Bradenton, FL Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Article II of Chapter 54 of the Bradenton Code of Ordinances is the city council's local juvenile curfew, adopted to protect minors from harm and victimization and to reduce crime and violence committed by minors. Section 54-37 defines a minor as any person under 16 years of age. A public place is any place the public can enter, including streets, highways, public parks, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transportation facilities and shops. An establishment is a privately owned place of business open to the public, including places of amusement or entertainment.

Section 54-38(a) sets two time windows. Sunday through Thursday, a minor may not be or remain in a public place or establishment between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day, except on a legal holiday. On Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays the window is 12:01 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Subsection (b) adds a daytime rule: a minor who has been suspended or expelled from school may not be or remain in a public place, in an establishment, or within 1,000 feet of a school between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on any school day.

Enforcement starts with a warning. A minor's first violation draws a written warning, and any violation after a prior written warning is a civil infraction with a $50.00 fine per violation. A minor taken into custody is transported immediately to a police station or to a facility run by a religious, charitable or civic organization that operates a curfew program with local law enforcement. The agency records pertinent information, tries to reach the parent, and releases the minor to the parent. If the parent cannot be reached within two hours, or refuses custody, the agency can drive the minor home or proceed under Florida Statutes chapter 39, part III.

Section 54-39 puts a legal duty on parents to see that the minor does not violate the curfew or the school-hours rule. Section 54-40 lists exceptions, including a minor accompanied by a parent or authorized adult, an emergency or emergency errand, First Amendment activity, travel to or from lawful employment, returning directly home from a school, religious or civic function, and being on the property or sidewalk of the minor's own residence.