Texas HB 1819 (88th Legislature, 2023), codified at Local Government Code 341.906 / 351.906 / 370.004, prohibits all Texas municipalities and counties from adopting or enforcing juvenile curfew ordinances. Existing local curfews expired automatically and are unenforceable across Texas.
Effective September 1, 2023, the Texas Legislature passed HB 1819 to prohibit any general-applicability juvenile curfew ordinance by a county, municipality, or other political subdivision. The law expressly preempted and voided every preexisting juvenile curfew, ending a decades-long practice in cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Police can no longer detain or cite minors solely for being out past a set hour. Localities retain authority to enforce truancy laws under Education Code Chapter 25, parental responsibility statutes, trespass and loitering rules, and specific curfews tied to declared emergencies under Government Code Chapter 418. Courts must dismiss any pending juvenile curfew citation issued under a now-void ordinance.
A minor cannot be cited or detained for a curfew violation in Texas. Officers or municipalities continuing to enforce a void curfew ordinance face civil rights claims and dismissal of any related charges.
See how Williamson County's juvenile curfew rules stack up against other locations.
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