James City County, VA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 12:00 midnight to 5:00 a.m.
- Covered age
- under 18
- Exemptions
- 4: parent present, emergency errand, sponsored activity, work
- Parental liability
- unlawful to knowingly permit violation
- Penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor
- Enforcing court
- juvenile and domestic relations court
Summary
James City County bars anyone under 18 from being in a street, park, playground or other public place between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Sec. 15-10 exempts minors with a parent or guardian, on an emergency errand, coming from a sponsored activity, or going to or from lawful employment.
(3)Curfew. It shall be unlawful for any minor to be in or upon any street, park, vacant lot, playground, wharf, dock, place of amusement, or any other public place in the county between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. of the following day. ... Any minor who is accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or custodian; ... Any minor who is engaged in lawful employment or is going directly to or going directly from his or her place of lawful employment. ... Every person who violates any of the provisions of section 15-10 to 15-12, inclusive, or who shall fail to proceed forthwith to his home or place of abode when so ordered by such officer or who shall knowingly give a false name or false address to such officer shall, upon conviction thereof, be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.
Full Breakdown
Sec. m. Four exemptions apply: a minor accompanied by a parent, guardian or custodian; a minor on an emergency errand carrying written parental consent; a minor going to or from an activity sponsored by the county, a church, or a public or licensed private school, with written consent in hand; and a minor going to or from lawful employment. Sec. 15-11 separately makes it unlawful for a parent, guardian or custodian to knowingly permit or encourage a minor to violate the curfew. Sec. 15-12 directs any officer who encounters a minor in violation to investigate, take the minor's and parent's name and address, issue a summons to appear in juvenile and domestic relations court, and order the minor home; a minor who refuses to give identifying information is taken to the James City County Law Enforcement Center or Williamsburg police headquarters and held until turned over to juvenile court officers. Sec. 15-13 sets the penalty for violating Sections 15-10 through 15-12, including refusing to go home or giving a false name.
Violations & Fines
Violating the curfew, refusing an officer's order to go home, or knowingly giving a false name or address to the officer is a Class 4 misdemeanor under Sec. 15-13. A parent, guardian or custodian who knowingly permits or encourages a minor's violation is separately liable under Sec. 15-11.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the curfew hours for minors in James City County?
Are there exceptions to the James City County juvenile curfew?
What happens if my child is stopped for violating curfew?
Can a parent be charged if their child breaks curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in James City County
Compare James City County to another location·View the Virginia curfew laws overview
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