Mission Viejo, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Municipal Code § 11.15.010 makes it an infraction for "every minor who is present in or upon any public or private street, road, drive, alley, or trail; any public or community park or recreation area; any public ground, place, or building; or any vacant lot or abandoned or vacant building between the hour of 10:00 p.m. and the time of sunrise of the following day" unless one of eleven exceptions in § 11.15.030 applies. Those exceptions cover a minor accompanied by a parent or adult spouse, running an errand with a written excuse, coming from a school, religious, or civic activity, working a lawful job, holding written parental permission for another lawful activity, handling an emergency, exercising First Amendment rights, standing in the right-of-way at their own residence, riding in a vehicle on interstate travel, being emancipated, or being homeless.

Section 11.15.020 separately makes it an infraction for a parent or custodial adult to knowingly allow a minor in their custody to violate the curfew. Before citing anyone, § 11.15.060 requires a police officer to ask the apparent offender's age and reason for being out, and bars a citation or arrest unless the officer reasonably believes an offense occurred and no exception applies. Section 11.15.040 lets a court order community service or parenting classes instead of a fine for a first offense. Under § 11.15.070, a minor who violates § 11.15.030 is remanded to juvenile court, while a violating parent or guardian is guilty of a misdemeanor, though the city may instead pursue an administrative civil action under Chapter 1.02 or 1.03.