Fontana, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to sunrise, every night
- Applies to
- Anyone under 18 years old
- Exceptions
- 9 listed, incl. work, errands, supervised activities
- Parent liability
- Separate violation for knowingly permitting breach
- Enforcement
- Citation and temporary detention until guardian arrives
Summary
Fontana bars anyone under 18 from being in a public place or business establishment between 10 p.m. and sunrise, unless a listed exception applies, such as being on a parent-directed errand, coming home from work, or attending a supervised civic or religious activity. A parent who knowingly lets a juvenile break curfew is separately liable, and police may cite or detain a violator until a guardian arrives.
(b)Curfew for juveniles - hour and exemptions. It is unlawful for any juvenile to remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment in the city between the hours of 10 p.m. of any day and sunrise of the following day unless the juvenile is:(1)Accompanied by the juvenile's parent;(2)On an errand at the direction of the juvenile's parent;...(4)Engaged in an employment activity, or going to or returning home from an employment activity, without any detour or stop;...(c)Parent or guardian responsibility. It is unlawful for the parent of any juvenile to knowingly permit or, by insufficient control, to allow the juvenile to be in violation of any section of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 17).
Full Breakdown
Fontana Municipal Code Sec. 16-2(b) makes it unlawful for any juvenile, defined at Sec. of any day and sunrise the following day. Nine exceptions cover ordinary teenage life: being accompanied by a parent; running an errand at a parent's direction; riding in a vehicle on interstate travel; going to, working at, or coming home from a job without a detour; responding to an emergency (defined broadly to include fire, explosion, a car accident, or another person's need for immediate medical care); standing on the sidewalk in front of the juvenile's own home; attending, or traveling directly to or from, an official school, religious, or recreational activity supervised by an adult and sponsored by the city, a civic organization, or a similar group; exercising First Amendment rights; or being legally emancipated.
Sec. 16-2(c) makes it separately unlawful for a parent to knowingly permit, or through insufficient control allow, a juvenile in their care to violate the curfew. Sec. 16-3 gives any peace officer authority to issue a citation to a juvenile or parent for a curfew violation and to detain the juvenile only until a parent or legal guardian can take custody; a cited juvenile and parent must then appear in court as directed by the citation.
Violations & Fines
A juvenile found in a public place or business establishment after 10:00 p.m. without a qualifying exception, and a parent who knowingly allows it, are each separately in violation under Sec. 16-2(b) and (c). Sec. 16-3 lets a peace officer cite the juvenile and the parent and detain the juvenile only until a parent or guardian takes custody; both must then appear in court as the citation directs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Fontana's juvenile curfew start?
Can a Fontana teen be out late coming home from work?
Can parents get in trouble for their teen breaking curfew in Fontana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fontana
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Juvenile Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle juvenile curfew.