Wauwatosa, WI Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
- Covered ages
- Under 17 (public places); under 18 (lodging)
- Lodging curfew
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Exceptions
- Work, school activities, or religious worship
- Minor's penalty referral
- Wis. Stat. ch. 48 juvenile authorities
- Adopted
- Ord. O-88-69, 1988
Summary
Wauwatosa bars anyone under seventeen from being out in public between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. without a parent, guardian or other responsible adult, under Municipal Code § 7.84.010. Exceptions exist for minors traveling directly to or from work, school activities, or religious worship, and parents who knowingly allow a violation face liability of their own.
It is unlawful for any person under the age of seventeen years to congregate, loiter, wander, stroll, stand or play in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, public buildings, places of amusement and entertainment, vacant lots or any public places in the City of Wauwatosa, either on foot or in or upon any conveyance being driven or parked thereon, between the hours of eleven p.m. and five a.m. of the following day, official city time, unless accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or other adult person having his or her care, custody or control. This section is subject to the exceptions listed below. ... Persons under the age of seventeen may use public streets, sidewalks, alleys, street crossings and public buildings between the hours of eleven p.m. and five a.m. without being accompanied by a parent, guardian or other adult person; provided, that the purpose is directly related to education, employment or religious worship.
Full Breakdown
010, adopted by Ord. , unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or other adult with care and custody of the minor. 020 mirrors the same hours and makes it unlawful for a parent or other responsible adult to knowingly allow the minor to violate the curfew, though a parent who has filed a missing-person report with the police is not considered in violation. 040). 050 carves out an exception letting minors under seventeen use public streets, sidewalks and buildings during curfew hours without an adult if their purpose is directly related to education, employment or religious worship. 060).
Violations & Fines
A minor cited under § 7.84.010 is referred to the proper authorities under Chapter 48 of the Wisconsin Statutes, Wisconsin's juvenile justice code, rather than facing a municipal forfeiture directly. Parents or guardians who knowingly permit a minor's violation, amusement-place operators who admit unaccompanied minors during curfew hours, and hotel or motel operators who let unaccompanied minors under eighteen remain overnight can each be separately cited and are subject to the code's general penalty provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Wauwatosa's curfew hours for minors?
Are there exceptions to the Wauwatosa youth curfew?
Can a parent get in trouble for a child's curfew violation in Wauwatosa?
Does Wauwatosa's curfew apply to hotels?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wauwatosa
Compare Wauwatosa to another location·View the Wisconsin curfew laws overview
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Juvenile Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Milwaukee County handle juvenile curfew.