Sacramento, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Sacramento City Code Chapter 9.40 defines curfew hours as 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following day and makes it unlawful and a misdemeanor for any minor to remain in a public place, or on the premises of any privately-owned business open to the public, during that window (§ 9.40.020(A)). The same section makes it a misdemeanor for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit a minor to violate curfew (§ 9.40.020(B)). Nine statutory exceptions keep the ordinance from sweeping in ordinary teenage activity: being accompanied by a parent or guardian, running an errand at a parent's direction without a detour, riding in a vehicle on interstate travel, coming from or going to a job without a detour, responding to an emergency, standing on the sidewalk in front of the minor's own home or a non-complaining next-door neighbor's home, attending a supervised school, religious, sporting or civic event, exercising First Amendment rights such as speech, assembly or religious worship, or being an emancipated minor.

Before citing or arresting a minor, a police officer must first ask the person's age and reason for being out, and may not act unless no exception applies (§ 9.40.020(C)). Penalties escalate for parents: a first conviction draws a fine of $100 to $250 or up to 10 days in county jail, or both; a second conviction within a year draws $250 to $500 or up to 30 days; and each subsequent conviction within that year draws $500 to $1,000 or up to 90 days (§ 9.40.030). A cited minor is instead routed through juvenile court law and procedure rather than adult criminal court.