Winston-Salem, NC Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Winston-Salem bars drinking or possessing an open container of malt beverages or unfortified wine on any public street or on property the city owns, occupies, or controls, under Sec. 38-9(a). The ban reaches anyone who is not an occupant of a motor vehicle: pedestrians, park visitors, and people on streets closed for special events unless the alcohol was obtained through a sale permitted under Sec. 38-8. A companion rule in Sec. 38-9(b) separately makes it unlawful to discard or deposit any beer or wine container, fortified or unfortified, in a public place, on a public street, or on someone else's private property without permission.