SA.GOV.AU - Dry areas

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head data-asset="458771"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <title>SA.GOV.AU - Dry areas</title> <meta name="Description" content="About dry areas, what they are, what you can or can't do in a dry area." /> <meta name="dcterms.title" content="Dry areas" /> <meta name="dcterms.identifier" content="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas" /> <meta name="dcterms.availability" content="Call Service SA on 13 23 24" /> <meta name="dcterms.creator" content="Government of South Australia" /> <meta name="dcterms.publisher" content="Government of South Australia" /> <meta name="dcterms.type" content="Text" /> <meta name="dcterms.format" content="Text/HTML" /> <meta name="dcterms.language" content="en-AU" /> <meta name="dcterms.audience" content="South Australia" /> <meta name="dcterms.coverage" content="South Australia" /> <meta name="dcterms.rights" content="Copyright 2024 Government of South Australia https://www.sa.gov.au/copyright" /> <meta name="dcterms.modified" content="2023-12-14" /> <meta name="dcterms.created" content="2018-09-18" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Dry areas" /> <meta property="og:description" content="About dry areas, what they are, what you can or can't do in a dry area." /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0006/591828/og-gosa-colour-on-white.png" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="630">   <meta name="dcterms.description" content="About dry areas, what they are, what you can or can't do in a dry area." /> <meta name="dcterms.subject" content="Information and services for South Australians" /> <meta name="rel.canonical" content="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas" />   <meta name="fb.topic" content="Business and trade" /> <meta name="fb.topicUrl" content="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade" />  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-PLTDM77');</script>  <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin=""> <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Lato:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;0,900;1,400;1,700;1,900&display=swap" rel="stylesheet"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sa.gov.au/_design/rebrand-folder/css/vendors.css?v=0.1.4" />  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sa.gov.au/_design/rebrand-folder/css/main.css?v=0.1.387" />  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sa.gov.au/_design/rebrand-folder/css/landscape_max_1024.css?v=0.1.2" media="screen and (min-device-width: 800px) and (max-device-width: 1024px) and (orientation:landscape)" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sa.gov.au/_design/rebrand-folder/css/print.css?v=0.1.34" media="print" /> <script src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/js_file/0008/251000/modernizrjs.js?v=0.1.1"></script>   </head> <body class="landing_page">  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PLTDM77" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <input type="hidden" id="site_url" value="https://www.sa.gov.au" /> <div class="main_wrapper container clearfix"> <div id="content_wrapper">  <header class="header hideimage clearfix container">  <div class="logo"> <a href="https://www.sa.gov.au" class="go_to_homapage"> <img src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0013/251014/sagovau.png" width="155" height="23" alt="SA.GOV.AU"> </a> </div>  <div class="search_logon clearfix">   <button id="search_icon_mobile" aria-label="Search" aria-expanded="false"></button> <div class="login_box"><a href="">My Account</a></div>  <div class="search_header"> <form id="search_page_header" method="get" action="https://www.sa.gov.au/search"> <input type="hidden" value="sagov-web-search" name="collection" /> <label for="searchinput">Search</label>  <input type="text" class="search_imp query searchbox ui-autocomplete-input" name="query" id="searchinput" value="" placeholder="Search site" autocomplete="off"/>  <input type="image" src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/251011/shape.png" width="20" height="20" alt="Search image icon" style="position: absolute; top: 29px; right: 16px;" /> </form> </div>   </div> </header>   <div id="main" class="container page-col-left"> <div class="top_content hideimage clearfix"> <nav class="bcrumb_plain" aria-label="current page navigation menu"> <ul> <li><a class="home_link" href="https://www.sa.gov.au"><img src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/file/0004/576562/home-breadcrumb.svg" alt="Home" role="img"></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade">Business and trade</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor">Liquor</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public">Information for the general public</a></li> <li class="active"><span>Dry areas</span></li> </ul> </nav> <h1 class="main_title">Dry areas</h1> </div>  <div class="sidebar ">  <nav class="sidenav_menu"> <h2>Information for the general public</h2> <ul> <li class=""><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/noise-complaints">Make a noise complaint</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/object-to-a-liquor-or-gaming-licence">Object to a liquor licence application</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/for-parents-of-minors">Information for parents of minors</a></li><li class="selected"><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas">Dry areas</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/delivery-of-alcohol">Delivery of alcohol</a></li> </ul> </nav>  </div> <div class="subtopic_lvl3"> <div class="page_contents"> <div id="content_container_458773_458773"> <p>A dry area is a place where you're not allowed to have or drink alcohol. The purpose of a dry area is to curb alcohol-related problems and anti-social behaviour in public areas such as:</p><ul><li>reserves</li><li>main shopping precincts</li><li>car parks</li><li>beaches and foreshores</li><li>communities where drinking in public places is an indicator of complex social issues.</li></ul><p>It's not an offence to have alcohol while genuinely passing through a dry area if:</p><ul><li>it's unopened and in the original container in which it was purchased from a licensed premises</li><li>it's in the course of carrying on a business, such as a packaged liquor sales licensee delivering a bottle/s of wine</li><li>you live near a dry area and must pass through it to enter your home</li><li>the alcohol is for religious purposes.</li></ul><h2 class="accordion">Find a dry area - information for consumers</h2><div><p>Before you have an event in a public place, you need to check if it's a dry area.</p><p>There are two types of dry area:</p><ul><li><strong>long term</strong> - more than 48 hours <br /><a href="https://cbs.sa.gov.au/sections/LGL/find-a-dry-area">Find long term dry areas</a> - CBS website</li><li><strong>short term</strong> - no longer than 48 hours - for one-off alcohol-free events, such as new year's eve.<br /><a href="http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/councils">Contact your local council</a> to find out if there are any upcoming short term dry areas.</li></ul><p>If you buy a bottle of wine at a licensed venue to have with a meal but don't finish it, you are allowed to take the closed bottle with you, even if you have to pass through a dry area. You may need to prove that you bought the bottle at a nearby licensed venue, for example by showing the receipt.</p><p>Anyone who has or drinks alcohol in a dry area can be fined up to $1,250 or be given an on-the-spot fine of $160.</p></div><h2 class="accordion">Councils applying for a dry area</h2><div><p>Councils can declare a short term dry area in their local council area, or apply to Consumer and Business Services (CBS) for a long term dry area.</p><h3>Short term (48 hours or less)</h3><div><p>Councils can declare a short term dry area of 48 hours or less by publishing a notice in the Government Gazette. You don't need approval from CBS.</p><p>For short term dry areas councils must:</p><ul><li>publish a notice no later than 14 days prior to the event</li><li>notify the Commissioner of Police no later than seven days prior to the event.</li></ul><p data-renderer-start-pos="463"><a href="https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/970558/Dry-area-template-for-councils-2023.pdf" target="_blank">Dry area notice template for councils - 2023 (PDF 200KB)</a></p><p data-renderer-start-pos="509"><a href="https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/liquor/Dry-area-template-for-councils-2024.pdf" target="_blank">Dry area notice template for councils - 2024 (PDF 200KB)</a></p><p><a href="https://www.governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/submit_notice">Publishing notices in the Government Gazette</a></p></div><h3>Long term (over 48 hours)</h3><div><p>Long term dry areas are designed to work as part of a broader local level strategy to reduce alcohol-related problems in the area. Councils must apply to CBS at least four months before the dry area will take effect.</p><p>Long term dry areas can be either:</p><ul><li>for a specified period of time</li><li>ongoing.</li></ul><p>There is no fee for applying.</p><h3>How to apply for a long-term dry area</h3><p>To apply for a dry area you will need:</p><ul><li>the date and time requested</li><li>a letter outlining why the council is seeking the prohibition - eg anti-social behaviour related to alcohol misuse</li><li>evidence of any community consultation</li><li>consultation with relevant service providers to address displacement issues</li><li>a letter of support from the officer in charge of the local police station</li><li>a letter of support from the local Member of Parliament</li><li>a detailed and accurate description and plan of the area in the application including GIS data of the boundary.</li></ul><p>Send all the relevant documents to <a href="mailto:CBSRegServices@sa.gov.au">CBSRegServices@sa.gov.au</a>.</p><p>If the long term dry area is for more than 14 days, it's declared by the minister. If it is less than 14 days it's declared by the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner.</p><p>Dry areas are made public by notice in the Government Gazette following a recommendation by the commissioner.</p></div><h3>Boundaries and plans</h3><div><p>Dry areas should be bounded by commonly identifiable geographical features. In order of precedence they should follow:</p><ol><li>legal allotments (cadastre) boundaries</li><li>road reserves that adhere to allotments</li><li>topographic features.</li></ol><p>Plans must be produced by the council as there may be copyright issues with using plans provided by external agencies.</p><p>Descriptions and plans are legal documents and are published in the Government Gazette. They may be used in court and must be clear, exact and unambiguous.</p><p>CBS has developed some examples of dry area plans, and rules to define and produce them:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/dry-area-guidelines-appendix-1.pdf" target="_blank">Appendix 1 - Geographically defining dry areas (PDF)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/dry-area-guidelines-appendix-2_0.pdf" target="_blank">Appendix 2 - Map production rules for plans (PDF)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/dry-area-guidelines-appendix-3.pdf" target="_blank">Appendix 3 - Example dry area plans (PDF)</a></li></ul></div><h3>Signage requirements</h3><div><p>The dry area should have adequate signage to inform the public that alcohol is not allowed. Inadequate signage can cause confusion for the public and makes it harder for police to enforce dry areas.</p><p>Signs should be:</p><ul><li>placed at every major vehicle and pedestrian entrance to the dry area</li><li>no smaller than 450 mm x 225 mm</li><li>clearly visible</li><li>placed in prominent places and unobscured by trees, buildings or other signs.</li></ul><p>In the case of parklands and large open spaces, signs should be placed around the dry area perimeter at no less than 25 metres apart. Signs should contain:</p><ul><li>the location of the dry area - eg 'city square bounded by XX St and YY Ave'</li><li>the hours of prohibition - eg '24 hours' or 'between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am'</li><li>the police assistance number <a href="tel:13-14-44.">131 444.</a></li></ul><p><a href="https://cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/example-dry-area-sign.pdf" target="_blank">Example dry area sign (PDF 110KB)</a></p></div></div> </div> <span id="new_content_container_458814_458814"> <div id="content_container_459536"> <h2>Contact CBS Liquor and Gaming</h2><p><strong>Email:</strong> <a href="mailto:liquorandgaming@sa.gov.au">liquorandgaming@sa.gov.au</a></p><p><strong>Phone: </strong><a href="tel:131-882">131 882</a></p><p><strong>Post:</strong><br />GPO Box 2169<br />Adelaide SA 5001</p> </div> </span> <div id="new_content_container_458817_458817"> <hr /><h2>Related information</h2><h3>On this site</h3><p><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/apply/short-term">Short term liquor licence</a></p><h3>Documents</h3><p><a href="https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/general-code-of-practice-liquor.pdf" target="_blank">Liquor licensing - general code of practice (PDF 128KB)</a> - CBS</p> </div> </div> <div class="page_contents"><form id="form_email_2496" enctype="multipart/form-data" action="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas" method="post" ><input type="hidden" name="SQ_FORM_2496_PAGE" value="1" class="sq-form-field" id="SQ_FORM_2496_PAGE" /><input type="hidden" name="form_email_2496_referral_url" value="" /> <style type="text/css"> .recaptcha__container { margin-bottom: 1rem; } .recaptcha__error { color: red; } </style> <div class="page_useful"> <hr> <h3>Was this page useful?</h3> <div class="pagefeedbackask"> <div id="pageuseful"> <ul><li><input type="radio" name="q2496:q3" id="q2496_q3_0" value="0" class="styled" /> <label for="q2496_q3_0">Yes</label></li><li><input type="radio" name="q2496:q3" id="q2496_q3_1" value="1" class="styled" /> <label for="q2496_q3_1">No</label></li></ul> </div> <div id="pagecomments" class="clearfix"> <label for="q2496_q2" style="font-size:18px"> <div id="like" class="textarea_title"><h3>What did you like about it?</h3> <p><strong>Don't include any personal information.</strong><br />If you need a response, <a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/contact-us">send an enquiry</a> instead.</p> </div> <div id="improve" class="textarea_title"><h3>How can we make it better?</h3> <p><strong>Don't include any personal information.</strong><br />If you need a response, <a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/contact-us">send an enquiry</a> instead.</p> </div> </label> <textarea name="q2496:q2" title="Comments" cols="54" rows="4" id="q2496_q2" class="sq-form-field" placeholder="Leave a comment" onkeyup="if (this.value.length > 300) { this.value = this.value.substr(0,300); alert('This field can contain no more than 300 characters.'); this.focus()}" onblur="if (this.value.length > 300) { this.value = this.value.substr(0,300); alert('This field can contain no more than 300 characters.'); this.focus()}"></textarea> <div class="recaptcha__container"> <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js" async defer></script><div class="g-recaptcha" data-theme="light" data-size="normal" data-sitekey="6Lf9lqUUAAAAAANhAsWgoupWXUP05QZZzMfKrQbD"></div> <div class="recaptcha__error"></div> </div> <div> <input type="submit" name="form_email_2496_submit" value="Submit" class="sq-form-submit" id="form_email_2496_submit" /> </div> </div> </div> <div class="pagefeedbackthanks page_contents"> <div class="successbreakout"> <div class="pagefeedbackthankstext"> <p>Thanks for contributing - your feedback helps us improve this website. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hidden"> <textarea name="q2496:q8" title="Contact" id="q2496_q8" rows="1" cols="30">https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas</textarea> <input type="text" name="q2496:q9" value="" size="30" maxlength="50" title="fill" id="q2496_q9" class="sq-form-field" /> </div> </form></div> </div> <div class="page_info clearfix"> <hr> <div class="left"> <div class="providedbyshow">Provided by: <a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/about-sa/government/departments/attorney-generals">Attorney-General's Department</a></div> </div> <div class="right"> Page last updated 14 December 2023 </div> </div> </div>  </div> </div>   <div class="footer clearfix container" id="footer_251117"> <div class="clearfix"> <div class="left"> <ul class="footer_links"> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/disclaimer">Disclaimer</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/privacy">Privacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/accessibility">Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/acknowledgement-of-country">Acknowledgement of Country</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/site-map">Sitemap</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/about-us">About us</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/contact-us">Contact us</a></li> </ul> <p>SA.GOV.AU is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence</a>. © <a class="copyright_footer" href="https://www.sa.gov.au/copyright">Copyright 2024</a> </p> </div> <div class="right"> <img src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/251020/gov-sa-logo.png?v=0.1.2" alt="Government of South Australia"/ class="gosa"> <a href="https://southaustralia.com/"><img src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0012/251013/sa-logo.png" alt="South Australia"/></a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sagovauprint" id="new_content_container_226173"> <p> </p> <hr class="footer_print_hr"> <p> </p> <div class="pagedetails clearfix"> <div class="pagedetailslabel">Provided by:</div> <div class="pagedetailsdata">Attorney-General's Department</div> </div> <div class="pagedetails clearfix"> <div class="pagedetailslabel">URL:</div> <div class="pagedetailsdata">https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/liquor/general-public/dry-areas</div> </div> <div class="pagedetails clearfix"> <div class="pagedetailslabel">Last Updated:</div> <div class="pagedetailsdata">14/12/23</div> </div> <div class="pagedetails clearfix"> <div class="pagedetailslabel">Printed on:</div> <div class="pagedetailsdata">25/11/24</div> </div> <div class="pagedetails pagecopyrights clearfix"> <div class="pagedetailslabel">Copyright statement:</div> <div class="pagedetailsdata">SA.GOV.AU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence. 漏 Copyright 2024 </div> </div> </div>   <div class="content-drawer__loading" id="content-drawer__loading"> <div></div> </div> <div id="content-drawer" class="content-drawer" aria-live="polite"> <div id="content-drawer__close-wrapper" class="content-drawer__close-wrapper"> <a href="#" id="content-drawer__close" class="content-drawer__close">Close</a> </div> <div id="content-drawer__content-wrapper" class="content-drawer__content-wrapper subtopic_lvl3"></div> </div> <div id="overlay" class="overlay"></div>  <script> var mobile = Modernizr.mq('(max-width: 767px)'), tabletMin = Modernizr.mq('(min-width: 768px)'), tabletMax = Modernizr.mq('(max-width: 1023px)'), tabletLandscape = Modernizr.mq('(max-device-width: 1280px) and (max-device-height: 800px) and (orientation: landscape)') || Modernizr.mq('(max-device-width: 1024px) and (orientation: landscape)'), desktop = Modernizr.mq('(min-width: 1025px)'), bodyEl = document.body; if (mobile) { bodyEl.classList.add("mobile"); } if (tabletMin && tabletMax) { bodyEl.classList.add("tablet"); } if (tabletLandscape) { bodyEl.classList.add("tablet_landscape"); } if (desktop) { bodyEl.classList.add("desktop"); } </script> <script src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/js_file/0019/845011/vendors2.js?v=0.1.0"></script>  <script src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/js_file/0004/250996/jquery.tmpl.min.js?v=0.1.1"></script>   <script src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/js_file/0005/250997/jquery.funnelback-completion.js?v=0.1.1"></script>  <script type="text/javascript"> // Funnelback Query Completion jQuery("#searchinput, .search_form_search_page #query, #searchinput_main").fbcompletion({ 'enabled' : 'enabled', 'collection' : 'sagov-web-search', 'program' : 'https://www.sa.gov.au/s/suggest.json', 'format' : 'extended', 'alpha' : '.5', 'show' : '10', 'sort' : '0', 'length' : '3', 'delay' : '0', 'profile' : '_default', 'interactionLog': 'https://www.sa.gov.au/s/log' }); jQuery("#searchinput, .search_form_search_page #query, #searchinput_main").on( "autocompleteopen", function( event, ui ) { $(this).autocomplete("widget").css({ "width": ($(this).outerWidth() + "px") }); }); </script> <script src="https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/js_file/0006/250998/globaljs.js?v=0.2.36"></script>   </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

SA.GOV.AU - Dry areas