Chino, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Violation class
- Misdemeanor
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 (§ 1.12.010(B))
- Maximum jail
- 6 months (§ 1.12.010(B))
- Curfew exemption
- Approved organized activities only
- Enforced by
- Police / code enforcement officers
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 2000-9 (2000); amended Ord. 2023-016 (2023)
Summary
Chino closes every city park overnight: remaining in a park between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following morning is a misdemeanor under Municipal Code § 12.20.040. The only exception is an organized activity that the Community Services, Parks, and Recreation Department has approved in advance.
12.20.040 - Hours of operation. Any person who remains in any city park between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day, except for organized activities approved by the community services, parks, and recreation department, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 2000-9, 2000: prior code § 24-4.) (Ord. No. 2023-016, § 15, 2023.)
12.20.060 - Violation-Penalty. Any person who fails, refuses or neglects to comply with any lawful order of a police officer or a code enforcement officer in the enforcement of any provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 2004-05 § 27, 2004.)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 12.20, Conduct in Public Parks, sets Chino's park curfew at Municipal Code § 12.20.040: anyone who "remains in any city park between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day" is guilty of a misdemeanor, unless the presence is part of an "organized activity approved by the community services, parks, and recreation department." That means informal after-hours use, whether walking a dog, sitting in a parked car at a park lot, or lingering after a daytime event ends, falls outside the exemption and exposes a person to citation once the gates close at 10:00 p.m. The section was adopted by Ord. 2000-9 in 2000 (codified from prior code § 24-4) and last amended by Ord. No. 2023-016, § 15, in 2023.
The same chapter separately requires a written permit from the service department for any picnic, celebration, parade, service, or assembly held in a park (§ 12.20.020), and § 12.20.060, "Violation-Penalty," makes it a misdemeanor to fail, refuse, or neglect to comply with a lawful order of a police officer or code enforcement officer enforcing any part of Chapter 12.20, including an order to leave a park after curfew. "Service department" and "director of public works" are defined at § 12.20.010 as the officials responsible for administering the chapter. Because the code does not specify a lesser penalty for § 12.20.040 or § 12.20.060, both default to the citywide general penalty at § 1.12.010.
Violations & Fines
A curfew violation is a straight misdemeanor, not an infraction. Under the general penalty, § 1.12.010(B), a misdemeanor conviction under any Chino ordinance carries a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, and § 1.12.010(C) treats each day of a continuing violation as a separate offense. Refusing a lawful order from a police officer or code enforcement officer to leave the park after 10:00 p.m. is itself a separate misdemeanor under § 12.20.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be in a Chino city park after 10 p.m.?
Does the Chino park curfew have any exceptions?
What happens if a Chino officer tells me to leave a park after curfew and I refuse?
What is the maximum penalty for violating Chino's park curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino
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