Monterey, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

the following day, and § 22-6 makes it unlawful for any minor, defined as anyone under 18, to be present in any public place or on the premises of any private business open to the public during those hours. Parents or guardians face liability too: it is separately unlawful for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit, or through insufficient control allow, a minor in their care to be out during curfew. The ordinance, adopted by Ordinance 3472 in 2012, builds in ten specific defenses at § 22-6(c): being accompanied by a parent, guardian or a responsible adult at least 18; running an errand at a parent's direction without any detour; traveling in a vehicle on an interstate trip; going to, from, or working an employment shift without detour; responding to an emergency; standing on the sidewalk in front of the minor's own home; attending or traveling directly to or from a City-, school-, or civic-organization-sponsored activity; exercising First Amendment rights; moving directly between two of the listed defense activities; or being a legally emancipated minor.

Before citing or arresting anyone under this section, § 22-6(d) requires a police officer to first ask the person's age and reason for being out, and the officer may act only if no defense reasonably applies. Each violation is treated as a separate offense. Under § 22-7, adults who violate may be charged with a misdemeanor, while minors are handled through juvenile court law rather than adult criminal court.