Pittsburg, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

The Pittsburg minor-curfew ordinance, found in the Municipal Code's public peace/juvenile provisions (typically PMC Chapter 9.36 or a similar chapter), prohibits any person under the age of 18 from being present in or upon any public street, alley, park, playground, public building, vacant lot, or other public place within city limits during the curfew hours. Standard curfew hours are 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM Sunday through Thursday nights and 12:00 midnight to 5:00 AM Friday and Saturday nights (some adjacent Contra Costa cities use 11:00 PM). Recognized statutory exceptions - required to survive constitutional challenge under Nunez v. San Diego (9th Cir. 1997) - include: minors accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; minors engaged in a lawful employment errand or returning directly home from work; minors traveling to or from a school, religious, or government-sponsored event; minors responding to an emergency; minors exercising First Amendment rights (attending a rally, religious service, or protected activity); and married or emancipated minors. Enforcement is by the Pittsburg Police Department, who may detain a minor in violation and release them to a parent or guardian. A citation is typically an infraction for the minor and can include fines and mandatory diversion (counseling or youth programming). Parents who knowingly permit or fail to prevent violations can be cited for contributing to delinquency under Penal Code §272. State daytime loitering law (Education Code §48264) also prohibits truant minors from being in public during school hours.