Orange County, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

the following day. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful for any minor, defined at section 3-6-1(e) as anyone under 18 who is not on active military duty or otherwise emancipated, to remain in a public place or on the premises of an establishment within the unincorporated areas of the county during those hours. Subsection (b) extends liability to any parent, guardian or responsible adult who knowingly permits, or through insufficient control allows, a minor to remain out during curfew. Subsection (c) lists eight defenses to prosecution: the minor was accompanied by a parent, guardian or a responsible adult, an adult at least 18 authorized by the parent to have custody; on a direct errand for a parent or guardian without a detour; in a vehicle on interstate travel; going to, from, or engaged in employment without a detour; involved in an emergency; on the sidewalk abutting the minor's own residence; going to, from, or attending an official school, religious or recreational activity sponsored by a public entity or civic organization; or exercising First Amendment rights.

Each violation is its own separate offense under subsection (d). Enforcement runs through section 3-6-3: an officer with reasonable cause to believe a minor is violating curfew can demand the minor's name, address and parent or guardian information, then choose among several responses, warning the minor and parents, transporting the minor home or to a responsible adult, contacting the parents directly, issuing a notice to appear in Juvenile Court, or taking the minor into temporary custody under Welfare and Institutions Code section 625. m.