San Antonio, TX Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours (as written)
- 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly
- School-day hours (as written)
- 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Parent fine (as written)
- $50 to $500
- Preempted by
- Texas HB 1819, eff. Sept. 1, 2023
- Last local readoption
- June 4, 2015
- Enforceable today
- No
Summary
San Antonio's youth curfew, City Code Secs. 21-121 through 21-125, still bars anyone under 17 from public places between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on school days, with parents fined $50 to $500 for letting a child violate it. Texas House Bill 1819, effective September 1, 2023, stripped every city's authority to enforce a curfew like this, so SAPD can no longer act on it.
(a)It shall be a violation of this article for a child to purposefully remain, walk, run, stand, drive or ride about in or upon any public place in the city between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.(b)It shall be a violation of this article for a child to purposefully remain, walk, run, stand, drive or ride about in or upon any public place in the city between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday on school days only.(c)It shall be unlawful for the parent or guardian having legal custody of a child to knowingly allow or permit the child to be in violation of the curfew imposed in subsections (a) and (b).
Full Breakdown
As printed in the Municode compilation, Sec. 21-121 defines a 'child' as anyone 10 through 16 (or 17 if alleged to have committed delinquent conduct before turning 17), and Sec. m. Monday through Friday on school days. Sec. 21-123 lists exceptions: being with a parent or approved adult, running an emergency errand, going to or from school, religious or government-sponsored activity or lawful work, standing on the sidewalk of the child's own residence, riding through the city in interstate transportation, exercising First Amendment rights, or being married or otherwise emancipated.
Under Sec. 21-124, a peace officer could transport a violating child to the Juvenile Curfew Processing Office and cite the parent, and Sec. 21-125 set that penalty at $50 to $500 with the child referable to the Municipal Court's Juvenile Case Management/Truancy Court. This article was last readopted without changes on June 4, 2015. It has not been repealed from the code, but Texas House Bill 1819, enacted by the 88th Legislature and effective September 1, 2023, prohibits any political subdivision from adopting or enforcing an order, ordinance or other measure that imposes a curfew regulating the movements of anyone under 18, with a narrow carve-out only for emergency-management curfews under Government Code Chapter 418. That statewide repeal means San Antonio's curfew ordinance, though still on the books, cannot lawfully be cited or enforced against a minor today.
Violations & Fines
Under the still-printed ordinance, a peace officer could detain a curfew violator and cite the parent, prosecuted in municipal court with a $50 to $500 fine under Sec. 21-125(b), and a cited child could be referred to the Juvenile Case Management/Truancy Court. Since September 1, 2023, Texas HB 1819 bars the city from enforcing any of this against a minor under 18, so SAPD no longer issues curfew citations under this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Antonio's youth curfew still enforced?
What hours did the old San Antonio curfew cover?
Could a parent still be fined under the old ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Antonio
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