St. Tammany Parish, LA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Off-premises fine
- up to $200 per offense
- Vehicle open-container fine
- up to $500 plus court costs
- Mardi Gras exception
- Sat.-Mon. before & Mardi Gras Day
- Passenger area
- excludes locked trunk/glove box
- Arrest
- citation only, no custodial arrest
- Scope
- applies in all wards of parish, Sec. 6-13
Summary
St. Tammany Parish makes it a crime to carry an open, unsealed alcoholic drink off the premises of any parish-licensed retail alcohol outlet, and separately bans possessing an open container or drinking anywhere in a vehicle's passenger area while it's on a public road. Both bans sit in Code of Ordinances Sec. 6-12, with the off-premises violation capped at a $200 fine and the in-vehicle violation carrying up to $500 plus court costs.
Open alcoholic beverage container means any bottle, can, or other receptacle that contains any amount of alcoholic beverage and to which any of the following is applicable: (1)It is open or has a broken seal.(2)Its contents have been partially removed. ... (b)Open containers off-premises. (2)No person, whether patron, customer, employee or otherwise, shall remove any alcoholic beverage from the premises of a holder of a permit for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages in a container of any type, whether glass, bottle, can, paper or plastic cup, go-cup or otherwise, unless said container is unopened and sealed. ... (e)Possession of alcoholic beverages in motor vehicles.(1)It shall be unlawful for the operator of a motor vehicle or the passenger in or on a motor vehicle, while the motor vehicle is operated on a public highway or right-of-way, to possess an open alcoholic beverage container, or to consume an alcoholic beverage, in the passenger area of a motor vehicle.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-12 defines an "open alcoholic beverage container" as any bottle, can or receptacle that is open, has a broken seal, or has had its contents partially removed; a still-sealed frozen drink cup only counts once the lid comes off or a straw goes in. Subsection (b) bars any permit holder from knowingly letting a patron, customer or employee leave the premises with an unsealed drink, and separately bars the patron from removing it themselves, whatever the cup material, unless it is unopened and sealed.
Permit holders must post a conspicuous notice at each exit warning that removal of an open container is illegal. Subsection (e) covers the passenger area of any motor vehicle operated on a public highway or right-of-way, defined to include the glove compartment but not a locked glove box or the area behind the last upright seat in a vehicle with no trunk; it is unlawful for the driver or any passenger to possess an open container there or to consume alcohol while the vehicle is on the road.
Section 6-12 exempts the Saturday and Monday before Mardi Gras and Mardi Gras Day itself from the off-premises ban, and exempts employer-required carriage without consumption, paid fare passengers on common or public carriers, courtesy vehicles, self-contained motor homes over 21 feet, parade floats, and limousines driven by a Class D CDL holder from the vehicle ban. A vehicle open-container stop does not authorize an arrest: the officer must take a deposited driver's license or a written promise to appear. "
Violations & Fines
Removing or serving an unsealed drink off-premises draws a fine of up to $200.00 per offense under subsection (d). Possessing an open container or drinking in a vehicle's passenger area draws a fine of up to $500.00 plus court costs under subsection (e)(5), and the violation is not logged on the state driver's record kept under R.S. 32:393.1. Permit holders who let patrons carry drinks out also risk their alcohol permit under the chapter's revocation provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I carry a to-go drink out of a bar in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish?
Is it illegal to drink alcohol as a passenger while someone else drives?
Does the open-container ban apply during Mardi Gras?
What happens if I'm stopped with an open container in my car?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana public conduct overview
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