Alcohol Offenses in Oklahoma

Transporting Open Container

In Oklahoma, it is illegal to transport an open container of any alcoholic beverage.  An unopened container is one that the seal has not been broken and that the cork or original cap has not been removed.  The exception is when the open container is transported in the rear trunk or rear compartment  of the vehicle or any outside compartment not accessible to the driver or any other person while the vehicle is moving. This section doesn’t apply to the passenger areas of buses and limousines.

The penalty carries up to six months in the county jail and/or a fine up to $500 in addition to a $100 special assessment trauma care fee.

Providing or Selling Alcohol to a Person Under 21

In Oklahoma, it is illegal for a person to provide or sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 21.  A first time offense is a misdemeanor and carries up to a $500 fine.  A second conviction is also a misdemeanor but carries up to a $1000 fine.  A third or subsequent conviction is a felony that carries up to five years in prison and/or up to a $2500 fine.

Regardless if it is your first or subsequent violation, if the violation causes great bodily injury or death of a person, the charge will be a felony charge.  It carries up to five years in prison and/or a fine not less than $2500 and not more than $5000.

In each these violations, completing a Victim’s Impact Panel is required.

Miscellaneous Alcohol Laws

In Oklahoma, it is illegal to:

• Sell or furnish alcohol to a person that is intoxicated, insane, or mentally deficient;
• Open or consume alcoholic beverages in a liquor store, grocery store, or convenience store unless otherwise allowed by law
• Bring more than one liter of alcohol across states lines without proper taxes being paid
• Consume alcohol in a public place unless you are on the premises of a licensee permitted to sell/serve  alcohol by the drink.
• Allow a person under 21 to drink alcohol or consume a controlled dangerous substance on your property
• Be drunk in public

These violations are misdemeanors providing there hasn’t been any prior violations and no injuries or death were involved.

Call the Hunsucker Legal Group at (405) 544-2992 to schedule a free, no-risk case consultation today.