Long Beach, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Nighttime curfew
- 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., minors under 18
- Daytime school curfew
- 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on school days (§9.58.020)
- Enforcing agency
- Long Beach Police Department
- Officer duty before citing
- Must ask age and reason first
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail
- Exceptions
- 9 listed, incl. work, errands, emergencies
Summary
Long Beach bans minors under 18 from public places between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. under Municipal Code § 9.58.010, with a separate daytime curfew of 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on school days under § 9.58.020. Nine exceptions cover parental accompaniment, work, school activities and emergencies. Police must ask age and reason before citing.
A.Curfew. It is unlawful for any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years to remain in or upon any "public place," as defined in Section 9.02.090, between the hours of ten p.m. until six a.m. the following day. ... C.Enforcement. Before taking any enforcement action under this Section, a Police Officer shall ask the apparent offender's age and reason for being in the public place. The officer shall not issue a citation or make an arrest under this Section unless the officer reasonably believes that an offense has occurred and that, based on any response and other circumstances, no exception under Subsection B of this Section is present.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
58. m. on days a minor's school is in session, aimed at truancy rather than late-night activity. Both sections list nine near-identical exceptions: a minor accompanied by a parent or guardian; a minor on a direct errand for a parent; interstate travel; going to, from, or performing paid employment without detour; responding to a bona-fide emergency; standing on the sidewalk in front of the minor's own residence; attending or traveling directly to or from a City-, school-, or civic-sponsored religious or recreational activity supervised by adults; exercising First Amendment rights; and emancipated minors.
The daytime version substitutes a lunch/off-campus permit exception and a medical-appointment exception for the sidewalk-at-home exception. 010(C) builds a procedural check into enforcement: before any citation or arrest, a Long Beach Police Officer must ask the apparent offender's age and reason for being out, and may act only if no listed exception reasonably applies. 010.
Violations & Fines
A curfew violation is prosecuted under the Code's general penalty, Section 1.32.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, unless the City Prosecutor exercises discretion to charge it as an infraction, which carries a fine of up to $1,000 without jail time. Each night a minor remains out past curfew is treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does the Long Beach juvenile curfew start?
Can my teenager be cited for walking home from work after 10 p.m.?
What must a Long Beach police officer do before citing a minor for curfew?
What is the penalty for a curfew violation in Long Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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Juvenile Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle juvenile curfew.