Lafayette, IN Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Lafayette Municipal Code § 11.06.010 sets separate curfews for two age groups. Anyone under eighteen may not be on the city's public streets, alleys or public places between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday, between 11 p.m. and midnight Sunday through Thursday nights, and between midnight and 5 a.m. heading into Monday through Friday. Minors under sixteen face an earlier curfew: 11 p.m. to midnight on Friday or Saturday nights, midnight to 5 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday, 10 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and midnight to 5 a.m.

Monday through Friday. The section lists exceptions: a child accompanied by a parent, guardian or custodian, or by an adult that parent designates; a child going to or from lawful employment, a school-sanctioned activity, a religious event, or a parent-directed errand; a minor exercising First Amendment rights; a minor on interstate vehicle travel; and emergencies, defined at § 11.06.020 as unforeseen circumstances such as fires, natural disasters or car accidents requiring immediate action. An officer who finds a minor under eighteen breaking curfew may take the child before the Tippecanoe County juvenile court to be charged under state juvenile law, or may instead issue a written citation payable through the city's Violations Bureau.

A parent or guardian who knowingly lets a child violate curfew after receiving written warning of a prior violation is separately liable, without needing the child's own violation proven first. The Ordinance Violations Bureau schedule at § 1.02.040 lists a flat $50 civil fine tied to "11.06.010 Curfew for minors," enforced by Lafayette police officers.