Public Conduct — Costa Rica
What travelers need to know about public conduct in Costa Rica. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Public Conduct in Costa Rica: prohibited — what is legal at home can be a serious crime here.
Do not drink alcohol on the street in Costa Rica. Being caught drinking on a public road - or in any public place your municipality has designated - is a fine of half a salario base, currently about ₡231,100, and the police, municipal police or municipal inspectors must confiscate the drink and file a report. Which additional public places are covered is set municipality by municipality, so it varies by town.
A fine of half a salario base, plus mandatory confiscation of the drink and a written report (Ley 9047 art. 20). Costa Rica's salario base is ₡462,200, so half is ₡231,100. Separately, SELLING alcohol on public roads and in public places is punished with ten to thirty días multa (art. 19), and selling without a municipal licence with thirty to sixty días multa (art. 21).
§ SINALEVI - Ley 9047 "Ley de Regulación y Comercialización de bebidas con contenido alcohólico", texto completo, "Versión de la Norma: 6 de 6"; salario base from Ministerio de Hacienda, Dirección General de Aduanas resolución MH-DGA-RES-0320-2026 dated 09 March 2026 (https://www.hacienda.go.cr/docs/MH-DGA-RES-0320-2026.pdf)