Ontario, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned
- drinking or open container in public
- Alcohol threshold
- 0.5% ABV or more
- Off-sale stores
- must post open-container warning signs
- Exception
- City event or Special Event Permit
- Host insurance required
- $1,000,000 liquor liability
Summary
Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-11.02 bans drinking alcohol or possessing an open alcoholic beverage container in any city park, city-owned property, or other public place, including streets, sidewalks, and parking lots, unless a City-approved event or Special Event Permit authorizes it.
(a) As used in this section, "alcoholic beverage" includes alcohol, spirits, liquor, wine, beer, and every liquid or solid containing alcohol, spirits, wine, or beer, which contains one-half of one percent (0.5%) or more of alcohol by volume, and which is fit for beverage purposes either alone or when diluted, mixed, or combined with other substances. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to drink an alcoholic beverage in any City park or other City-owned property or other public place, including, but not limited to, City-owned or City-leased buildings, parking lots, streets, alleys, ways, sidewalks, parkways and playgrounds. (c) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess any can, bottle, or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage, as defined in subsection (a), that has been opened, or had its seal broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed, in any City park or other City-owned property or other public place.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-32: Current through Ordinance 3338, passed 7-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
5% or more alcohol by volume that is fit for beverage purposes, alone or mixed. Subsection (b) bans drinking such a beverage in any City park or other City-owned property or public place, expressly naming City-owned or City-leased buildings, parking lots, streets, alleys, sidewalks, parkways, and playgrounds. Subsection (c) separately bans possessing an opened, seal-broken, or partially emptied container of alcohol in those same public places, and subsection (d) bans entering or remaining, with such an open container, on the posted premises or adjacent parking lot of any retail off-sale liquor store licensed under Division 9 of the Business & Professions Code; those off-sale licensees must post permanent signs stating that open containers are prohibited in or outside the store, visible to patrons inside, in the adjacent lot, and on the adjacent public sidewalk.
Subsection (e) exempts City-hosted events or events run by an affiliated nonprofit "supporting organization" holding a Special Event Permit, and separately preserves alcohol sales inside The Arena at 4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway under its operator agreement. Subsection (f) exempts a person carrying a container solely for recycling. Any event selling alcohol at a City facility or park needs a daily ABC license and the Chief of Police's written approval (subsection (h)), and any outside host, other than the City itself, must carry a one-day, $1,000,000 liquor liability policy naming the City as additional insured, filed at least 72 hours before the event (subsection (i)).
The Chief of Police can modify, suspend, or revoke any such permission without notice or a hearing if there is a breach of the peace or danger to the public (subsection (j)).
Violations & Fines
A violation of subsection (b) or (c) is punished as an infraction under subsection (g); violating (c), (d)(1), or (d)(2) is also expressly an infraction. Beyond that, Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 1-2.01 sets the Code's default range, up to a $1,000 misdemeanor fine and six months in jail, or escalating $100/$200/$500 infraction fines for repeat offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink a beer in an Ontario city park?
Is carrying an unopened six-pack through an Ontario park illegal?
Do liquor stores in Ontario have to post open-container warnings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ontario
California rules heatmap·Compare Ontario to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle public alcohol use.