Social Host Ordinance

As the holiday season approaches, William F. McCorkle, Island Lake Police Chief, would like to remind everyone of the Village of Island Lake’s Social Host Ordinance passed in 2010.  This Ordinance was approved by the Village Board in response to the wide ranging and devastating consequences of underage drinking, such as:

• traffic crashes and fatalities
• sexual assault and other forms of violence
• alcohol toxicity
• suicide

Along with an estimated annual social cost of at least $53 billion, the National Academies Institute of Medicine urged state and local governments to enact a comprehensive set of strategies to reduce underage consumption. These strategies include strengthening social host liability laws to deter underage drinking parties and other gatherings.

What Is Social Host Liability?

Laws prohibiting furnishing alcoholic beverages to underage persons target the provision of alcoholic beverages to underage persons.  In contrast, social host liability laws (also known as teen party ordinances, loud or unruly gathering ordinances, or response costs ordinances) target the location in which underage drinking takes place.  Social host liability laws hold non-commercial individuals responsible for underage drinking events on property they own, lease, or otherwise control.

Family members are the most frequent source of alcohol for younger adolescents. For college students, parties-house parties, outdoor parties, or fraternity parties-are among the most common setting for underage drinking. For both high school and college students, parties are associated with heavy drinking and binge drinking. For more information, CLICK HERE.