St. Louis County, MO Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Who is covered
- Any minor under the age of seventeen (17) years
- Nightly hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. of the following day
- Fridays and Saturdays
- 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m. of the following day
- Exceptions
- Accompanied by custodial adult, or emergency errand or legitimate business
- Parent fine
- $5.00 to $100.00 after notice of a first violation
- Officer response
- Warn, then custody and release or referral to Juvenile Court
- Code sections
- 705.010, 705.020 and 705.030
Summary
Under St. Louis County Code Chapter 705, a minor under 17 cannot loiter, wander, ride in a car or play in public places or unsupervised places between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays the hours shift to 12:00 midnight through 6:00 a.m. A parent, guardian or other adult with custody, or an emergency or legitimate errand directed by that adult, takes the minor outside the rule.
It is unlawful for any minor under the age of seventeen (17) years to loiter, idle, wander, stroll or to drive or ride in an automobile, or play in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds, wharves, docks, or other public grounds, public places and public buildings, places of amusement and entertainment, vacant lots or other unsupervised places, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day, official County time, except on Fridays and Saturdays when the hours shall be 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m. of the following day, official County time, except that this section does not apply to a minor accompanied by his parent, guardian, or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor, or where the minor is upon an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by his or her parent, guardian, or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor. ... any parent, guardian or other person in charge of such child who knowingly permits such child to again violate the provisions of Section 705.010 shall be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 705.010 sets the curfew for every minor under the age of seventeen (17) years. The hours are 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. of the following day, official County time, and the section carves out Fridays and Saturdays, when the hours are 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m. of the following day. The listed conduct is wide: loitering, idling, wandering, strolling, driving or riding in an automobile, or playing. The listed places are just as wide: public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds, wharves, docks, other public grounds, public places and public buildings, places of amusement and entertainment, vacant lots, and any other unsupervised place.
Two exceptions are written into the same sentence. The curfew does not apply to a minor accompanied by his parent, guardian, or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor. It also does not apply when the minor is on an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by that parent, guardian or adult. Both exceptions turn on the adult with custody, so a friend's parent or an older sibling who lacks care and custody of the minor does not fit the text.
Section 705.020 puts a separate duty on adults. It is unlawful for the parent, guardian, or other adult person having the care and custody of a minor under seventeen to knowingly permit the minor to loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play in the same list of places between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Read closely, 705.020 names a single 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. window and does not repeat the Friday and Saturday midnight start or the driving and riding language found in 705.010.
Section 705.030 sets the enforcement steps. A police officer who finds a child violating Section 705.010 must warn the child to cease and desist immediately. The officer can then take the child into custody and release him to a parent or guardian, or release the child at the scene with a written notice of referral to the Juvenile Court. The Juvenile Court serves the parent, guardian or person in charge with written notice setting out how the child violated Section 705.010. That notice is the trigger for the parental fine described below.
Violations & Fines
The chapter does not fine the minor. A child found out after hours is warned, then either taken into custody and released to a parent or guardian or released at the scene with a written notice of referral to the Juvenile Court. The money penalty falls on adults under Section 705.030(2): after receiving notice of the first violation, a parent, guardian or other person in charge who knowingly permits the child to violate Section 705.010 again is fined not less than $5.00 nor more than $100.00.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is curfew in St. Louis County for minors?
Can a minor be out after curfew with a parent?
Does the minor get fined for breaking curfew?
How much is the fine for parents?
Is it also unlawful for a parent to let a child stay out?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
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