Ventura, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

010(B) defines "public property" broadly to include streets, sidewalks, bike paths, parking lots, parks, school grounds, transit stations, and any city-owned building or premises, and defines an "open container" as any vessel holding alcohol that is capable of consumption or whose seal has been broken. Subsection C makes it a misdemeanor to be or appear drunk on public property or in a vehicle there, and subsection D makes it a misdemeanor to be drunk to the annoyance of another on private premises. Subsection E bans actually drinking alcohol on city facilities or public property, or on private property without the consent of whoever controls it.

Subsection F presumes that possessing an open container means the contents are intended for consumption at that location. 505 and an ABC license for sidewalk consumption; structures or designated areas in parks or public spaces covered by an ABC license; and city facilities or public property operating under an approved special-event or temporary-use permit that allows alcohol. Subsection H lets an officer's sensory perception or a container's label establish a presumption that a liquid is alcoholic. Subsection K clarifies the section only applies to subjects of local regulation not preempted by state alcohol law.