Irvine, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Irvine defines "curfew hours" in Sec. of the following day. Sec. 4-14-303 creates three separate violations: a minor commits an offense by remaining in a public place or establishment during curfew hours; a parent or legal guardian violates the section by knowingly permitting, or by insufficient controls allowing, the minor to remain out; and the owner, operator, or any employee of an establishment violates it by knowingly allowing a minor to stay on the premises. "Minor" means anyone under 18 regardless of marital status, and "public place" reaches streets, highways, and the common areas of schools, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities, and shops (Sec.

4-14-301). Sec. 4-14-304 lists eleven exceptions: minors accompanied by a parent or guardian; minors facing an emergency; minors going directly to or from work or a medical appointment; minors running a parent-directed errand without detour; minors attending or traveling directly to or from a City-, school-, religious-, or civic-organization-sponsored activity; minors exercising First Amendment rights; minors on official military business; minors an establishment has already reported to the Police Department; minors traveling to or from, or during, an exempt activity or engaged in interstate travel; and emancipated minors.

A related but distinct rule, Sec. , an earlier window and a younger age threshold than the general curfew. Before citing anyone, Sec. 4-14-308 requires an officer to ask the apparent offender's name, age, home address, and reason for being out, and the officer may take an unaccompanied minor into custody, first attempting to reach a guardian, then transporting the minor home, then to social services or a licensed youth shelter if no guardian can be reached.