Santa Ana, CA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

the following day. Section 10-183(a) makes it unlawful for any minor, defined as anyone under 18, to be present or remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment during those hours, and subsection (b) separately makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit, or through insufficient control allow, a minor to do so. Subsection (c) lists eleven defenses: being accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult; running a direct errand at a parent's direction; an emergency; direct travel to or from work; interstate travel in a vehicle; standing on the sidewalk abutting the minor's own residence; exercising First Amendment rights; attending a supervised school, religious, or recreational activity; direct travel to or from any of those activities; emancipation; or military service.

Before enforcing, Section 10-185 requires an officer or park ranger to first ask the minor's age and reason for being out, and bars a citation or arrest unless the officer reasonably believes an offense occurred and no defense applies. Section 10-184 classifies each violation as a separate infraction offense. Section 10-187 sets the penalty: a peace officer's notice to appear is deemed an infraction, and a willful violation is punishable by a fine not exceeding $250 or equivalent community service as the court determines. The city council's stated purpose, per Section 10-181, is curbing juvenile gang activity and juvenile crime and victimization during nighttime hours; the article dates to Ordinance No. NS-2360, adopted July 20, 1998.