Open Container
A.R.S. 4-251 — no drinking and no open container in the passenger compartment on a public highway
Driver and passengers alike. It is unlawful for any person to consume spirituous liquor while operating or while within the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle on a public highway or its right-of-way, or to possess an open container there. A violation is a class 2 misdemeanor.
The passenger compartment includes an unlocked glove compartment and unlocked portable devices within reach of anyone seated. It does not include the trunk, a locked glove compartment, or the area behind the last upright seat of a vehicle with no trunk. An open container is any receptacle holding liquor that has been opened, had its seal broken, or had some contents removed.
The section does not apply to a passenger in a bus, limousine, taxi or a transportation network company vehicle providing those services, or to a passenger in the living quarters of a motor home.
Sources for this section (1)
- A.R.S. 4-251 — Spirituous liquor in motor vehicles; prohibitions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Arizona attorney.