Beaumont, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Chapter 9.24 of the Beaumont Municipal Code, Curfew for Minors, was adopted September 22, 1997 as Ordinance No. 768. Section 9.24.010 records the City Council's finding that a juvenile curfew is necessary because minors are peculiarly vulnerable and cannot always make critical decisions in an informed and mature manner, and it recognizes a compelling interest in protecting minors during nighttime hours. Section 9.24.020 fixes curfew hours at 10:00 p.m. any night until 6:00 a.m. the following morning and defines a minor as any person under 18 years of age.

Remain means to linger, stay or be present, or to fail to leave when asked by a peace officer, the owner, operator or other person in control of the premises. A public place includes streets, highways and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities and shops. Section 9.24.030 creates three offenses: a minor remaining in a public place or on establishment premises during curfew hours, a parent or guardian knowingly permitting or by insufficient control allowing it, and an owner, operator or employee of an establishment knowingly permitting a minor to remain.

Section 9.24.040 lists nine defenses, including accompaniment by a parent, guardian or responsible adult of at least 18, an errand at a parent's direction without detour or delay, travel in a motor vehicle, employment, an emergency, being on the sidewalk adjacent to the minor's residence, an adult-supervised school, religious or City-sponsored activity, exercise of First Amendment rights, and emancipation. An establishment has one added defense if it promptly notified the Police Department that a minor was present and refused to leave. Section 9.24.050 requires a peace officer to ask the apparent offender's age and reason for being out before any enforcement action, and bars a citation or detention unless the officer reasonably believes an offense occurred and no defense appears to apply.