Pontiac, MI Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Pontiac City Code § 86-318 defines a public place broadly as any street, highway, alley, park, public building, or place of business or assembly open to or frequented by the public, or any other place open to public view or accessible to the public. Under subsection (a)(2), a minor under 12 may not be in a public place, on foot or by any means of conveyance, between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. A minor between 12 and 16 may not be in a public place between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Both curfews lift when the minor travels with a parent, guardian, or an adult over 21 designated by the parent, or when the minor's presence is required by legitimate work, trade, profession, occupation, or business directed by a parent or guardian. Subsection (b) exempts minors attending supervised recreational, school, or church activities, minors going to or from a job, and minors working as newspaper carriers. Subsection (c) puts enforcement responsibility on adults too: a parent, guardian, or other person with care or custody of a minor may not permit, allow, or encourage that minor to violate the curfew.

Because Article VIII of Chapter 86 does not designate curfew violations as a municipal civil infraction, they default to the Code's general misdemeanor penalty under § 86-501(a)-(b): a fine of up to $500 plus costs of prosecution, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both. Police officers, including Oakland County Sheriff's Office deputies working the Pontiac substation under the city's police services contract, may stop a minor found in a public place after curfew to check for an exemption before citing the minor or the responsible adult.