Lake County, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

County Code Chapter 12, Article I sets the curfew for unincorporated Lake County (this does not apply inside Lakeport or Clearlake, which enforce their own city codes). the following day. The ordinance dates to Ord. No. 592, adopted in 1970. Section 12-2 lists six exceptions: the minor is with a parent, guardian or other adult with custody; the minor is running an errand for a parent or guardian without detour; the minor's presence is required by legitimate employment, trade, profession or occupation, including travel time to and from work; the minor is going to or from an official school, religious or adult-supervised recreational activity sponsored by the county, a city, or a civic organization; the minor is traveling in a vehicle in interstate or intrastate travel, involved in an emergency, standing on the sidewalk next to their own residence, exercising First Amendment rights such as speech, religion or assembly, or is legally emancipated.

Section 12-3 sets the penalties: a minor who violates the curfew is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be apprehended and detained under the Juvenile Court Law. Separately, any parent, guardian or other adult with lawful custody of the minor who willfully or negligently lets the minor break curfew is also guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in county jail, a fine of up to $300, or both.