Jefferson County, CO Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 11pm Sun-Thu, midnight Fri-Sat, until 5am daily
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated Jefferson County only
- Maximum fine
- $300 plus $10 court surcharge
- Enforcing agency
- Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
- Adopted
- Resolution CC26-193, effective Sept. 1, 2026
- Exceptions
- 7, including work, school events, emancipation
Summary
Anyone under 18 must be off public streets, businesses, and other public places in unincorporated Jefferson County by 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday, and before 5 a.m. any day. The Sheriff's Office enforces the rule, adopted by ordinance effective September 1, 2026, with fines up to $300 per violation.
It shall be unlawful for any person who has not reached his or her eighteenth birthday to be or remain upon any public road, street, or alley, to be or remain in any establishment open to the public, or to be or remain in any other public place in the unincorporated area of Jefferson County after the hour of 11:00 p.m. on any Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, or after the hour of 12:00 midnight on any Friday or Saturday, or prior to the hour of 5:00 a.m. on any day, except: 1. When accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of such minor; or 2. When traveling for lawful employment or for one-half hour before or after such employment when commuting directly to or from such employment... C. Penalties and Enforcement. 1. A violation of any provision of this Ordinance shall be a civil infraction pursuant to C.R.S. § 30-15-402(1), and the penalty for a violation of any provision of this Ordinance shall be a fine of not more than three hundred dollars ($300.00) for each separate violation, as well as a ten dollar ($10) surcharge to the clerk of court pursuant to C.R.S. § 30-15-402(2).
Full Breakdown
The Curfew for Minors Ordinance (Part 3, Ch. 6, Sec. 1, Resolution CC26-193) makes it unlawful for anyone who has not reached age 18 to be on any public road, street, alley, or public establishment, or in any other public place in unincorporated Jefferson County during curfew hours, except in seven listed situations: accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; traveling to or from lawful employment (plus a half hour buffer); accompanied by an adult carrying the parent's written consent; engaged in First Amendment activity; traveling to or from a school, charitable, or non-profit dance or recreational activity; traveling to or from a sporting event; or if the minor is legally emancipated.
Section B separately makes it unlawful for a parent, guardian, or custodian to 'knowingly' allow a minor to violate the same hours, with 'knowingly' defined to include what a parent reasonably should be expected to know about a child's whereabouts. The ordinance was adopted July 21, 2026 and took effect September 1, 2026, replacing the county's older 1995 and 2010 curfew resolutions (CC95-649, CC10-501). All prosecutions proceed through the District Attorney under Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the Board of County Commissioners built a severability clause into the ordinance so a single invalidated section does not void the rest.
Violations & Fines
A curfew violation is a civil infraction under C.R.S. §30-15-402(1): fines run up to $300 per separate violation, plus a $10 surcharge to the clerk of court under §30-15-402(2). The Sheriff's Office applies the penalty assessment procedure of C.R.S. §16-2-201. A parent or guardian who knowingly lets a minor break curfew faces the identical civil infraction and fine. Collected fines go to the County Treasurer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Jefferson County's minor curfew start?
Can a teen be out past curfew coming home from work?
What happens if my child is caught out after curfew?
Are school dances or sporting events exempt from curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
Compare Jefferson County to another location·View the Colorado curfew laws overview
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