Gulfport, MS Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Sec. 7-9's curfew ordinance defines a minor as anyone under 18 who is unmarried and not emancipated, and applies the weeknight, weekend, and school-hours windows in subsection (d) to any 'public place,' a term defined broadly to include streets, sidewalks, parks, and the common areas of apartment complexes, shops, and business establishments. Subsection (e) creates three separate offenses: the minor who remains out during curfew, a parent who knowingly permits or, through insufficient control, allows the violation, and an establishment's owner or operator who knowingly lets a minor stay on the premises.

Subsection (f) lists defenses, including being accompanied by a parent or an adult over 17 with the parent's permission, running an errand at a parent's direction, traveling in interstate commerce, going to or from work, responding to an emergency, standing on the sidewalk next to the minor's own home, attending a supervised city-sponsored activity, or exercising First Amendment rights. Subsection (g) requires an officer to ask the apparent offender's age and reason for being out before citing or arresting, and bars a citation unless the officer reasonably believes an offense occurred and no defense applies.

The ordinance took effect September 6, 1994, and the municipal court may waive jurisdiction to the Harrison County Family Court under Miss. § 43-23-5 for a delinquent or neglected child.