An open-container law is a law which regulates or prohibits drinking in public by limiting the existence of open alcoholic beverage containers in certain areas, as well as the active consumption of alcohol in those areas. "Public places" in this context refers to openly public places such as sidewalks, parks and vehicles. It does not include nominally private spaces which are open to the public, such as bars, restaurants and stadiums. The stated purpose of these laws is to restrict public intoxication, especially the dangerous act of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. United States In the United States, open-container laws are U.S. state laws, rather than federal laws; thus they vary from state to state. The majority of U.S. states and localities prohibit possessing or consuming an open container of alcohol in public places, such as on the street, while 24 states do not have statutes regarding public consumption of alcohol. However, the definition of "public place" is not always clear. California is unique in that it does have a state law on the books that only prohibits possessing alcoholic beverage containers that have been opened (unless that container is in one's possession "for the purpose of recycling or other related activity") in public places owned by a city, county, or city and county, or any recreation and park district, regional park, or open-space district, but similar to states that have no law, the state law only applies to the some or all of the aforementioned areas in which the "city, county, or city and county have enacted an ordinance". Open container restrictions are not always rigorously enforced, and open containers may in fact be legally permitted in nominally private events which are open to the public. This is especially true in downtown districts and during holidays and sporting events; see tailgate party. Cities There are public places in the United States where open containers are explicitly permitted: Indiana allows consuming an alcoholic beverage in public. Hood River, Oregon. This port city that rests along the Columbia River has no open container laws, and allows drinking in public. The city of Butte, Montana, prohibits open containers only between 2am and 8am. Drinking openly in the street is allowed throughout the city (and elsewhere in Montana where no local laws exist) during the other 18 hours of the day. A recent attempt to pass a comprehensive open container prohibition in Butte