How Wauwatosa Handles Curfew Laws: A Practical Guide

Wauwatosa maintains 113 local ordinances across all categories, and 2 of those deal specifically with curfew laws. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Wauwatosa falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Park Curfew

City parks in Wauwatosa close nightly: § 7.64.020 makes it a violation for anyone but park employees, permitted users or officials to be on park property outside the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., or after a park has otherwise been declared closed by city personnel. Closing hours are set by the director of public works.

Key details: Park hours: 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.. Sets closing hours: Director of Public Works or designee. Maximum forfeiture: $100 plus costs of prosecution. Covered parks: 7 named city parks under § 7.64.015. Separate rule: County parks close midnight to sunrise (Ch. 7.65).

Violating the after-hours rule, along with any other § 7.64.020 park rule, is punishable by a forfeiture of up to one hundred dollars plus costs of prosecution. A person may also be expelled from the park on the spot for interfering with a permitted use, and repeated violations can trigger the city's separate park behavioral policy and, for permitted users, revocation of a use permit under § 7.64.090.

Juvenile Curfew

Wauwatosa bars anyone under seventeen from being out in public between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. without a parent, guardian or other responsible adult, under Municipal Code § 7.84.010. Exceptions exist for minors traveling directly to or from work, school activities, or religious worship, and parents who knowingly allow a violation face liability of their own.

Key details: Curfew hours: 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.. Covered ages: Under 17 (public places); under 18 (lodging). Lodging curfew: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Exceptions: Work, school activities, or religious worship. Minor's penalty referral: Wis. Stat. ch. 48 juvenile authorities.

A minor cited under § 7.84.010 is referred to the proper authorities under Chapter 48 of the Wisconsin Statutes, Wisconsin's juvenile justice code, rather than facing a municipal forfeiture directly. Parents or guardians who knowingly permit a minor's violation, amusement-place operators who admit unaccompanied minors during curfew hours, and hotel or motel operators who let unaccompanied minors under eighteen remain overnight can each be separately cited and are subject to the code's general penalty provisions.

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

The Bottom Line

Wauwatosa'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 Wauwatosa is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Wauwatosa's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.