# Sec. 14-136. Consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages in public

Codified through Bill No. CB-018-2026, adopted May 12, 2026, effective July 24, 2026. Source: Municode, Supplement 2026 Update 2. Editorial notes and legislative history omitted.

## Sec. 14-136. Consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages in public

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 14-136 (2026)

(a) Pursuant to the authority of Sections 19-103 and 19-204, Article 2B, Annotated Code of Maryland, the County adopts this Section to govern the consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages on public property and areas generally used by the public.

(b) The definition of "public property" includes any building, ground, park, street, highway, alley, sidewalk, station, terminal, or other structure, road, or parking area located on land owned, leased, or operated by the state, county, municipality, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, or Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

(c) It shall be unlawful for any person to drink any alcoholic beverage, as defined in Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and to possess any alcoholic beverage in an open container while:

  (1) On public property unless authorized by a governmental entity that has jurisdiction over the property;

  (2) On the mall, adjacent parking area, or other outside area or any combination of privately owned retail establishments, like a shopping center, where the general public is invited for business purposes, unless authorized by the owner of the shopping center;

  (3) On an adjacent parking area or other outside area of any other retail establishment, unless authorized by the owner of the establishment; or

  (4) In any vehicle located on any of the places enumerated in this Section, unless authorized pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2), or (3).

(d) The head of any governmental entity, agency, or department, including a municipality, having management or control over the property, may permit the drinking of alcoholic beverages and the possession of such beverages in open containers on public property where there is a determination that the occasion is one in which drinking is customarily permitted, and the use of alcoholic beverages will not be offensive to the public.

(e) This Section does not apply to the consumption of alcoholic beverages or the possession of alcoholic beverages in open containers by passengers in any vehicle equipped with a toilet if the owner or operator has consented to the consumption of the beverages.

(f) Any person who violates the provisions of this Section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to:

  (1) For the first offense, a fine not exceeding $100;

  (2) For a second offense, a fine not exceeding $250, a referral to twenty (20) hours of alcohol abuse treatment, or forty (40) hours of community service, or any combination thereof;

  (3) For a third offense, a fine not exceeding $500, a referral to forty (40) hours of alcohol abuse treatment, or eighty (80) hours of community service, or any combination thereof; and

  (4) For a fourth offense or any subsequent offenses, a fine not exceeding $1,000, a referral to sixty (60) hours of alcohol abuse treatment, or one hundred (100) hours of community service, or any combination thereof.

(g) Any community service sentence imposed in accordance with Subsection (f) may be performed within a ten (10) mile radius of the site of the commission of the offense. Failure to complete community service hours within one (1) year of imposition of such a sentence, shall result in imprisonment not to exceed one (1) hour for every one (1) hour of uncompleted community service.

(h) The Police Department shall maintain a list of all violations of this Section and provide a report upon request to the County Council that includes but is not limited to the total number of citations issued annually, the total number of convictions based on those citations, the total number of repeat offenders, and the zip codes of the locations where the violations are occurring in the County.