Wilmington, NC Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Sec. 7-2(a) sets Wilmington's park curfew in a single sentence: no person shall enter or remain in any city park from sunset each day to sunrise the following day. Because the boundary moves with sunset and sunrise rather than a fixed clock time, the closure shifts seasonally, tightest in summer and loosest in winter. and only if they keep moving rather than remain stationary; and pedestrians on the Riverwalk, which is exempted from the curfew entirely, defined in Sec. 1(c) as the walkway along the Cape Fear River's eastern shore between the Isabel Holmes and Cape Fear Memorial bridges.

Sec. 7-2(c) makes a violation a misdemeanor. The curfew works alongside Sec. 7-5's broader list of prohibited park conduct, which separately bars sleeping, camping, or staying overnight in any park except by permit or as part of a sponsored program, and bars lying or sleeping on park benches or tables at any time. Sec. 00 for violations not specifically classified otherwise, escalating each day a violation continues, though Sec. 7-2 itself is written as a straight misdemeanor rather than a civil fine.