Clay County, FL Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Clay County Code § 15-3.3(d)
- Rule
- Parks open only during posted public hours
- Vehicle hours
- Motorized vehicles limited to sunrise to sunset
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine and/or 60 days in jail
- Enforcing agency
- Clay County Sheriff's Office
- Scope
- Unincorporated county parks only, not municipal parks
Summary
Clay County parks close outside their posted public hours. Section 15-3.3(d) makes it unlawful to enter or remain on any county park, recreation facility, or conservation area outside the time posted as open to the public, and subsection (f) separately caps motorized-vehicle use to sunrise-to-sunset unless different hours are posted.
It shall be unlawful and a violation of this subsection for any person to enter or remain upon any county park during any time other than the period during which the same shall be posted as open to the public.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 86).
Full Breakdown
3(d), part of the county's omnibus park-conduct ordinance, sets the basic after-hours rule: a county park, defined in subsection (a) as any real property the county owns, leases, or controls and designates as a park, recreation facility, or conservation or preservation area, is open only for the period posted for public use, and entering or remaining there any other time is a violation. Subsection (e) exempts utility, emergency-services, or government employees and contractors performing official duties, and staff of an athletic association operating facilities there under a county lease or permit.
A related but separate hours rule in subsection (f) bars operating or parking a motorized vehicle in a county park outside sunrise-to-sunset hours unless the park posts different operating hours, with exceptions in subsection (g) for posted parking areas, driveways during operating hours, motorized mobility aids for the disabled, and the same utility/emergency/athletic-association agents. 3 to leave county property; refusing that order is an additional, separate violation. 083, Florida Statutes, up to $500 and 60 days in jail, or, at the county's election, as a civil infraction under section 15-20 beginning at $25 for a first offense and rising through the category schedule to $250 for a habitual violation.
The rule applies only to county-run parks in unincorporated Clay County; municipal parks inside cities like Green Cove Springs or Orange Park are governed separately.
Violations & Fines
Being on county park property after posted closing is a second-degree misdemeanor: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both under Sections 775.082 and 775.083, Florida Statutes. The Sheriff's Office may instead issue a civil citation under section 15-20, starting at $25 for an initial violation and rising to $250 for a habitual violation within 180 days; refusing a deputy's order to leave is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do Clay County parks close?
Can I drive into a county park at night?
What happens if a deputy finds me in a closed park after hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clay County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Clay County to another location·View the Florida curfew laws overview
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