Boise, ID Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 12:00 midnight to 5:00 a.m.
- Covered persons
- Anyone under age 18
- Exceptions
- 8 listed, incl. parent, work, First Amendment
- Minor's penalty
- Infraction under § 1-4-2
- Parent/operator/owner penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 1-4-1
- ID requirement
- Must give name and age on request
- Governing chapter
- Boise City Code § 5-5-2
Summary
Boise bans anyone under 18 from public places, parked or moving vehicles in public, and business premises between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless a listed exception applies. Officers must check for an exception before citing, and the minor's own violation is only an infraction, not a crime.
It shall be unlawful for any minor to remain in or upon any public place, to remain in any motor vehicle operating or parked in or upon a public place or establishment, or to remain in or upon the premises of any establishment, between the hours of twelve o'clock (12:00) midnight and five o'clock (5:00) A.M., unless their presence is explained by one of the enumerated exceptions. Any person found in violation of this subsection shall be guilty of an infraction, and subject to penalty as provided in section 1-4-2 of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-31: Code current through: Ord. 20-26, passed 6-9-2026).
Full Breakdown
, unless one of eight enumerated exceptions in section 5-5-2-2(B) applies: accompaniment by a parent or guardian, an emergency, travel to or from work, being on the sidewalk abutting or within 300 feet of the minor's residence with no neighbor complaint, a supervised school/religious/civic activity, an errand backed by written parental authorization naming the destination, time and a callback number, interstate travel through or originating/ending in Boise, or exercise of First Amendment rights such as assembly, speech or worship. Section 5-5-2-3 requires a police officer to investigate whether an exception applies before taking enforcement action, and to have probable cause if none is found.
Liability extends beyond the minor: section 5-5-2-2(C) makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit, allow or encourage a violation; section 5-5-2-2(D) holds an establishment operator liable for knowingly letting a minor remain past curfew, unless staff promptly notified police and the minor refused to leave; and section 5-5-2-2(E) reaches the owner or operator of a motor vehicle who knowingly permits a violation. Section 5-5-2-2(F), amended by Ordinance 21-23 on June 6, 2023, requires anyone suspected of a curfew violation to give their name and age to a police officer on request, and makes giving false name or age information its own separate violation.
Violations & Fines
A minor's own curfew violation under section 5-5-2-2(A) is an infraction, punishable under section 1-4-2, a citation-based offense. Every other violation of the chapter, including a parent's, guardian's, establishment operator's or vehicle owner's/operator's knowing permission of a violation, falls under the chapter's general penalty in section 5-5-2-4: a misdemeanor punishable under section 1-4-1, since only the minor's own conduct is specified otherwise. Officers must first rule out an applicable exception under section 5-5-2-3 before enforcing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Boise's juvenile curfew start and end?
Are there exceptions to the Boise curfew?
Can Boise police cite a business or a parent for a curfew violation?
What happens if a minor gives a false name or age during a curfew stop?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boise
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