York County, VA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

Section 16-2 sets the curfew window at 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. and applies even when the minor is on private property, not just public streets. Exceptions cover a minor accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or other adult with lawful care and custody, or one running an emergency errand or legitimate business directed by that adult; the curfew also reaches minors serving in the U.S. armed forces, though a detained service member is released to their commanding officer instead of a parent. A violating minor is handled through the juvenile and domestic relations district court rather than adult criminal court, and section 16-2(d) lets a police officer take a curfew violator into immediate custody without a warrant, following the notification procedure in Virginia Code § 16.1-247.

Section 16-3 separately makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor for a parent, guardian or other adult with custody to knowingly permit a minor to violate the curfew, though that liability does not extend to the custodian of a minor who is an active-duty service member. Section 16-4 gives prosecutors an evidentiary shortcut: finding an unaccompanied minor on a street or public place during curfew hours is prima facie evidence both that the minor was there unlawfully and that the responsible adult knowingly permitted the violation.