Lancaster, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Nighttime curfew
- 10:00 p.m. to sunrise
- Truancy curfew
- 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. school days
- Applies to
- Anyone under 18
- Penalty
- Infraction, Penal Code §647/653
- Cost recovery
- Parents billed for detention over 30 min
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 1123, Jan. 14, 2025
Summary
Lancaster makes it unlawful for anyone under 18 to remain in a public place or business open to the public between 10:00 p.m. and sunrise, under Municipal Code Section 9.16.020. A companion daytime truancy curfew, Section 9.16.030, bars minors from public places from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on school days. Both carry an infraction penalty.
"minor" means any person under the age of eighteen (18). ... 9.16.020 - Curfew. It is unlawful for any minor to remain in any public place, or any private business open to the public, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. on any day and sunrise of the immediately following day. ... 9.16.030 - Truancy. It is unlawful for any minor to remain in any public place, or any private business open to the public, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on days when schools are in session.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 10 - 2025).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 9.16, enacted by Ordinance No. 1123 on January 14, 2025 to replace an earlier loitering-by-minors chapter, sets two separate curfews. Section 9.16.020 prohibits any minor, defined in Section 9.16.010 as a person under eighteen, from remaining in a public place or any private business open to the public between 10:00 p.m. and sunrise the next day. Section 9.16.030 adds a school-hours truancy curfew barring minors from public places and open businesses between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on days school is in session.
Section 9.16.040 lists nine exceptions covering minors accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible adult; minors on an errand for a guardian; minors responding to an emergency; minors working within their lawful employment; minors on or adjacent to their own residence; married or military minors; minors attending organized school, religious, civic or other constitutionally protected activities; and minors traveling directly to or from those exempt activities. The truancy curfew additionally excuses any minor properly excused from school under state law, including Education Code Section 48205.
Section 9.16.050 authorizes any peace officer to demand a suspected violator's name, address, age proof and guardian information. Section 9.16.070 lets the city bill parents or guardians for the cost of Sheriff's Department or Lancaster Police Department personnel who supervise a detained minor beyond thirty minutes, with a right to appeal a bill to the city manager within fifteen days.
Violations & Fines
A curfew or truancy violation is an infraction under Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, or is chargeable under Penal Code Sections 647 or 653, per Section 9.16.060. The city may instead issue an administrative citation, and a cited minor's family may elect community service under Section 1.16.095. Parents also risk separate cost-recovery billing under Section 9.16.070 for police supervision time beyond thirty minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Lancaster's curfew for minors start?
Are there exceptions to Lancaster's curfew?
Can Lancaster bill parents when a minor is detained for curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lancaster
California rules heatmap·Compare Lancaster to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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