Lancaster's Curfew Laws: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles curfew laws a little differently. In Lancaster, California, there are 2 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Park Curfew

Lancaster closes its city parks and park buildings between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Municipal Code Section 12.04.050, and bars parking in a park lot during those hours too. The city manager can shorten or extend posted hours for a specific park or event, and anyone in a park after hours needs a written permit.

Key details: Closed hours: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Permit exception: Written city manager permit. Vehicle rule: No parking during closed hours. Adopted: Ordinance No. 1113, Jan. 2024. Enforcement: Peace officers, delegated city staff.

Being in a park or its parking lot during closed hours without a written permit is enforceable by any certified peace officer or city employee delegated enforcement authority under Chapter 1.08, who can warn, evict, arrest or cite the violator (Sec. 12.04.030). The chapter treats disturbing the peace inside a park, including fighting, incitement or maliciously loud noise, as a separate unlawful act (Sec. 12.04.140), and vandalism in a park exposes an adult, or the parent of a minor, to civil liability for the full cost of damages under Civil Code Sections 1714.1 and 1714.3.

Juvenile Curfew

Lancaster makes it unlawful for anyone under 18 to remain in a public place or business open to the public between 10:00 p.m. and sunrise, under Municipal Code Section 9.16.020. A companion daytime truancy curfew, Section 9.16.030, bars minors from public places from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on school days. Both carry an infraction penalty.

Key details: Nighttime curfew: 10:00 p.m. to sunrise. Truancy curfew: 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. school days. Applies to: Anyone under 18. Penalty: Infraction, Penal Code §647/653. Cost recovery: Parents billed for detention over 30 min.

A curfew or truancy violation is an infraction under Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, or is chargeable under Penal Code Sections 647 or 653, per Section 9.16.060. The city may instead issue an administrative citation, and a cited minor's family may elect community service under Section 1.16.095. Parents also risk separate cost-recovery billing under Section 9.16.070 for police supervision time beyond thirty minutes.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Lancaster actively enforces its juvenile curfew requirements.

The Bottom Line

Lancaster's curfew laws rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Lancaster is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Lancaster can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.