Norfolk, VA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Section 29-17 covers two distinct offenses. Subsection (a) makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor for any person to be intoxicated in public anywhere in Norfolk. Subsection (b) escalates the penalty for repeat offenders: a third conviction for public intoxication within one year, and any conviction after that within the same one-year window, is a Class 3 misdemeanor instead of a Class 4. Subsection (c) is a separate open-container rule: it is unlawful to possess an open alcoholic beverage container in the city's public parks, playgrounds, or public streets, and a violation of that subsection is also a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Subsection (d) carves out a narrow exception for organized events: the city manager or a designee may permit possession of open beer or wine containers within the confined area of a specific event, but only as part of a special events permit, and only for the duration and footprint of that event. The ordinance traces back to § 31-99 of the 1958 Code and has been amended four times since, most recently by Ord. No. 45,115 on May 21, 2013, which is the source of the special-events carve-out in subsection (d).

The section cross-references related rules elsewhere in the code: dance-hall operators may not permit intoxicated patrons on the premises (§ 5-25), driving under the influence is separately charged under § 25-251, and intoxication on park property specifically is also addressed at §§ 30-74 and 30-271.