Lakewood, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Under Section 4251, added by Ordinance 99-4, curfew hours run from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following morning, every night of the week. It is unlawful for any minor under 18 to remain in a public place or on private premises open to the public during those hours, for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit it, and for a place's owner, operator or employee to knowingly let a minor stay on the premises during curfew. A companion rule, Section 4251.1, separately bars school-age minors from public streets, parks and businesses between 8:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on days their school is in session.

The ordinance lists nine defenses in Subsection C: the minor is with a parent, guardian or a responsible adult; running an errand for a parent with proof; carrying a written parental excuse; commuting to or from a job; facing an emergency; returning from a school, religious or city-sponsored activity without detour; exercising First Amendment rights under adult supervision; working in a lawful trade; or being legally emancipated. Business operators have an added defense if they promptly call law enforcement about a minor who refuses to leave.

Section 4251.3 makes a first-time violation of Sections 4251 through 4251.3 an infraction capped at a $250.00 fine, and the court can set that fine aside entirely if, before the next hearing, the minor has no further violations and either completes ten hours of court-approved community service or the minor's parent attends a court-approved parenting class. Because Lakewood contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for police service rather than running its own force, curfew stops and citations are handled by Sheriff's deputies patrolling under that contract, not a city police department.