Turlock, CA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

The City of Turlock closes its public parks overnight under Turlock Municipal Code Title 10, Chapter 1, Section 14 (10-1-14). Previously the code prohibited being, remaining, staying, or loitering in any public park between dusk and 7:00 a.m. of the following day. In October 2023, the City Council unanimously amended the ordinance to set clearer hours: parks are now closed from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. of the following day, except as authorized by Council resolution or a permit. Public Works staff explained the 10:00 p.m. closing was chosen to coincide with the lighted hours of the Crane Park tennis courts and to make enforcement clearer than the old 'dusk' standard, which was difficult to apply to evening pickleball and tennis players. At the same meeting, the Council repealed the seldom-used overnight-camping provision (formerly 10-1-11) that had allowed youth-organization camping for persons 15 and under under a special-event permit. This park-closure rule applies to everyone regardless of age. Separately, Turlock maintains a citywide juvenile curfew in Municipal Code Chapter 5-4 (Minors): it is unlawful for any minor under 18 to loiter, idle, wander, or roam in or upon public places - expressly including parks and playgrounds - between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. So a minor in a park late at night can implicate both the park-closure ordinance and the minors' curfew.