Kent County, DE Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Kent County Code § 168-3A sets the baseline: 'Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, recreation facilities will be open to the public from dawn to dusk.' The hours apply to every park, recreation center, playground, ball field, walkway, pavilion and other public area owned, operated or maintained by the Kent County Department of Community Services, Parks Division, as defined in § 168-2. Subsection C gives the Division broad discretion beyond the standard hours: 'Any section or part of any park or recreational facility may be declared closed to the public by the Division at any time and for any interval of time, either temporarily or at regular and stated intervals and either entirely or for certain uses, as the Division shall find necessary.' A visitor or organization that disagrees with a closure decision can appeal to the Parks and Recreation Commission.

The county backs up the dawn-to-dusk rule with a separate vehicle restriction: § 168-11M makes it 'unlawful for any vehicle to be allowed to remain on lands administered by the County after closing hours,' and park staff or Delaware State Police officers on duty can enforce that restriction along with the general traffic rules on park roads. Because the hours track sunrise and sunset rather than a fixed clock time, the closing hour shifts through the year, and the Division's closure notices for specific facilities control over the general dawn-to-dusk default.