Somerville, MA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 9:30 p.m. to sunrise
- Age covered
- minors under 16
- Exceptions
- adult supervision, employment, written parental errand
- First offense
- officer discretion: warning, sent home
- Penalty basis
- Chapter 119 of the General Laws
Summary
Minors under 16 cannot be out on Somerville streets, parks or other public places after 9:30 p.m. and before sunrise unless with a parent or guardian, working, or on written parental business, under Sec. 9-121(a). First-time violators get a police warning and a ride home rather than a fine.
(a) Established. No minor under 16 years of age shall be present, loiter or remain upon any street, highway, park, public way or place, or upon any other place to which the public has a right of access as licenses or invitees in this city, after the hour of 9:30 p.m. of any day and before sunrise of the following day, unless accompanied by, or under the control or care of a parent, guardian or other adult person or unless in some employment, or in the performance of some legitimate business or interest directed in writing by said parent, guardian or other adult person, which will not permit loitering as mentioned in this section. (b) Penalty. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty in accordance with Chapter 119 of the General Laws. (c) Warning for first offense. In enforcing this section, a police officer may, in his or her discretion, warn and send home any child who for the first time violates the provisions of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Ordinances: Revision - CodeBank PDF Post).
Full Breakdown
of any day and before sunrise the next day, unless accompanied by or under the care of a parent, guardian or other adult, employed, or engaged in legitimate business directed in writing by a parent or guardian that doesn't allow for loitering. , that is not an excuse for breaking curfew. Subsection (b) sets the penalty by reference to Chapter 119 of the General Laws rather than a flat city fine, meaning enforcement runs through the state's juvenile justice framework. Subsection (c) gives officers discretion on a first offense: rather than citing or arresting a child caught out past curfew for the first time, a police officer may simply warn the minor and send them home.
The ordinance traces to the 1963 Code and has not been substantively rewritten since; it applies citywide with no separate provisions for specific neighborhoods or event nights.
Violations & Fines
A minor found in violation of the curfew is liable to a penalty under Chapter 119 of the General Laws rather than a local fine schedule. For a first offense, however, Section 9-121(c) lets a police officer use discretion to simply warn the minor and send them home instead of pursuing that penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the juvenile curfew in Somerville?
What happens the first time a minor breaks curfew in Somerville?
Does a missed 9:30 p.m. alarm excuse a Somerville curfew violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Somerville
Compare Somerville to another location·View the Massachusetts curfew laws overview
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