Alameda County, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10 p.m. to sunrise
- Applies to
- Persons under 18
- Exception
- With parent/guardian/adult
- Hospital grounds
- Separate infraction rule
Summary
Minors under 18 may not loiter in unincorporated Alameda County's public streets or places between 10 p.m. and sunrise without an adult.
Every person under the age of eighteen (18) years who loiters in or about any public street or other public place or any place open to the public in the unincorporated territory of the county between the hour of ten p.m., and the time of sunrise of the following day when not accompanied by his parent, guardian or other adult person having legal care, custody or control of such person, or spouse of such person over twenty-one (21) years of age, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 9.16 makes it a misdemeanor for anyone under 18 to loiter in or about any public street, public place, or place open to the public in unincorporated Alameda County between 10 p.m. and sunrise, unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, other adult with legal custody, or a spouse over 21. A parent or guardian who knowingly permits a minor to violate the curfew is separately guilty of a misdemeanor. A related section makes it an infraction to loiter on the grounds of Fairmont or Highland Hospital without lawful business after being told to leave by a sheriff's deputy or hospital agent. This applies to unincorporated territory only -- Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland and similar communities -- not inside Oakland, Berkeley, or the county's other incorporated cities, each of which sets its own curfew and loitering rules.
Violations & Fines
Misdemeanor for the minor and for a permitting parent/guardian under § 9.16.010-.020; hospital-grounds loitering is an infraction escalating from $50 to $500 or up to six months in jail for repeat offenses within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this curfew apply in Castro Valley?
Is loitering by adults regulated the same way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda County
California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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