Green Bay, WI Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered ages
- Under 17 years old
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Adult liability
- Parents and property/vehicle owners
- Exemptions
- 7 listed, incl. work, school, First Amendment
- General penalty
- $1.00 to $500.00 forfeiture
Summary
Green Bay bars anyone under 17 from loitering, idling or remaining on public streets, parks or lands between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. without a parent, guardian or other adult with custody present. Municipal Code § 26-41 exempts errands, school activities, jobs, First Amendment activity, through-travel and staying near home, and it also penalizes adults who knowingly let a violation happen.
(a)Prohibition. No person under the age of 17 years shall loiter, idle, or remain upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, vacant lots, or any public lands, either on foot or in any vehicle driven or parked thereon, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., unless accompanied by their parent, guardian, or other adult person having their custody, as the term "custody" is defined in Wis. Stats. § 895.035.(c)Exemptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply in the following instances:(1)Emergency errand. When the minor is upon an emergency errand directed by their parent, guardian, or other adult person 21 years of age or older having the lawful care and custody of the minor;(2)School activity. When the minor is returning directly home from a school activity;(3)Employment. When the minor is traveling to, or returning directly home from, lawful employment that makes it necessary to be in above-referenced places during the proscribed period of time; ...(6)Residence. When the minor is on the sidewalk adjoining the property where the minor resides...
Full Breakdown
, unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or other adult who has "custody" as defined in Wis. 035. Subsection (b) extends liability upstream: a parent, guardian or custodian who knowingly permits or fails to prevent a violation is liable, and so is any other adult who knowingly permits it on property or in a vehicle they own or control. Subsection (c) lists seven exemptions: emergency errands directed by a parent or custodial adult 21 or older; returning directly home from a school activity; traveling to or from lawful employment; exercising First Amendment rights of speech, assembly or religion; interstate or intrastate vehicular travel through the city with parental consent; being on the sidewalk or property adjoining the minor's own residence (or across the street from it) with the resident's permission; and married minors.
The ordinance defines "custody" by cross-reference to state law rather than setting its own standard, tying enforcement to the same definition used in Wisconsin's civil liability statute.
Violations & Fines
Section 26-41 carries no dedicated fine of its own in the text, so enforcement runs through the chapter's general penalty structure: a forfeiture of $1.00 to $500.00 per offense under § 26-18, with a Municipal Court Judge able to substitute or add community service under § 26-2. Both the minor and any adult who knowingly permitted the violation under subsection (b) can be cited separately by officers authorized under § 26-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours does Green Bay's curfew cover?
Can I get in trouble if my teenager is out past curfew?
Are there exceptions to the curfew?
What's the penalty for a curfew violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Green Bay
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Juvenile Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brown County handle juvenile curfew.