Massachusetts has no statewide juvenile curfew, and Essex County has no county code. A few towns keep local nighttime curfews, but the state's high court limits how they can be enforced.
Juvenile curfews in Essex County exist only as individual town ordinances, not state law. In Commonwealth v. Weston W. (2009) the Supreme Judicial Court struck down Lowell's criminal curfew, ruling that a minor's right to move freely is a fundamental liberty under the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. Towns may still adopt curfews carrying civil fines, but police cannot arrest or criminally charge a minor for being out late alone. Exceptions cover work, emergencies, and travel with a parent.
A minor out past a local curfew faces a civil fine, around $50, plus written notice to parents. Criminal arrest for the curfew alone is barred.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Essex County, MA
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Essex County, MA
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Essex County, MA
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Essex County, MA
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Essex County, MA
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Essex County, MA
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See how Essex County's juvenile curfew rules stack up against other locations.
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