San Rafael, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Default hours
- Sunrise to sunset, § 19.20.070.B
- After-hours entry
- Unlawful without a listed exception
- City manager power
- May exclude anyone at any time
- Permit holders
- May stay past hours if permit allows
- Lighted areas
- Open only under posted conditions
- Violation classification
- Public nuisance under § 19.20.110
Summary
San Rafael Municipal Code § 19.20.070.B closes every city park and building between sunset and sunrise. Outside four listed exceptions, no one may enter, remain in, cross, or use any park or building during those hours, and the city manager may exclude anyone at any time to protect public property, health, safety, or the peace.
B.Hours. Except as provided in this subsection, parks and buildings are open for public use from sunrise until sunset. Except as provided in this subsection, no person shall enter, remain in, cross upon or use, any park, building or portion thereof, between sunset and sunrise.1.Exceptions.a.At any time, the city manager may exclude any person(s), whether or not such persons are permit holders, from parks, buildings, or portions thereof, where such exclusion is necessary to protect public property, the public health, safety or welfare or to preserve the public peace.b.Whenever any park, building or portion thereof, has been reserved for exclusive use of a permit holder, that area may be closed to all others not associated with that permit holder's exclusive use.c.A permit holder may use the park, building or portion thereof beyond regular hours if allowed under the permit holder's permit.d.Regardless of park and building hours restrictions, a person may use lighted parks, buildings, or portions thereof, under the conditions posted and as specifically designated by the city manager.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
20, Parks and Recreation, sets the default hours for every San Rafael park and building: parks and buildings are open for public use from sunrise until sunset, and no person shall enter, remain in, cross upon, or use any park, building, or portion thereof between sunset and sunrise. B, including cultural and community centers. 1 lists four exceptions. The city manager may exclude anyone from a park or building at any time to protect public property, health, safety, or the peace, whether or not that person holds a permit.
An area reserved for a permit holder's exclusive use may be closed to everyone else. A permit holder may stay past the regular hours if the permit itself allows it. B for ignoring those posted hours and conditions. A lets the city manager add reasonable rules governing any park or building beyond the chapter text itself, and disobeying a posted rule is independently unlawful.
Violations & Fines
Entering, remaining in, or using a park or building after sunset without an exception violates § 19.20.070.B, which § 19.20.110 classifies as a public nuisance under Chapter 19.20 and routes to enforcement under Code Enforcement Chapters 1.40, 1.42, 1.44, and 1.46. Section 19.20.100 gives any code enforcement official defined at § 1.08.020 authority to enforce the curfew, and ignoring posted lighted-hours conditions under § 19.20.070.B.1.d is a separate violation of the same subsection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do San Rafael's parks close?
Can I stay in a park after dark if I have a permit?
Are any San Rafael parks lit and open at night?
What happens if I'm caught in a park after closing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Rafael
California rules heatmap·Compare San Rafael to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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