Palm Desert, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Public drinking
- Banned on streets, sidewalks, alleys and unlicensed public property
- Open container
- Partially removed bottle or can banned in those places
- Private property open to public
- Same rules apply without owner permission
- Special events
- Exempt with city manager or council permission
- Parks
- Separate ban in § 11.01.080(W)
- Penalty
- General penalty, fine not exceeding $1,000
Summary
In the City of Palm Desert, California, no person can drink or consume an alcoholic beverage on a public street, sidewalk, highway, road, lane or alley, or on other publicly owned property open to the public that is not licensed for on-premises consumption. Section 9.58.020 separately bars possessing an opened container in those places, with a narrow transport exception.
No person shall drink, use or consume any alcoholic beverage, as defined in Section 23004 (and related sections) of the Business and Professions Code of the state, upon any public street, sidewalk, highway, road, lane or alley, or in or upon any other publicly owned property which is open to the use or the business of the public at the time, but which place is not licensed for the consumption of such beverage on the premises. The provisions of this section shall not apply, however, to the park and recreation area regulated elsewhere in this code. ... No person shall, in or upon any of the places listed in Section 9.58.010 of this chapter, have in possession any alcoholic beverage defined as in Section 9.58.010 of this chapter contained in any bottle, can or other receptacle, which has been partially removed;
Full Breakdown
Chapter 9.58 of the Palm Desert Municipal Code, Public Drinking and Liquor Possession, rests on Ordinance 391 of 1984. Section 9.58.010 prohibits drinking, using or consuming any alcoholic beverage, as defined in Section 23004 of the state Business and Professions Code and related sections, upon any public street, sidewalk, highway, road, lane or alley, or in or upon any other publicly owned property that is open to the use or business of the public at the time but is not licensed for consumption on the premises. The section does not apply to the park and recreation area regulated elsewhere in the code.
Section 9.58.020 covers possession. In the same places, no person can have an alcoholic beverage contained in a bottle, can or other receptacle which has been partially removed. The exception is narrow: it applies when the beverage is possessed strictly for the purpose of transporting it, along with other items, briefly and temporarily and directly through the place. Park and recreation areas are again carved out.
Section 9.58.030 extends both rules to privately owned property that is open to the use or patronage of the general public at the time, unless the person has the express or implied permission or invitation of the owner, lessee or other person in charge of the private property or business premises.
Section 9.58.040 lists the exceptions. Sections 9.58.010 and 9.58.020 do not apply to consumption or possession on city-owned property under a permit, entitlement or other permission issued by the city manager or designee, or the City Council, for a special event. They also do not apply to public property controlled by another public entity that has given its express or implied permission.
Park visitors face a parallel rule in the Parks title. Section 11.01.080(W) says no person shall bring into, consume or have in their possession in any park an alcoholic beverage, except as provided by Section 9.58.040.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 9.58 prints no penalty clause of its own, so the baseline in Section 1.12.010 applies where no specific penalty is provided: a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. The same section provides that violations of the code are prosecuted as infractions, with the term of imprisonment not applicable, unless the city attorney indicates otherwise to the court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you carry an opened bottle through a public place in Palm Desert?
Do the rules reach private property such as a store?
Are special events exempt in the City of Palm Desert?
Are city parks covered by Chapter 9.58?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Desert
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Public Alcohol Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle public alcohol use.