Orange, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Orange Municipal Code Chapter 12.48, the Park Ordinance, sets a citywide default schedule for every public park, playground, and recreation facility in the city, including Plaza Square. Section 12.48.090 fixes the open hours at 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day of the year, but lets the Director of Community Services extend or limit hours for any individual park or portion of a park in their reasonable discretion. Whatever hours apply, closing times must be posted at park entrances, and the section bars anyone from entering or remaining in a park during closed hours unless they have first obtained a permit from the Director. This chapter was adopted by Ordinance 24-24 on October 8, 2024, replacing the prior park rules.

Enforcement runs through Section 12.48.125, which makes any violation of Chapter 12.48, including the after-hours entry ban, a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000.00, imprisonment for up to six months in County Jail, or both. The Trial Court may, on the prosecuting attorney's recommendation, reduce the charge to an infraction, which then steps up on repeat offenses within one year: up to $100.00 for a first violation, up to $200.00 for a second, and up to $500.00 for each additional violation after that. Beyond criminal penalties, Section 12.48.130 lets the Director close any park or portion of it and require everyone to leave when conditions present a hazard to the facility or to public safety, and Section 12.48.125(C) authorizes the Director or a designee to eject from a park facility any person violating the chapter's rules.