Salem, OR Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

SRC 94.200(a) states that, except for unusual and unforeseen emergencies, City parks shall be open to the public every day of the year during designated hours, and that the Director may establish opening and closing hours for each individual park, which shall be posted in the park. Because hours are set park-by-park rather than fixed in the code itself, the actual closing time for a specific park, whether Riverfront Park, Bush's Pasture Park, or a neighborhood park, is whatever the posted sign at that park says, not a single citywide number written into SRC chapter 94.

Overnight use is handled separately and more strictly. SRC 94.190(a) makes it unlawful for any person to set up camp, tents or any temporary shelter or to use house trailers, recreational vehicles, campers, or automobiles for the purpose of overnight camping in any park between sunset and sunrise, a rule that applies to every city park regardless of its individually posted hours. SRC 94.190(b) allows the Director to issue overnight camping permits to groups under conditions the Director sets, so an organized overnight event, such as a scouting campout, can be authorized where unplanned overnight camping cannot. SRC 94.200(d) also gives the Director authority to regulate park activity generally to prevent congestion and ensure safety, and states that failing to comply with a Director's directive is itself a violation of that section.