Newport News, VA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Who it covers
- anyone under 18 (minor)
- Penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor, up to $250
- Parent liability
- permitting violation is also a Class 4 misdemeanor
- Processing site
- juvenile curfew reception center
- Exceptions
- 6 categories incl. work, school events, First Amendment activity
- Statutory basis
- Va. Code § 15.2-926
Summary
Newport News bars anyone under 18 from being on any street, park, or other public place, or in a parked or moving vehicle, between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. without a parent or guardian, under City Code § 28-4(d). Parents who knowingly allow it violate § 28-4(e) too. The Newport News Police Department enforces the curfew as a Class 4 misdemeanor and can hold a cited minor at the city's juvenile curfew reception center until a parent is reached.
(d)It shall be unlawful for any minor to be present on any street, road, alley, avenue, park or other public place in the city, or in any vehicle operating or parked thereon, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day, unless accompanied by the minor's parent or guardian or unless such minor is on an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by the minor's parent or guardian or is engaged in a lawful employment or going directly to the place of such employment or returning directly to the minor's place of residence from the place of such employment.(e)It shall be unlawful for any parent or guardian of any minor to permit, allow or encourage such minor to be present on any street, road, alley, avenue, park or other public place in the city, or in any vehicle operating or parked thereon, in violation of provisions of subsection (d) of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
reinforces parental authority. A "minor" is anyone under 18; "guardian" covers any adult with care, custody, or control of the minor; "officer" means any Newport News police officer or other law enforcement officer. m. Six built-in exceptions keep the ordinance from reaching lawful activity: minors in bona fide interstate travel through the city, attending or returning from a city-, state-, school-, or religious-sponsored activity, a volunteer firefighter or rescue squad member responding to a call, attending a First Amendment-protected assembly with a parent's written permission in hand, or walking the most direct route from a stadium, theater, or arena to a parked vehicle.
An emancipated minor is exempt entirely. When an officer takes a minor into custody, the minor is transported to the city's juvenile curfew reception center; the on-call intake officer is contacted if a parent cannot be reached, and any release to a parent is documented on a Juvenile History Sheet with the reason for detention. A minor who refuses to give a name or address, or whose parent cannot be found, goes instead to the intake division of the Newport News Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Violating the curfew, or lying about one's identity to the officer, is a Class 4 misdemeanor, and a minor found in violation can also receive any disposition order a JDR court may impose under Virginia law.
Violations & Fines
A minor cited under § 28-4(d), or a parent who permits the violation under § 28-4(e), faces a Class 4 misdemeanor, up to a $250 fine under the citywide penalty schedule at § 1-11(a)(4). Giving an officer a false name, address, or phone number during a curfew stop is itself a Class 4 misdemeanor. A minor may also face any disposition a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court can order under Va. Code §§ 16.1-278.4 and 16.1-278.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a minor be out past 10 p.m. for a job in Newport News?
What happens if my child is stopped after curfew and won't give their name?
Does the curfew apply to a 17-year-old just driving through Newport News on the interstate?
Is a 17-year-old leaving a concert at 11 p.m. breaking curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
Compare Newport News to another location·View the Virginia curfew laws overview
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