Open Container Ordinance Gets Amended for Downtown Cheyenne

A new ordinance has been passed by the Cheyenne City Council that will allow for open containers and consumption of alcoholic beverages within the Downtown Development Authority district boundaries.

For adults 21 and older, the ordinance will permit the possession of open malt beverage and wine containers from the Thursday that precedes Memorial Day until the end of the Monday that Labor Day falls on every year. For 2021, those calendar dates are Thursday, May 27th, and Monday, September 6th, respectively. In that timeframe of dates, within the DDA district boundaries, open containers will be permitted daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in public spaces.

While this is fantastic news for those downtowns, there are several things to keep in mind. The first being the fact that no hard liquor is allowed, only malt beverages and wine. The permitted beverages can also only be in a plastic cup or in a container distributed by a business within the DDA district. No glass bottles or glass containers will be allowed with the open container ordinance.

The Downtown Development Authority district boundaries where the open containers will be permitted is the area that goes from the Union Pacific Railroad tracks on the south to 22nd street on the north. From the west, it will go from Snyder Avenue to House Avenue on the east. A full map of the DDA district boundaries can be found by clicking here.

Open containers are also permitted within the DDA district boundaries on any holiday that falls within the allotted timeframe mentioned. Those holidays happen to include Fourth of July, Wyoming Statehood Day on July 10th, and Cheyenne Day, which takes place on July 28th during Cheyenne Frontier Days.

It'll be nice to have such a privilege during the upcoming summer and every summer after as it will certainly make for that much more of a festive atmosphere. Just be sure to be courteous and drink responsibly, Cheyenne!