Charlottesville, VA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

m. on Saturday and Sunday for any minor, defined as a person under seventeen who has not been emancipated under Va. 1-333. During those hours it is unlawful for a minor to remain in any public place, in a parked or moving motor vehicle, or on the premises of any business within the city. The ordinance lists eight exceptions: the minor is with a parent, facing an emergency, traveling to or from a job, standing on the sidewalk in front of their own home, attending a supervised school, religious or civic activity, running a parent-authorized errand with a signed note, passing through the city in interstate travel, or exercising First Amendment rights.

Parents who knowingly let a minor violate the curfew, vehicle owners who allow it, and business operators or employees who let a minor stay after curfew are separately liable, though an operator has a defense if they promptly call the police department. Before charging anyone, a Charlottesville police officer must investigate and, on a first violation, issue only a verbal warning followed by a written warning mailed to the minor and parents; a second violation brings a summons to juvenile court. Officers may release a minor to a parent or hold them in a non-locked temporary care facility, without handcuffs, until a parent arrives. Giving a false name or address to an investigating officer is also a violation. Each violation of § 17-7 is a Class 4 misdemeanor.