Can parents give their kids alcohol? Can I be drunk in public? Know these 5 California laws
Can I give my child alcohol at home during the holidays? Can I be drunk in public? And when do I have to show my ID to buy booze?
California has a handful of laws on what’s legal when it comes to drinking and buying alcohol.
Before you pour a glass or grab a pint, here’s a refresher on alcohol rules in California.
Can I drink in a car while someone else drives?
You can’t drink and drive a car in California — or any state, for that matter — but what if you’re not behind the wheel?
According to California vehicle code, you cannot have an unsealed or open alcohol container in a car, whether it’s the driver’s hands or a passenger’s.
If you have an open bottle, it must be in the vehicle’s trunk, not the glove box.
READ MORE: “Can you drink alcohol in a car in California while someone else drives? What the law says”
When do I need to show my ID to buy alcohol?
California doesn’t exactly require bars and businesses to check everyone for proof of age to sell alcohol.
“There is no specific California law that directly mandates the checking of identification when purchasing alcohol,” Devin Blankenship, a spokesman from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, told The Sacramento Bee.
The department says businesses selling alcohol should “ask for ID from anyone who appears youthful.”
Blankenship said licensees are the ones who officially decide when to ID to protect their alcohol license.
It’s still a good idea for businesses to do their due diligence. Anyone who sells alcoholic beverages to minors will be guilty of a misdemeanor and receive a fine of $250.
READ MORE: “When does a bar or liquor store have to ID you for alcohol sales? What California law says”
If I’m not buying alcohol, can a cashier still ID me?
Whether you’re carded or not is up to the business.
Since there isn’t a specific law requiring identification for alcohol sales, businesses can create their own ID policies, Blankenship told The Bee.
Blankenship said businesses can set regulations to prevent having their license suspended or revoked for selling to minors or allowing them to consume alcohol on their property.
“This would be more of a store or company policy in terms of the checking other IDs besides the buyer,” Blankenship said.
READ MORE: ”Can a cashier ask to see my ID if I’m not the one buying alcohol? What California law says”
Can parents give their kids alcohol?
If you’re celebrating the holidays at home, throwing a family barbecue or having a birthday dinner with alcoholic beverages, kids can join in on the fun, right?
No, they can’t, according to California law.
Bryce Avalos, spokesman for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said Section 25658 of the California Business and Professions Code makes it completely illegal to provide minors with alcohol.
Anyone who sells or gives alcohol to someone under 21 years old is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Parents are no exception.
READ MORE: “Can parents legally give underage kids alcohol at home? Here’s what California law says”
Can I drink or be drunk in public?
You can’t drink alcohol in public spaces or outside of a licensed venue under California law, and you can only be drunk in public as long as you aren’t bothering other people.
“If you’re drunk in public and it interferes with someone else’s enjoyment of being out in public, then you can get a drunk in public or public intoxication (charge),” Dan Croxall, associate professor of law at the University of the Pacific, told The Bee.
READ MORE: “Here are 4 ways you can get in trouble with alcohol in California you might not know”
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