Yes, you can keep open alcohol in your trunk in California. Vehicle Code Section 23225 identifies the trunk as the specific place an opened alcoholic container is allowed to ride while you’re driving.1California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23225 – Storage of Open Container The trap is that “trunk” means something stricter than most drivers assume, and vehicles without a true trunk have their own rules.
What Counts as an Open Container
An open container is any bottle, can, or other receptacle holding alcohol that has been opened, had its seal broken, or had any of its contents removed.2California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23222 – Possession of Alcohol and Cannabis A re-corked wine bottle counts. A half-finished beer counts. A factory-sealed bottle that has never been opened is not an open container, and you can keep sealed bottles anywhere in the vehicle.
Using the Trunk Correctly
If your car has a traditional trunk, put the opened bottle there before you start driving. The statute makes it illegal for the registered owner to keep an open container in a vehicle unless it’s in the trunk, and when the owner isn’t present, the same duty falls on the driver.1California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23225 – Storage of Open Container A re-corked bottle on the back seat, on the floor behind the passenger, or wedged between seats violates the law even though the cork is in.
What If Your Vehicle Doesn’t Have a Trunk
SUVs, hatchbacks, minivans, and pickups don’t have a separate trunk compartment, and this is where tickets happen. For these vehicles, the open container must go in an area not normally occupied by the driver or passengers. In a typical SUV, that means the rear cargo area behind the last row of seats.1California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23225 – Storage of Open Container
The glove compartment is not a legal substitute for a trunk. The statute explicitly treats glove compartments and utility compartments as part of the passenger area, so an open bottle stashed in your glove box breaks the law even if you lock it. Off-highway vehicles that require state identification stickers face a tougher standard still: open containers must be placed inside a locked container, meaning a fully enclosed box with a padlock, key lock, or combination lock.1California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23225 – Storage of Open Container
Who Can Get Ticketed
California uses several overlapping statutes so that no one in the car gets off on a technicality. A driver can’t personally possess an open container while operating a vehicle on a highway, under Vehicle Code Section 23222.2California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23222 – Possession of Alcohol and Cannabis A passenger can’t either, under Section 23223.3California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23223 – Passenger Possession of Open Container And Section 23226 separately bars keeping an open container in the passenger compartment at all, regardless of who holds it.4California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23226 – Open Container in Passenger Compartment Handing an opened bottle to your friend in the passenger seat doesn’t solve the problem. Both of you can be cited, and the registered owner remains on the hook for improper storage.
The Narrow Exceptions
Vehicle Code Section 23229 exempts passengers in licensed commercial vehicles for hire. If you’re riding in a licensed bus, taxi, limousine, or pedicab, you may possess an open container, and the driver and owner of that vehicle are exempt from the storage rules too.5California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23229 – Exceptions to Open Container Laws The living quarters of a motorhome or camper are also exempt, but only the living quarters. Someone sitting in the driver or front passenger seat of a motorhome isn’t in the living quarters and doesn’t qualify.
Rideshare vehicles like Uber and Lyft sit in a gray area under this exemption, which applies to vehicles licensed to transport passengers. In practice, both platforms prohibit open containers as company policy, and drivers routinely refuse rides when passengers try to bring one aboard.
What a Ticket Costs
For adults, an open container violation is an infraction, not a misdemeanor. You get a ticket, not a criminal record. The base fine is commonly cited at up to $250, but California piles mandatory surcharges, penalty assessments, and court fees on top of every base fine, which pushes the real out-of-pocket total into the hundreds.6Lassen County Superior Court. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule Effective January 1, 2026 If you don’t pay within 20 days, the state adds a 50 percent late charge on top.
If You’re Under 21, the Rule Is Different
For anyone under 21, the trunk rule isn’t the operative one. Vehicle Code Section 23224 makes it a misdemeanor for anyone under 21 to knowingly drive with or possess any alcoholic beverage in a vehicle, open or sealed.7California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23224 – Persons Under 21 Carrying Alcohol A conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, and if the vehicle is registered to the offender, it can be impounded at the owner’s expense for up to 30 days. Putting the bottle in the trunk does not cure the violation for a driver or passenger under 21.
Narrow exceptions exist. You’re not in violation if you’re accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or a responsible adult designated by your parent, and the alcohol is being transported for a legitimate purpose. Employees of licensed alcohol retailers handling beverages during work hours are also exempt.
National Parks and Other Federal Land
If your drive takes you into Yosemite, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, or any other national park area in California, federal law applies on top of state law. The federal rule under 36 CFR Section 4.14 prohibits carrying or storing any opened alcoholic container inside a motor vehicle on park land, with the same trunk exception: open containers in the trunk, or in a luggage storage area not accessible to the driver or passengers, are permitted.8eCFR. 36 CFR 4.14 – Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage Glove compartments and utility compartments count as accessible, matching California’s treatment.
There’s one useful difference. If your vehicle is parked at an authorized campsite where you’re actively camping, open containers are allowed inside the vehicle, and the living quarters of a motorhome or camper are exempt as well. On park roads between campsites, the trunk-or-cargo-area rule is back in force.