Ocala, FL Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Rather than set its own curfew hours, Section 42-15 folds Florida's juvenile curfew statute directly into the Code of Ordinances: "All the provisions of F.S. §§ 877.20—877.24 are hereby adopted by reference and made an offense against the ordinances of the city." That single sentence means an Ocala Police Department officer can cite a minor found in violation of the state curfew statute as a violation of city ordinance, not only as a state charge, and can use city code-enforcement mechanisms alongside a state citation.

The second sentence departs from the Code's usual approach to punishment: "Persons found guilty of violating these state statutes shall be fined or punished as provided by state law," rather than under Section 1-9's citywide general penalty of up to $500.00 or 60 days in jail that governs most other Chapter 42 offenses. Ocala adopted this provision by Ordinance No. 3083, Section 1, on August 22, 2000, and it sits in Article I, "In General," of Chapter 42, Miscellaneous Offenses, alongside Section 42-1's similar adoption of all state misdemeanors as city offenses.

Because the section adopts the statute by reference rather than reprinting its hours, the curfew times, any exceptions for minors accompanied by a parent, and working-minor exemptions are governed by the state statute's own text, which the city has bound itself to enforce as written and as later amended by the legislature.