Santa Clara, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- City Code § 12.05.060
- Standard hours
- 6:00 a.m. to sunset plus 30 minutes
- Lighted facilities
- May stay open until 10:00 p.m.
- Max fine
- $250 per infraction
- Early closure
- Director of Parks and Recreation may close anytime
Summary
Santa Clara's public parks open daily at 6:00 a.m. and close one-half hour after sunset under City Code Section 12.05.060, extending to 10:00 p.m. at lighted facilities. The Director of Parks and Recreation can post shorter hours or close a park at any time, and anyone present after closing, other than City staff on business, faces an infraction fine.
The public parks in the City shall be open daily to the public between the hours of 6:00 A.M. to one-half hour after sunset (dusk), except: (1) Where there is posted conspicuously a sign limiting the hours when such facility is open to the public; and (2) Until 10:00 P.M. if and when the facility is lighted. ... Every person other than City personnel conducting City business therein, who occupies or is present in any public park in the City during the hours in which the park is not open to the public, shall be deemed guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine of not more that two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).
Full Breakdown
Section 12.05.060(a) sets the default schedule: City parks are open daily from 6:00 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset (dusk), except where a conspicuously posted sign states different hours, and facilities that are lighted may stay open until 10:00 p.m. Section 12.05.060(b) gives the Director of Parks and Recreation authority to declare any park, or part of one, closed to the public at any time and for any interval, temporarily or on a recurring schedule, whenever necessary to carry out the duties of the Parks and Recreation Department set out in Chapter 2.100 SCCC, and authorizes the Director to write rules implementing the curfew.
Section 12.05.060(c) makes it an infraction, punishable by a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars, for anyone other than City personnel conducting City business to occupy or be present in a public park during hours when it is not open to the public. The section was last amended by Ordinance 1953 in 2016; the underlying hours rule traces back to Ordinance 1371 from 1978. A related rule in the same chapter, Section 12.05.070, separately bars riding a bicycle, motorcycle or other motor vehicle in any city park at any time, regardless of the park's open hours.
Violations & Fines
Being present in a City park outside the 6:00 a.m. to dusk-plus-thirty-minutes window (or the posted or lighted-facility hours) is an infraction under Section 12.05.060(c), punishable by a fine of not more than $250. The Director of Parks and Recreation may also close a park early or post different hours for any interval, and City personnel conducting official business are exempt from the closure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do Santa Clara's city parks close?
Who decides if a park closes early?
What's the penalty for being in a Santa Clara park after hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara to another location·View the California curfew laws overview
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Park Curfew in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle park curfew.