Feel like drinking a beer in public in Austin? Where you can (and can’t)

Think drinking in the streets of Austin is illegal? Yeah, about that.

After some sleuthing done by KUT as part of their ATXplained project, Austinites looking to crack open a cold one outside might gain peace of mind. KUT looked into the matter after a listener realized that signs saying “No alcohol consumption on public streets” could only be found in certain areas of the city.

Does this mean the rest of Austin’s neighborhoods are safe for open-air drinking?

Effectively, yes, KUT reports. 

RELATED: Austin Answered is on it

An Austin police officer told the station that city law does in fact allow for residents to walk around with an open container in “most neighborhoods.”

From KUT, there are six specific areas that an open container in public is specifically forbidden:

Those six areas include downtown, an area east of I-35, the Drag, a zone that snakes from Lady Bird Lake down to Bouldin Creek, an area around East Riverside Drive and another around Montopolis.”

It turns out, according to KUT, that state law leaves the power of deciding where in a city public drinking is allowed to local lawmakers. You can read KUT’s full investigation into public drinking in Austin here. 

The American-Statesman answers questions, too! Check out Austin Answered for answers to questions just like these.