Lake Elsinore, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Chapter 9.76, adopted in 1995 and amended in 1999, states its intent in § 9.76.010 as protecting children of immature age and reducing juvenile crime. Section 9.76.020 sets two curfews. Subsection A is the nighttime curfew: no person under 18 may be present on public streets, alleys, parks, playgrounds, places of amusement, eating places, vacant lots or other unsupervised public places between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the following morning. Subsection B is a daytime truancy curfew applying only to minors subject to compulsory education: they may not be in those same public places between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on days school is in session, or during hours the minor's school district sets instead.

Section 9.76.030 lists exceptions covering both curfews: accompaniment by a parent, guardian or adult spouse; traveling directly to or from school, church or a sponsored activity or a job; an emergency errand for a parent; sitting on the sidewalk at the minor's own home; interstate travel; legal emancipation; and exercising First Amendment rights. Two further exceptions, a medical appointment without detour and a valid campus release pass, apply only to the daytime curfew in subsection B. A minor who violates § 9.76.020 commits an infraction handled under State juvenile procedures (§ 9.76.040), with diversion to a noncriminal youth court program expressly allowed.

A parent or guardian who knowingly permits the violation is guilty of an infraction or misdemeanor under Chapter 1.16 LEMC (§ 9.76.050). If a detained minor requires more than one hour of police supervision, § 9.76.060 makes the parent jointly liable for the added cost, appealable to the City Manager within 15 days.