Cincinnati, OH Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Cincinnati Municipal Code § 911-27
- Citywide curfew
- 11:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m.
- Extended districts
- 9:00 p.m. curfew, Downtown & Short Vine
- Covers
- Minors under 18
- Exceptions
- 9 listed, incl. work, emergencies, parental OK
- Parent penalty
- Warning, then minor misdemeanor
- Adopted
- Emer. Ord. No. 265-2025, eff. Aug. 6, 2025
Summary
Cincinnati bars minors under 18 from being out in public away from home between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. under Municipal Code § 911-27, with a stricter 9:00 p.m. curfew in designated Special Extended Curfew Districts downtown and in Short Vine. Nine listed exceptions cover work, school events, emergencies, and parental permission.
(b)It shall be unlawful for any minor under the age of 18 years to be, or remain in, about or upon any place in the city away from the dwelling house or usual place of abode of said minor, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day...(g)Penalty.(1)Any minor found violating the provisions of division (b) of this section shall be guilty of committing a curfew violation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
of the following day (subsection b). Subsection (c) lists nine exceptions: minors accompanied by a parent, guardian, or supervising adult; emancipated minors; minors exercising First Amendment rights; minors going directly to or from work; minors attending or returning from a supervised school, religious, or city-sponsored recreational activity; emergencies; interstate travel through the city; minors on the sidewalk abutting their own or a non-complaining neighbor's residence; and minors running an errand or task a parent has directed. curfew onto two mapped Special Extended Curfew Districts -- Downtown and Short Vine -- using the same definitions and exceptions.
Under § 911-27(d), an officer who arrests a minor may demand that a parent or guardian appear within two hours to take custody; a parent who fails to do so without reasonable hindrance is separately in violation. Officers must first ask the apparent offender's age and reason for being out, under subsection (h), and may not cite or arrest unless they reasonably believe an offense occurred and no exception applies. Arrested minors may be transported to a designated holding facility and released only to a parent, guardian, adult designee, or an appropriate juvenile agency (subsection f).
The City Manager must monitor the curfew's effectiveness and report annually to City Council (subsection i). citywide hour was set by Emergency Ordinance No. 265-2025, effective August 6, 2025.
Violations & Fines
A minor found violating the 11:00 p.m.-to-5:00 a.m. curfew is guilty of committing a curfew violation under § 911-27(g)(1). A parent or guardian who fails to appear within two hours of an officer's demand to take custody of an arrested minor is guilty of a minor misdemeanor; a parent who knowingly allows a minor to violate the curfew gets a written warning for a first offense and a minor misdemeanor for the second and later offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is curfew for minors in Cincinnati?
What are the exceptions to Cincinnati's curfew law?
What happens if police stop a minor after curfew?
Can a parent be penalized under Cincinnati's curfew ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cincinnati
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