National City, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 13.26.020, Chapter 13.26
- Closed to entry
- Nine p.m. to seven a.m., every city park
- Exception
- Prior consent from council, city manager or designated agents
- Boat launching facility
- Closed six p.m. to ten a.m. (§ 13.26.010)
- Signage
- Director of public works posts the perimeter (§ 13.26.030)
- Penalty
- Infraction under § 1.20.010; up to five hundred dollars on repeats
Summary
In National City it is unlawful to enter or occupy any city park between nine p.m. and seven a.m. unless the city council, the city manager or their designated authorized agents granted consent first. The boat launching facility has its own, earlier closing hour, and a violation is an infraction under § 13.26.040.
It is unlawful for any person to enter or occupy any city park between the hours of nine p.m. and seven a.m. without the consent of the city, first obtained and granted by the city council, the city manager, or their designated authorized agents.
Full Breakdown
Section 13.26.020 of the National City Municipal Code applies to every city park. It makes it unlawful for any person to enter or occupy a park between the hours of nine p.m. and seven a.m. without the consent of the city, first obtained and granted by the city council, the city manager, or their designated authorized agents. The words enter or occupy mean the rule reaches both arriving after nine p.m. and staying past it, and the consent has to come first, not after the fact.
The National City boat launching facility has a separate rule in § 13.26.010(A). It is unlawful to enter or occupy that area between the hours of six p.m. and ten a.m., unless the person is actively engaged in fishing, launching a boat or parking a motor vehicle related to the proper use of the facility. The area is the one described in the map attached to Ordinance 1608, on file in the city clerk's office. Section 13.26.010(B) also makes it unlawful to have or possess an open container of an alcoholic beverage on the facility or to consume any alcoholic beverage on or in it.
Under § 13.26.030 the director of public works posts the perimeter of the described area with signs advising of the restrictions and limitations on use and occupancy. Chapter 13.26 is titled Park and Launching Facility Regulations and consists of §§ 13.26.010 through 13.26.040. Its sections name no fee, permit form or application process for after-hours consent; the text says only that consent is first obtained and granted by the city council, the city manager or their designated authorized agents.
The city's general penalty clause in § 1.20.010 sets the fine ladder, and § 1.20.010(B) makes each day a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Section 13.26.040 deems any person, firm, association or corporation violating Chapter 13.26 guilty of an infraction, punishable as set forth in § 1.20.010. That means a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars for a first violation, two hundred dollars for a second violation of the same ordinance within one year, and five hundred dollars for each additional violation within one year. Payment of a fine does not excuse payment of any fee required by the code.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do National City parks close?
Who can give permission to be in a park after nine p.m.?
Is the boat launch on the same schedule?
What is the penalty for being in a park after hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in National City
California rules heatmap·Compare National City to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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