Curfew Laws in North Carolina (2026)

North Carolina permits cities and counties to enact juvenile curfews under general police power but requires…

Fayetteville's Youth Protection Safety Ordinance bars juveniles 16 and under from public places between 11:00 p.m. and…

Charlotte bars juveniles under 16 from public places or business premises from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for ages 12 and…

Cumberland County's Youth Protection Ordinance bars minors under 18 from public places overnight: midnight to 5 a.m. on…

In the City of Jacksonville, North Carolina, Sec. 15-59 bars anyone under 16 from public places between 11:00 p.m. and…

Rose Hill bars minors under 18 from public places between midnight and 5:00 a.m. on weekend nights, and between 11:00…

Chapel Hill keeps a long-standing juvenile curfew: no minor under 16 may loaf or idle on a town street or in a business…

Stedman's Ernest Freeman Park and all town recreation areas are open only between dawn and dusk. Being in the park…

Apex town parks close nightly, most at 10:00 p.m. and some at 9:00 p.m. or sunset, and Town Code makes it unlawful to…

Asheville City Code § 12-41 closes every public park within the city limits to the general public between 10:00 p.m…

The Town of Cary bars anyone from its parks after dark unless the park has lights for extended-use activities or the…

In the Town of Chapel Hill, the town manager sets opening and closing hours for every town park and posts them on-site…

Charlotte parks stay open to the public every day of the year during hours set by the engineering and property…

Cleveland County's public recreation areas along the Broad River close every night, including Sundays, between 10:00…

Concord closes unlit park areas at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (8:30 p.m. during daylight saving) and closes lit…

Unincorporated Craven County closes its public recreation areas outside posted hours of operation. Section 28-1(3)…

Once Durham's Department of Recreation posts a closing-time notice for a park or recreational area, being there after…

Durham County parks run seasonal daytime hours, not 24-hour access. Little River Regional Park, the county's flagship…

Fayetteville makes it unlawful to sleep, camp, or otherwise stay in a city park, at the Market House, or at a…

Winston-Salem parks are open 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and it is unlawful to be in a public park after closing without…

County parks in unincorporated Franklin County open at 8:00 a.m. and close at sunset unless the parks and recreation…

Gaston County parks are open 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. under Code of Ordinances § 12-10(a); entering or staying past…

Gastonia closes every city park and greenway to the public from dusk until dawn. Entering or remaining after closing is…

Guilford County parks close at their posted hours, and Sec. 13-19 makes it unlawful to be in a county park outside…

In the City of Jacksonville, North Carolina, it is unlawful to enter or use a city park outside the hours posted by the…

Sec. 18-36 of the Lee County Code lets the parks and recreation director post daily operating hours for every county…

Unincorporated Lincoln County closes its parks overnight: § 97.10 sets hours of operation at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m…

In the City of Mebane, North Carolina, City Code § 24-123 gives Lake Michael Park a seasonal operating schedule rather…

Moore County Code § 10.5-11 closes every county park, playground, ball field and recreation facility once its posted…

New Hanover County parks close between midnight and sunrise under Sec. 41-1(20); entering, using or remaining in a park…

Onslow County closes its parks to the public between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. every night, letting only department…

Orange County and its town parks close at posted hours, most from dawn to dusk, with lit athletic facilities running…

Under County Code § 28-20, every Pender County park closes to the public at its posted hours, and anyone who enters or…

Pitt County's Parks & Facilities Ordinance makes it unlawful to use or trespass on Cultural Arts & Recreation property…

Rowan County parks close overnight under Code Section 16-52. Except for parks and recreation commission employees or…

Shelby closes all city parks and greenways to the public from dusk until dawn, with narrow exceptions for posted hours…

City parks in Wilmington are off-limits from sunset to sunrise the next day under City Code Sec. 7-2, with exceptions…

Winston-Salem closes its public parks and city-owned recreation facilities from sunset to sunrise; being on the…

The Thermal Belt Rail Trail, Rutherford County's rail-trail park facility, is open only from dawn until dusk under…