St. Joseph County, IN Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Section 131.29 sits in the county's park-rules subchapter, Chapter 131, which governs every park, facility and piece of land "owned, leased, controlled or used by the St. Joseph County Park Board." Subsection (C) specifically bars anyone from remaining in or using any part of a park's facilities "during the times the park is closed unless by specific written permission from the superintendent or his or her designated agent." The code does not fix a single county-wide clock time in that section; closing times are set and posted by the park board and superintendent for each facility, and Section 131.28(1) separately makes it unlawful to disregard posted notices, regulations, or a park sign concerning any facility under the board's control, reinforcing the after-hours rule.

Enforcement runs through park rangers: Section 131.36 deputizes certain park and recreation department employees as rangers with the power to issue notices of violation, prepared and issued in accordance with IC 36-1-6 and IC 9-30-11, with the specific employee positions designated by the park board itself. A related provision, Section 131.30, caps vehicle speed at 20 mph in any part of the park without a posted limit, and Section 131.31(E) allows the county to tow, at the owner's expense, any vehicle left in a park after closing.

Violations of the park-hours rule, like the rest of Sections 131.20 through 131.36, carry a fine set by the county's schedule of fines and fees under Section 131.99(B).