Redding, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- RMC § 10.25.010
- First offense
- Infraction, up to $100
- Third offense (5 yrs)
- Misdemeanor
- Buffer zone
- 50 feet from public right-of-way
- Exemptions
- Permitted park, dining, special events
Summary
Redding Municipal Code Section 10.25.010 bans drinking or carrying an open container of alcohol on public streets, sidewalks, parks, and other public property, and extends the ban fifty feet onto private property visible from those areas unless the owner consents. Permitted park events, sidewalk dining, and licensed special events are exempted.
A.No person shall consume or have in his or her possession an open container of any alcoholic beverage: (1) on any public highway, alley, crosswalk, street or sidewalk or other place open for pedestrian travel; (2) on any public property; or (3) within fifty (50) feet of any public highway, alley, crosswalk, street or sidewalk or other place open for pedestrian travel, while on private property open to public view without the express permission of the owner, his or her agent, or the person in lawful possession of the property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48).
Full Breakdown
010(A)). 44, so long as that permit bars glass or metal containers, requires compliance with state and local alcohol-sale laws, and requires the organizer to provide toilet facilities and follow police, parks and recreation, Redding Convention Center, and risk-management conditions. Subsection C clarifies the chapter never makes lawful conduct that state law otherwise permits, nor unlawful conduct that state law otherwise allows. The ordinance keeps open drinking off downtown sidewalks and out of neighborhood parks while still letting the city license beer gardens and festivals through its existing permit chapters.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of Section 10.25.010 is an infraction carrying a fine of up to $100 under Section 10.25.020. A second violation within one year raises the infraction fine to $200, and a third violation within five years of the first becomes a misdemeanor, exposing the violator to county jail time and a fine under the code's general misdemeanor penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink alcohol on my own porch in Redding?
Is drinking allowed at Redding parks?
What happens on a third open-container citation in Redding?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redding
California rules heatmap·Compare Redding to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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