Dane County, WI Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Under-15 hours
- 10pm–5am Sun–Thu, 11pm–5am Fri–Sat
- 15–17 hours
- 11pm–5am Sun–Thu, midnight–5am Fri–Sat
- Exceptions
- parent-approved activity or work commute
- Authority
- Wis. Stat. § 59.54(6)
- Enforcing agency
- Dane County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Dane County Code § 34.08 bars anyone under 15 from public streets, alleys, or areas between 10 p.m.–5 a.m. Sunday–Thursday and 11 p.m.–5 a.m. Friday–Saturday, and bars 15-to-17-year-olds an hour later each night, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian or covered by a work or parent-approved-activity exception.
(2) Minors not allowed on streets after certain hours. (a) No person under the age of fifteen (15) shall be on the streets, alleys or other public areas of Dane County between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult with permission of a parent or legal guardian. (b) No person older than fourteen (14) and under eighteen (18) years of age shall be on the streets, alleys or other public areas of Dane County between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 12:00 a.m. (midnight) and 5:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or an adult with permission of a parent or legal guardian.
Full Breakdown
08, enacted under Wis. 54(6) to create one uniform curfew across Dane County, sets two age tiers. Sub. m. m. Friday and Saturday, unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult with a parent's or guardian's permission. Sub. m. m. Friday and Saturday, subject to the same accompaniment exception. Sub. (2)(c) exempts a minor who is going to or from an activity approved by their own parent or legal guardian, or going to or from their place of employment, from either age tier's hours.
The section's stated purpose is uniformity, the same curfew hours apply throughout the unincorporated towns and any participating municipality rather than a patchwork of local curfews. 08, so enforcement is carried out by the Dane County Sheriff's Office through the section's own terms rather than a published fixed fine.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 34's forfeiture schedule under § 34.99(2) enumerates specific dollar ranges for §§ 34.01 through 34.06 and 34.09–34.10, but does not list a separate forfeiture for § 34.08 itself; the Dane County Sheriff's Office enforces the curfew directly, and a minor or accompanying adult found on the street outside the permitted hours without a qualifying exception can be stopped and cited under the section's own terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is curfew for younger kids in Dane County?
Is the curfew later for teenagers?
Can a teen be out past curfew for work?
What's the fine for breaking curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dane County
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