Orange, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. daily
- Governing sections
- Municipal Code §§ 9.28.020-9.28.050
- Applies to
- Anyone under 18 years old
- Parent liability
- Misdemeanor for knowingly allowing violation
- Exceptions
- 9 listed, including work, school, emergencies
- Minor's case handling
- Juvenile court law and procedure
Summary
Orange bars minors from public places between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. under Municipal Code Section 9.28.030, and separately makes it unlawful for a parent, guardian or responsible adult to knowingly let a minor stay out during those curfew hours. Nine exceptions cover accompanied minors, work, school and religious activities, First Amendment activity, emergencies and travel near home.
No minor shall be present, loiter, idle, wander, roam, play or remain in or upon any public place or establishment, or fail to leave any public place or establishment during curfew hours. No parent, guardian, or responsible adult of a minor may knowingly permit, or by insufficient control allow, a minor to be present in any public place or on the premises of any establishment in the City during curfew hours.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4796775; v10 updated 2026-01-27).
Full Breakdown
030 bars any minor, defined as anyone under 18, from being present, loitering, idling, wandering, roaming or playing in any public place or establishment during those hours, or from failing to leave one once curfew begins. The same section separately makes it unlawful for a parent, guardian or responsible adult to knowingly permit, or through insufficient control allow, a minor to be out in a public place or on an establishment's premises during curfew. 040 lists nine exceptions: a minor accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible adult; traveling directly to or from, or performing, a duty a parent assigned; traveling to or from permitted employment; engaged in First Amendment expressive activity; traveling to or from a supervised school, religious, recreational, civic or charitable activity; responding to an emergency; remaining on the sidewalk directly in front of the minor's own residence; engaged in bona fide interstate travel passing through the City; or an emancipated minor. , framing the ordinance as reinforcing parental authority during the City's peak hours for juvenile crime and vandalism.
Violations & Fines
Section 9.28.050 makes any curfew violation a misdemeanor, applying equally to a minor caught out past curfew and to a parent, guardian or responsible adult who knowingly allowed it. A minor cited under the chapter is handled through juvenile court law and procedure rather than adult misdemeanor court, and each night's violation is charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Orange's juvenile curfew start?
Can parents be punished for a teenager breaking curfew?
Are there exceptions to the Orange curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orange
California rules heatmap·Compare Orange to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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Juvenile Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle juvenile curfew.