Santa Cruz, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Park hours in unincorporated Santa Cruz County are set administratively rather than by a fixed statutory time. County Code Section 10.04.060 (Hours) provides that the Director of the Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services shall designate the hours for the use of the parks and shall post the hours of use at or near the entrance of each park. In practice, the County Parks Department schedules outdoor facility and picnic reservations during daytime hours (for example, reservable from 10:00 a.m. to dusk), and posted park hours govern when a given park is open. County Code Chapter 10.04 also includes related provisions: a person who has committed a public offense in a County park must leave on request of a peace officer and may not re-enter that park before 8:00 a.m. of the following day; and during emergencies (such as a flood, fire, earthquake, or hazardous overcrowding/civil disorder), a peace officer or designated County employee may close a park and order the public to leave, with willful entry into or refusal to leave a closed area constituting a misdemeanor. General violations of the park rules are an infraction punishable under County Code Section 1.12.040, escalating to a misdemeanor under Section 1.12.030 for a fourth offense within 12 months. Alcohol consumption or open containers in a park violate County Code 8.02.020/8.02.030 unless authorized by a permit. Separately, a countywide Youth Protection Curfew (County Code Chapter 8.21) makes it unlawful for an unemancipated minor under 18 to be in any public place between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., subject to listed exceptions.