Alcohol Open Container Requirements
Active
- Assistance listing
- 20.607
- Agency
-
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Department of Transportation
- Grant awards
- 165 $743,324,648 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Formula Grant
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 69-8020-0-7-401
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awards formula grants under the Alcohol Open Container Requirements program (CFDA 20.607) to states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that enact and enforce compliant open container laws, with the most recent grant awards issued October 1, 2025.
The program transfers federal-aid highway penalty funds to states failing to comply with Section 154 of 23 U.S.C., which requires enactment and enforcement of open container laws prohibiting possession or consumption of open alcoholic beverages in passenger areas of motor vehicles on public highways or highway rights-of-way. States accepting transferred funds must use them to support alcohol and drug-impaired driving countermeasures. Eligible applicants are State Departments of Transportation and State Highway Safety agencies. Recipients retain records for three years following final expenditure reports and maintain funds through electronic transfer payment methods.
The program operates on a stable annual cadence. Since 2008, NHTSA has awarded 165 grants totaling $743.3 million in federal obligations. Award volume has held steady at nine per year over the past five years (2020–2025), with recent awards dated October 1, 2025 (completion September 30, 2029) and October 1, 2024 (completion September 30, 2028). Approximately 73 percent of awards are Formula Grants and 27 percent are Project Grants. Representative recent awards include Virginia at $25.8 million (October 1, 2025), Tennessee at $15 million (October 1, 2025), and Virginia at $19.4 million (October 1, 2024).
Typical award magnitudes range from roughly $1.2 million to $25.8 million depending on state population and penalty fund allocation. The program has no published open solicitations; awards follow a standardized annual schedule aligned to federal fiscal years.
Objective and description
- Objective
To encourage States to enact and enforce a compliant alcohol open container law. Under Section 154, to avoid the transfer of funds, a State must enact and enforce an open container law that prohibits the possession of any open alcoholic beverage cont
- Description
To encourage States to enact and enforce a compliant alcohol open container law. Under Section 154, to avoid the transfer of funds, a State must enact and enforce an open container law that prohibits the possession of any open alcoholic beverage container, or the consumption of any alcoholic beverage, in the passenger area of any motor vehicle (including possession or consumption by the driver of the vehicle) located on a public highway, or the right-of-way of a public highway, in the State. 23 U.S.C. 154(b)(1)
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
- Beneficiary eligibility
State Departments of Transportation and State Highway Safety agencies.
- Uses of assistance
States failing to comply with Section 164 are subject to a reservation of 2.5 percent of federal-aid highway funds apportioned for the National Highway Performance Program and the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program. States decide the percentage of the reserved funds to be transferred to NHTSA for alcohol and/or drug-impaired driving countermeasures and/or to remain with FHWA for eligible activities under the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Funds transferred to NHTSA are subject to the requirements of the 402 program.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
The Federal share is reimbursed on claims submitted in vouchers covering costs incurred. All participants have converted to the electronic transfer of funds method of payment. Funds placed in obligation are available until expended.
How to apply
- Award procedure
Once the State provides the agency with a split letter to NHTSA, the State will be given access to the transfer and can obligate the funds.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 165 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Department Motor Vehicles | $162,454,287 | 22% |
| 2 | Safety & Homeland Security | $124,554,903 | 17% |
| 3 | Mississippi Department Of Public Safety | $81,010,294 | 11% |
| 4 | Missouri Department Of Transportation | $78,404,123 | 11% |
| 5 | Department Of Transportation Connecticut | $77,980,008 | 10% |
| 6 | Tennessee Department Of Transportation | $27,947,935 | 4% |
| 7 | State Of Delaware Department Of Safety & Homeland Security | $19,884,920 | 3% |
| 8 | Alaska Department Of Transportation & Public Facilities | $18,481,729 | 2% |
| 9 | The State Of Hawaii Department Of Transportation | $18,035,954 | 2% |
| 10 | Highway Saftey Commision Louisiana Department Of Public Safety | $16,745,471 | 2% |
10 of 28 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $65,875,769 |
| FY2025 | $55,426,188 |
| FY2024 | -$1,236,403 |
| FY2023 | $47,586,670 |
| FY2022 | $45,534,114 |
| FY2021 | $38,938,336 |
| FY2020 | $40,095,763 |
| FY2019 | $82,540,472 |
| FY2018 | $64,694,412 |
| FY2017 | $38,995,042 |
| FY2016 | $36,271,881 |
| FY2015 | $4,598,346 |
| FY2014 | $4,809,834 |
| FY2012 | $46,103,820 |
| FY2011 | $48,189,926 |
| FY2010 | $48,917,888 |
| FY2009 | $28,547,055 |
| FY2008 | $47,891,513 |
Show all 18
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 20.607?
Assistance Listing 20.607 is Alcohol Open Container Requirements, a federal grant program run by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Department of Transportation).
What is the CFDA number for Alcohol Open Container Requirements?
Its CFDA number is 20.607: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 20.607 awarded?
165 grant awards under 20.607 have obligated $743,324,648 in federal funds to 28 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 20.607?
The recipients obligated the most under Alcohol Open Container Requirements are Virginia Department Motor Vehicles ($162,454,287), Safety & Homeland Security ($124,554,903) and Mississippi Department Of Public Safety ($81,010,294).
How much did 20.607 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 20.607 obligated $55,426,188 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
On GovTribe
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