Oconee County, SC Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Section 22-115(9), part of article IV's list of prohibited acts in county parks and recreation areas, bars any person using or occupying a park or recreation area covered by the Hartwell Lake Recreation Areas definition, or otherwise within the jurisdiction of the parks, recreation and tourism department, from possessing or consuming any alcoholic beverage of any type. The only carve-out is a private social function that county council has specifically approved for a park or recreation area, at the place, time and circumstances the council allows.

Section 22-114 defines 'alcoholic beverages and alcoholic liquors' by reference to whatever the state alcoholic beverage control commission licenses and regulates, so the ban tracks state ABC categories rather than a separate county list. Section 22-112 lets park officials or law enforcement direct a violator to leave the park; refusing is a trespass, and repeat violators can receive a written 'trespass notice' barring park use for up to a year, appealable to county council. Section 22-113 sets the penalty for any article IV violation, including drinking in a park, as a misdemeanor punishable under Sec.

1-7 of the county code. The article, readopted in its current form by Ordinance No. 2019-07 on February 19, 2019, and later amended by Ordinance No. 2025-25, applies to county-owned parks and recreation areas across Oconee County, not just Hartwell Lake sites.