Springfield, OR Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Springfield Municipal Code § 5.256, adopted under Article VIII, Public Morals, bars consuming alcoholic liquor, as defined in ORS 471.001, on public property anywhere in the city under subsection (2). The prohibition has two narrow carve-outs in subsection (3): alcohol consumption is allowed in sidewalk cafes that hold a permit under section 7.302 of the code, and in street areas licensed for alcohol use by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, provided the licensee follows all relevant OLCC guidelines and regulations. Outside a permitted sidewalk cafe or a licensed street area, drinking a beer or any other alcoholic liquor on a sidewalk, in a park, or anywhere else classified as public property is a chargeable offense.

Subsection (6)(b) sets the penalty for the alcohol prohibition at a fine not exceeding $720.00 under SMC section 1.205, the city's standard violation-level penalty, which is markedly lighter than the Class B misdemeanor penalty subsection (6)(a) attaches to the section's separate controlled-substance prohibition. The section sits alongside SMC 5.254's ban on unlicensed social gambling and the licensed Texas Holdem tournament rules in section 5.258, all part of the same public morals article. The Springfield Police Department enforces the public-alcohol prohibition, issuing citations to individuals found drinking outside the sidewalk-cafe and OLCC-licensed exceptions; the ordinance does not extend the ban to private property, so drinking on a private porch, yard, or inside a licensed bar or restaurant is unaffected.