Set to take effect on January 3, 2022, the amended ordinance allows open containers in the six designated districts Friday through Sunday. For those businesses opting in, there is now an annual $250 renewal fee. The amended ordinance, according to Decaturish, includes the same five previously designated downtown districts, along with a new West College district, and offers the option for restaurants and bars to opt in or out of the policy. The commission extended the ordinance several times over the last year before finally making the policy a permanent part of the city’s restaurant and bar scene earlier this week. Last October, the Decatur city commission approved a temporary ordinance allowing restaurants to sell booze for off-premise consumption during set hours on Fridays and Saturdays in designated areas throughout the city.
Decatur’s open-container policy is now permanent
