Shoreline, WA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Shoreline Municipal Code § 9.10.160 sets a specific civil fine, separate from the criminal code's general misdemeanor penalties, for public drinking: except as provided by RCW Title 66 or SMC § 8.12.500 relating to park rules, any person who possesses an open container of liquor in a public place is subject to a civil fine not to exceed $50.00. The section carves out vehicle storage: the fine does not apply to containers kept in the trunk of a vehicle or in an area of the vehicle not normally occupied by the driver or passengers, though the code specifically states that a glove compartment or utility compartment counts as part of the occupied area and does not qualify for the exception.

The cross-reference to § 8.12.500 means Shoreline's park-specific alcohol rules, which separately govern drinking in city parks and park facilities, can impose their own restrictions beyond this general open-container fine. Section 9.10.160 was adopted through the city's original 1996 criminal code ordinance and amended in 2007 by Ordinance 480, and it sits alongside the broader RCW Title 66 state liquor control provisions the city adopts by reference in the surrounding sections of Chapter 9.10. The Shoreline Police Department, operating under its King County Sheriff's Office services contract, issues citations for open containers found on sidewalks, streets, parking lots and other public places within the city limits.