Bay County, MI Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Under 17
- No public loitering 12:01am-5am
- Under 16
- No public loitering 10pm-5am
- Violating minor
- Referred to Probate Court
- Parent penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 90 days jail
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 24, April 12, 1983
Summary
Bay County bars minors under 17 from loitering or wandering in public between 12:01 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., and bars minors under 16 from public places between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. A violating minor is treated as a delinquent child in Probate Court, and a parent who knowingly allows the violation is separately guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 or 90 days in jail.
(a)No minor under the age of 17 years shall loiter, idle, wander, congregate, or play in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, public buildings, places of amusement or entertainment, vacant lots, or other unsupervised places, between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.(b)No minor under the age of 16 years shall loiter, idle, wander, congregate or play in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, public buildings, places of amusement or entertainment, vacant lots, or other unsupervised places between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day. ... (d)Any minor who violates the provisions of subsections (a) or (b) of this Article shall be deemed a delinquent child and may be complained against in the Probate Court for the County of Bay as a delinquent child who has violated a misdemeanor ordinance.
Full Breakdown
Part 41, Article II of the county code sets Bay County's curfew, adopted as Ordinance No. 24 on April 12, 1983 and amended July 12, 1994. 2311 (Sec. the following day. The ordinance lists defenses rather than exceptions: a minor accompanied by a parent, guardian or an adult the parent designates is not in violation, nor is a minor running a parent-directed errand without detour, traveling interstate in a vehicle, going to or from work without detour, standing on the sidewalk outside their own home, handling a genuine emergency, or going to or from a school, religious or supervised recreational activity.
A minor who breaks curfew is deemed a delinquent child and can be brought before the Bay County Probate Court for violating a misdemeanor ordinance rather than being fined directly. 2315 makes a parent guilty of a misdemeanor if the parent's own conduct encouraged the violation or if the parent knew or should have known the minor was likely to break curfew and failed to act. The ordinance expressly does not preempt a city, village or township from setting its own, different curfew within its own limits.
Violations & Fines
A minor who breaks curfew is referred to Probate Court as a delinquent child rather than fined outright. A parent found in violation of the parental-responsibility article, Section 41.2315, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 or up to 90 days in jail, or both, at the court's discretion; a delinquent act committed within 45 days of a written notice to the parent creates a rebuttable presumption the parent allowed it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Bay County's curfew for teenagers?
What are the exceptions to Bay County's juvenile curfew?
Can a parent be fined if their child breaks curfew?
Does the county curfew apply inside Bay City or Essexville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bay County
Compare Bay County to another location·View the Michigan curfew laws overview
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