Is it legal to drink alcohol in a Boise park? It depends. Here’s the law

As the summer season begins, many people will be returning to the Boise Greenbelt and the many parks and green spaces dotted around the City of Trees.

For some, enjoying a summer day at the park may include a cool beverage in hand. But are you legally allowed to drink alcohol in public in Boise parks? Here’s what to know about alcohol laws in Boise parks.

Beer and wine in Boise parks

Unless otherwise posted in the park or the Boise City Code, beer and wine are permitted to be possessed and consumed by individuals who are 21 or older in most parks. Glass is not permitted in Boise parks per city code, so consider transferring your wine or beer in bottles to another container.

All other types of alcoholic beverages, such as liquor, are not allowed unless they’re being consumed at a licensed location. That includes any street, parking lot, restroom, pathway, playground, swimming pool, youth community center, skate park, archery range, cemetery, bike skills facility or youth sports complex connected to a Boise park.

Here are the Boise-area parks and areas that do not allow any sort of alcohol consumption:

• Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park and Quinn’s Pond

• Idaho Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park

• McAuley Park

• Pioneer Community Center

• Shoreline Park

• Boise River Greenbelt, including any area within 250 feet of the Greenbelt

If you violate park alcohol rules (or any other park regulations), a police officer or city official can ask you to leave the park. If you are ejected, you must leave immediately and are not allowed to return for the rest of that day.

Drinking permits in Boise parks

In the parks where it is legal to drink in Boise, individuals or groups cannot possess more than 7.5 gallons of beer or wine without filling out a permit application and paying a fee. The application can be found online and includes a flat fee of $10 per event, but additional fees may apply.

Other parks allow wine and beer, but alcohol consumption within park boundaries requires a permit and a reservation.

Reservations can be made for picnic sites, shelters or pavilions in numerous Boise parks, costing either $75 or $105 for Boise residents or $116 or $162 for non-residents. The only exception is the Julia Davis Park Bandshell, which costs $425 for residents and $658 for non-residents.

You can choose from three reservation blocks: sunrise to 11 a.m., noon to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to sunset. Here are the parks that require a reservation and a fee to drink beer or wine:

• Ann Morrison Park Old Timer’s Shelter

• Boise Depot

• Platt Gardens

• Boise Urban Garden School

• Borah Park

• Cecil D. Andrus Park

• C.W. Moore Park

• Dick Eardley Senior Center

• Esther Simplot Park

• Idaho IceWorld

• Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center

• Julia Davis Park

• Kathryn Albertson Park

• Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park

• Marianne Williams Park

• Veterans Memorial Park

• Willow Lane Athletic Complex