Why Social Host Ordinances?
Law enforcement leaders in Rice County, including the incorporated areas of Faribault, Northfield, Morristown, Dundas and Lonsdale, have identified underage drinking as a public health risk and a behavior detrimental to the health and safety of our youth. A series of social host ordinances in the county and municipalities can be an effective deterrent to this behavior in combination with existing laws to combat underage drinking. For more information on the reasoning behind these ordinances, view the following PDFs: Underage Drinking In Minnesota, Underage Drinking Report, November 2008 and Understanding the Need For Social Host Ordinances in Minnesota.
What a Social Host Ordinance IS & ISN’T
A social host ordinance IS about keeping our youth safe and healthy and encouraging them to make decisions that will contribute to their future success. The focus is NOT about penalizing or “catching” people, nor adding unnecessary laws that add to the work load of law enforcement and the courts. For specific information about what a social host law is and isn’t, click on the following PDF: What A Social Host Law Is & Isn’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
Naturally, there are many questions to be answered before adopting a social host ordinance. Some of the most common questions include concerns about: property managers and landowners; parents who are out of town; and adults who are home, but don’t know about the underage drinking behavior. A social host ordinance only holds someone responsible if they knowingly provide an environment where underage drinking occurs. An off-site property manager, a farmer with many acres, or parents away on vacation cannot be held responsible if they didn’t know about the behavior. Any resident, even if he/she is under 21, can be charged with a social host violation if they are found responsible for allowing underage drinking to occur. Click on the following PDF to view a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Who Else Has Adopted Social Host Ordinances?
As of May, 2011 59 MN cities, including Faribault and Northfield, and 13 counties have adopted social host ordinances. Click HERE to view the most current list.
Local Ordinances
City of Faribault- January 15, 2011
City of Northfield- April 9, 2011
Rice County- April 26, 2011
Contacts
Please contact your community’s representative with further questions about adopted ordinances or the possibility of social host ordinances in your community:
Dundas Police Department
Gordon Mincke, Chief of Police
470 Railway St. S
Dundas, MN 55019
Phone: (507) 645-5252
police@dundas.us
Faribault Police Department
Dan Collins, Chief of Police
25 4th St. NW
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 334-0920
dcollins@ci.faribault.mn.us
Lonsdale Police Department
Jason Schmitz, Chief of Police
115 Alabama St. SE
Lonsdale, MN 55046-9450
Phone: (507) 744-2300
lonspd@means.net
Morristown Police Department
Dave Osborne, Chief of Police
402 Division St. South
Morristown, MN 55052
Phone: (507) 685-4190
mpolice@bevcomm.net
Northfield Police Department
Mark Taylor, Chief of Police
300 5th St. West
Northfield, MN 55057
Phone: (507) 663-9301
mark.taylor@ci.northfield.mn.us
Rice County Attorney’s Office
Tori Stewart, Assistant County Attorney
218 Third St. NW
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 332-6103
tstewart@co.rice.mn.us
Rice County Sheriff’s Office
Troy Dunn, Sheriff
118 N.W. 3rd St.
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 332-6034
tdunn@co.rice.mn.us
Exploring Social Host Ordinances
Why Social Host Ordinances?
Law enforcement leaders in Rice County, including the incorporated areas of Faribault, Northfield, Morristown, Dundas and Lonsdale, have identified underage drinking as a public health risk and a behavior detrimental to the health and safety of our youth. A series of social host ordinances in the county and municipalities can be an effective deterrent to this behavior in combination with existing laws to combat underage drinking. For more information on the reasoning behind these ordinances, view the following PDFs: Underage Drinking In Minnesota, Underage Drinking Report, November 2008 and Understanding the Need For Social Host Ordinances in Minnesota.
What a Social Host Ordinance IS & ISN’T
A social host ordinance IS about keeping our youth safe and healthy and encouraging them to make decisions that will contribute to their future success. The focus is NOT about penalizing or “catching” people, nor adding unnecessary laws that add to the work load of law enforcement and the courts. For specific information about what a social host law is and isn’t, click on the following PDF: What A Social Host Law Is & Isn’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
Naturally, there are many questions to be answered before adopting a social host ordinance. Some of the most common questions include concerns about: property managers and landowners; parents who are out of town; and adults who are home, but don’t know about the underage drinking behavior. A social host ordinance only holds someone responsible if they knowingly provide an environment where underage drinking occurs. An off-site property manager, a farmer with many acres, or parents away on vacation cannot be held responsible if they didn’t know about the behavior. Any resident, even if he/she is under 21, can be charged with a social host violation if they are found responsible for allowing underage drinking to occur. Click on the following PDF to view a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Who Else Has Adopted Social Host Ordinances?
As of May, 2011 59 MN cities, including Faribault and Northfield, and 13 counties have adopted social host ordinances. Click HERE to view the most current list.
Local Ordinances
City of Faribault- January 15, 2011
City of Northfield- April 9, 2011
Rice County- April 26, 2011
Contacts
Please contact your community’s representative with further questions about adopted ordinances or the possibility of social host ordinances in your community:
Dundas Police Department
Gordon Mincke, Chief of Police
470 Railway St. S
Dundas, MN 55019
Phone: (507) 645-5252
police@dundas.us
Faribault Police Department
Dan Collins, Chief of Police
25 4th St. NW
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 334-0920
dcollins@ci.faribault.mn.us
Lonsdale Police Department
Jason Schmitz, Chief of Police
115 Alabama St. SE
Lonsdale, MN 55046-9450
Phone: (507) 744-2300
lonspd@means.net
Morristown Police Department
Dave Osborne, Chief of Police
402 Division St. South
Morristown, MN 55052
Phone: (507) 685-4190
mpolice@bevcomm.net
Northfield Police Department
Mark Taylor, Chief of Police
300 5th St. West
Northfield, MN 55057
Phone: (507) 663-9301
mark.taylor@ci.northfield.mn.us
Rice County Attorney’s Office
Tori Stewart, Assistant County Attorney
218 Third St. NW
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 332-6103
tstewart@co.rice.mn.us
Rice County Sheriff’s Office
Troy Dunn, Sheriff
118 N.W. 3rd St.
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 332-6034
tdunn@co.rice.mn.us
Quick Links
Northfield Healthy Community Initiative
www.northfieldhci.org
Drug Free Communities Support Program
www.ondcp.gov/dfc/
Rice County Chemical Health Resource Directory