Costa Rica: ¢180.000 Fine For Drinking In The Street

We've seen them at the topes, the parades, in the beach towns, coming out of a bar, all with a beer or drink in hand, a practice that many in Costa Rica have taken as custom.



However, drinking in public now comes with a fine of ¢180.000 colones (US$355), due to a new law published this past Wednesday in La Gaceta.

The new sanction is included in Ley N.° 9.047, de Regulación y Comercialización de Bebidas con Contenido Alcohólico - the new liquor law that went into effect this past week - which calls for a fine of one half of a base salary which today is ¢360.000 colones.

The approved legislation establishes a new legal framework that regulates the licensing for the sale of liquor and sanctions.

Article 9 prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places, except during civic festivals.

The new law allows more powers to municipalities, which will have more control and authority over liquor sales and receive more economic benefits from businesses that dispense liquor.

Gone are the "patentes", as municipal leaders put it, so far have been a loss for municipalities and other government institutions and fostered a "black market'.

Now municipalities may issue liquor licenses and classify establishments where alcoholic beverages will be sold.

San José mayor, Johnny Araya, calls the new law "very good, allows more flexibility for municipalities and will be able to adjust revenues and control on liquor licenses".

Under the old system of "patentes", a few held the master rights in a specified boundary, in turn would 'rent' the right to a bar or restaurant. So, in fact, few bars and restaurants actually had a liquor license, paying a fee to the license holder and not the municipality, for the right to dispense.

The license holder, in many cases, paid a small amount to the municipality, passing on the license to heirs or selling it to others for hundreds of thousands of dollars.