Lancaster, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Closed hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Permit exception
- Written city manager permit
- Vehicle rule
- No parking during closed hours
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 1113, Jan. 2024
- Enforcement
- Peace officers, delegated city staff
Summary
Lancaster closes its city parks and park buildings between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Municipal Code Section 12.04.050, and bars parking in a park lot during those hours too. The city manager can shorten or extend posted hours for a specific park or event, and anyone in a park after hours needs a written permit.
A person shall not enter, be or remain in any park or in any building in any park between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., or when posted closed or within specific hours, except as authorized by a written permit issued by the city manager. The city manager may change the hours of use as stated above for any event or individual park. All persons shall comply with such changed hours. A person shall not park or cause to be parked any motor vehicle in any park or associated parking facility during said closed hours, or when posted closed or posted as "no parking."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 10 - 2025).
Full Breakdown
The curfew sits in Lancaster's rewritten parks and public places chapter, adopted by Ordinance No. 1113 in January 2024, which covers every park, water park, plaza, skate park, playground, trail, preserve, pool, court, field, greenbelt and accompanying parking lot or staging area the city manages (Sec. 010). , or during any other hours the city manager posts as closed, unless the city manager has issued a written permit for that use. " The city manager can also close a park, or any part of it, at other times for an emergency, public health or safety need, or maintenance, excluding everyone until the need passes (Sec. 060). 08, all of whom must carry proper identification and have the power to warn, evict, arrest and cite violators (Sec. 030).
Violations & Fines
Being in a park or its parking lot during closed hours without a written permit is enforceable by any certified peace officer or city employee delegated enforcement authority under Chapter 1.08, who can warn, evict, arrest or cite the violator (Sec. 12.04.030). The chapter treats disturbing the peace inside a park, including fighting, incitement or maliciously loud noise, as a separate unlawful act (Sec. 12.04.140), and vandalism in a park exposes an adult, or the parent of a minor, to civil liability for the full cost of damages under Civil Code Sections 1714.1 and 1714.3.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do Lancaster's city parks close?
Can I get permission to be in a Lancaster park after 10 p.m.?
Who enforces the Lancaster park curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lancaster
California rules heatmap·Compare Lancaster to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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Park Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle park curfew.