Charleston, SC Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Charleston City Council enacted the curfew under Ordinance No. 2025-090 after finding that juveniles contributed to disorderly conduct, auto theft, assault and battery, robbery, narcotics offenses and underage drinking in the Central Business District, the area mapped as Exhibit A and posted on the Department of Planning and Preservation's business and neighborhood services webpage. m. every night during June, July and August. During those hours it is unlawful for a juvenile, defined as 17 or younger, to remain in a public place, a parked or moving motor vehicle, or on the premises of any Central Business District establishment.

A parent or guardian who knowingly permits or fails to control the violation is separately liable, as is a vehicle owner or an establishment operator or employee who lets a juvenile stay; an operator has a defense if staff promptly called the Charleston Police Department. Seven exceptions apply: a juvenile accompanied by a parent, en route to or from work or a parent-directed errand, traveling interstate, facing an emergency, on the sidewalk abutting the juvenile's own residence, attending a supervised school, religious or civic activity, or exercising First Amendment rights.

Before citing anyone, an officer must ask the person's age and reason for being out and may not act if a credible defense is offered. C. Code § 63-19-810 and the South Carolina Juvenile Justice Code rather than municipal court.