Medford, MA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Section 62-96, in the parks and recreation chapter's regulations article, bars any person or group from going upon or remaining in a public park or playground for any purpose after 9:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m. In parks equipped with lighting, the curfew shifts later, to 10:30 p.m., recognizing that lit parks can safely stay open longer into the evening. The curfew does not apply to activities the board of park commissioners has scheduled, or to activities scheduled by the Metropolitan District Commission, the state agency that historically managed the Middlesex Fells Reservation and other regional parkland bordering Medford.

The section requires a sign posted at the park setting out the fines for violating the curfew along with the hours of operation, so enforcement depends on posted notice at each location rather than a single citywide hour. The parks and recreation chapter elsewhere sets specific dollar fines for other park offenses, such as a $300.00 fine for setting a fire in a park under Section 62-93 and a $200.00 fine for letting a dog run at large in a park under Section 62-95, and Section 62-96's own posted-sign requirement mirrors that pattern by displaying a fine amount at the location rather than in the ordinance text itself.

Enforcement of park violations generally runs through city police officers, though Section 62-95 also names the city animal control officer and the director of public health for animal-specific violations. Absent another posted fine, a Section 62-96 curfew violation defaults to the citywide general penalty in Section 1-13 of up to $300.00 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.