol law: an alcoholic beverage is any drink with one-half of one percent or more alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit; wine is capped generally at 24 percent alcohol by volume (with narrower bands for cider); and malt beverages are capped at 12 percent alcohol by weight. The ordinance traces back to Code 1963 § 14-131 and two later amending ordinances from September 1978 and April 1980, and it cross-references the city's separate alcoholic beverages licensing chapter at Section 15-90 et seq.
Under subsection (f), any violation is punished by the fine set in the Code's general penalty section, Section 1-9, rather than a fine written into 17-10 itself.
Violations & Fines
Anyone caught drinking or holding an open container of alcohol on a New Bedford street, sidewalk, or in a vehicle on a public way is subject to a fine under the general penalty schedule of Section 1-9, since Sec. 17-10(f) sets the fine by reference rather than by a fixed dollar amount. Police can enforce this on the spot, and the offense applies equally to drivers and passengers in private vehicles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you drink alcohol on the street in New Bedford?
Can I carry an open beer in my car in New Bedford?
What counts as an open container under New Bedford's ordinance?
Sources & Official References
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle public alcohol use.