Yakima County, WA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew age
- under 17 years old
- May-October hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- November-April hours
- 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Exceptions
- with parent/guardian, or on their errand
- Parent liability
- separate offense under § 8.20.020
- Repeat violations
- each night is a separate offense
Summary
Minors under 17 can't loiter in public places in unincorporated Yakima County between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. from May through October, or between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. from November through April, under YCC § 8.20.010. Parents who knowingly let a minor break curfew face the same rule under § 8.20.020.
It is unlawful for any minor under the age of seventeen years to loiter upon the public streets, highways, sidewalks, alleys, parks, playgrounds, public buildings, public places, places of amusement and entertainment, vacant lots or other unsupervised places between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m., on the following day, official time, during the months of May to October, inclusive, and between the hours of nine p.m. and seven a.m., on the following day, official time, during the months of November to April, inclusive; provided, however, that the provisions of this section do not apply to a minor accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or other adult person having the authorized care and custody of the minor, or where the minor is upon an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by his or her parent, guardian or other adult person having the authorized care and custody of the minor. Each violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4871853; v6 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
010). , from November through April. Two exceptions apply: a minor accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other adult with authorized care and custody is exempt, and so is a minor out on an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by that parent or guardian. Each night a minor is caught loitering during curfew hours is charged as its own separate offense. 020 separately makes it unlawful for a parent, guardian, or other adult with custody to "knowingly permit" the minor to loiter in the same public places during the identical seasonal windows, carrying the same two exceptions and the same separate-offense-per-night structure.
Both sections date to Ordinance 6-1971 and predate the county's later dog-control and code-enforcement penalty schedules, so the chapter doesn't set out its own fine table; violations of Title 8 chapters that lack a stated penalty are enforced as misdemeanors or civil infractions through the county's general Title 8 and Title 21 enforcement provisions, with the Sheriff's Office as the enforcing agency for both the minor and the responsible adult.
Violations & Fines
Each instance of a minor loitering in a public place during curfew hours under § 8.20.010, and each instance of a parent or guardian knowingly permitting it under § 8.20.020, is charged as a separate offense; the chapter does not set its own fine, so citations run through the county's general misdemeanor and civil infraction enforcement framework administered by the Sheriff's Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Yakima County's juvenile curfew start?
Are there exceptions to the curfew?
Can a parent get in trouble for their kid breaking curfew?
Does the curfew apply everywhere in Yakima County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington curfew laws overview
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