Contra Costa County maintains a juvenile curfew ordinance applicable in unincorporated areas and echoed by many cities, and Martinez enforces a curfew on minors under 18 between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. under Municipal Code Chapter 9.16. Exceptions apply for minors accompanied by a parent or guardian, traveling to or from work, responding to an emergency, or engaged in First Amendment activity.
Under MMC Chapter 9.16 and parallel Contra Costa County Ordinance Code provisions, it is unlawful for any person under 18 years of age to be in or upon any public street, highway, park, or other public place within Martinez between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. It is also unlawful for a parent or legal guardian to knowingly permit or by insufficient control allow such presence.
Recognized exceptions include: (1) the minor is accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other adult at least 18 years of age having legal care and custody; (2) the minor is on an errand directed by a parent or guardian; (3) the minor is traveling to or from lawful employment, or engaged in employment-related activity; (4) the minor is responding to an emergency; (5) the minor is attending or returning from a supervised school, religious, or public activity sponsored by an organization that takes responsibility; (6) the minor is exercising First Amendment rights protected by the U.S. Constitution; and (7) the minor is emancipated pursuant to law.
Juvenile curfew ordinances must pass strict constitutional scrutiny; California courts have upheld curfews with recognized exceptions similar to those above. Violations are infractions punishable by fines, diversion programs, or community service; parents may face parental-responsibility citations. Martinez Police typically release detained minors to a parent or guardian rather than booking into juvenile hall for curfew-only violations.
Contra Costa County also operates a daytime truancy provision during school hours (typically 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on school days) for school-age minors not accompanied by a parent and not exempt. That is enforced primarily via school-district and probation channels.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Martinez, CA
Amplified music in Martinez is prohibited from being plainly audible beyond 50 feet from the property line at any time, and is subject to full quiet hour res...
Martinez, CA
Martinez has no municipal airport and aircraft noise is primarily regulated at the federal level by the FAA. Buchanan Field Airport in nearby Concord generat...
Martinez, CA
Construction noise in Martinez is restricted to 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday and 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays, with no construction permitted ...
Martinez, CA
Martinez prohibits habitual dog barking that disturbs neighbors under Municipal Code Chapter 6.04 and noise provisions in Chapter 8.20. Continuous barking fo...
Martinez, CA
Vehicle noise in Martinez is regulated through California Vehicle Code sections enforced by Martinez Police, including prohibitions on modified exhaust syste...
Martinez, CA
Martinez Municipal Code Chapter 8.20 prohibits unreasonably loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM on weekdays and 10:00 PM and ...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Contra Costa County.
See how other cities in Contra Costa County handle juvenile curfew.
See how Martinez's juvenile curfew rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.