Driving, boating, parks and hotels: drinking on the go in Utah

Utah is built for getting outside: ski slopes, lakes, red rock, a lot of driving between them. Here's how alcohol fits (and doesn't) on the road, on the water, in the parks and at your hotel.

Driving: .05, and what counts

Utah's DUI limit is a blood alcohol concentration of .05, the lowest in the country since December 30, 2018. For many people that's about half as many drinks as the .08 limit most states use.

• Sitting in the driver's seat counts. The law covers being in “actual physical control” of a vehicle, not just driving it, so sleeping it off behind the wheel is a bad plan.
• Under 21: not a drop. Drivers under 21 can't have any detectable alcohol in their system.
• Bikes too. DABS notes the .05 limit applies to vehicles and bicycles.
• Where was your last drink? Under Utah's “Place of Last Drink” program, officers record where someone they stop last had a drink.

Open containers

No open alcohol in the passenger area of a car, and no drinking in it. An opened bottle (like the rest of that wine from dinner) can ride in the trunk, out of reach. Two exceptions, with conditions:

• Limos: passengers can drink if a partition separates the driver, and the ride starts and ends at your hotel or home.
• Chartered buses: drinking is allowed on the way and back, only if you're dropped off at your hotel or home. If the bus drops you somewhere you'll likely drive from, no drinking on the return trip.

Boating

The same .05 limit applies on the water: it's illegal to operate a boat at .05 or higher. At Lake Powell, Glen Canyon rangers run extra patrols during Operation Dry Water and point out that impairment puts operators and passengers alike at risk. Pick a sober captain before you launch.

Parks, trails and public places

State law bans drinking in a public building, park or stadium unless it has a license or event permit, and cities and counties can add their own limits. In practice it varies a lot by place:

• Most Utah state and national parks allow alcohol, with site-specific restrictions.
• Many city parks prohibit it except at permitted events.
• Some popular spots have their own bans: Weber County, for example, banned alcohol on the beaches, trails and parking lots at Pineview and Causey reservoirs in 2017.

Check the rules for the specific park or campground before you pack the cooler. And anywhere in public, being so drunk that you endanger yourself or others or unreasonably disturb people is against the law.

Hotels, resorts and the slopes

• Many hotels and resorts have a package agency, a small on-site liquor store for guests.
• Licensed hotels can deliver alcohol by room service, but minibars aren't allowed.
• Since 2026, hotels can mark a direct route between the bar and the guest rooms where you can carry your drink.
• Ski resorts, golf courses and bowling alleys often hold beer licenses; full bars and restaurants at resorts follow the usual bar and restaurant rules.

At the airport

Lounges at Salt Lake City International can serve from 8 a.m. to midnight, with or without food, the earliest start of any license type in Utah.