Chandler, AZ Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Chandler City Code § 11-1.1 sets two curfew bands. Subsection A makes it unlawful for any minor under 16 to be in, about, or upon any place in the City away from the property where they reside between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the following day. Subsection B extends the curfew to minors 16 and 17, but only from midnight to 5:00 a.m. Subsection C makes a parent or guardian liable for knowingly permitting, or through insufficient control allowing, a minor to violate the curfew, and Subsection D separately punishes a parent, guardian, or custodian who refuses to take custody of an arrested minor after a Law Enforcement Officer demands it.

Section 11-1.2 lists defenses: the minor was accompanied by a parent/guardian, was in interstate travel or commuting to/from work with prior parental permission, was responding to an emergency, was engaged in a supervised school, religious, or recreational activity, was exercising First Amendment rights, was married and 16 or older or in the military, or was on the sidewalk abutting the family residence or a consenting next-door neighbor's property. Section 11-1.3 requires an officer to first try to ascertain the minor's age and reason for being out and to withhold a citation or arrest unless no defense reasonably appears to apply.

Officers who arrest a minor may demand a parent or guardian retrieve the child, take the minor to a holding location for pickup, or, if no one takes custody, transport the minor home. Under § 11-1.4, a conviction is a Class 1 misdemeanor, separately punishable per occurrence, and is designated an incorrigible offense for purposes of juvenile court jurisdiction. Chapter 1's general penalty schedule (§ 1-8.3) caps a Class 1 misdemeanor at a $2,500 fine, six months' imprisonment, and three years' probation, though juvenile offenders are processed through juvenile court rather than criminal court.