Arizona Curfew for Minors: Hours, Exceptions & Penalties

There is no single Arizona curfew for minors set at the state level. Instead, counties, cities, and towns each write their own ordinances, and the pattern across the state is consistent enough to give families a reliable rule of thumb: children under 16 generally cannot be in public between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., and 16- and 17-year-olds generally cannot be out between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Always check your own city or town code for the exact hours and exceptions where you live.

Typical Curfew Hours

Most Arizona ordinances split minors into two age groups:

Under 16: no public presence from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Ages 16 and 17: no public presence from midnight to 5:00 a.m.

Maricopa County’s Ordinance P-12 uses exactly these hours for the unincorporated parts of the county.¹ Scottsdale applies the same framework seven days a week, with the 10:00 p.m. cutoff running through age 15 and the midnight cutoff for 16- and 17-year-olds.² Tucson uses the same structure. Some cities, Phoenix among them, shift the start time for younger minors to midnight on weekends while keeping 10:00 p.m. on weeknights.

The state statute that lets counties enact these rules caps the penalty at the petty-offense level and sets a floor of required exceptions, which every local ordinance builds on.³

When a Minor Can Legally Be Out After Curfew

Every curfew ordinance in Arizona carves out situations where a minor can be in public during restricted hours. The exceptions vary slightly city to city, but the common ones are:

Accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or another adult with supervisory custody.
Traveling directly to or from work, with parental permission and without detours.
Responding to a genuine emergency.
Running an errand that a parent or guardian specifically directed, for a reasonable purpose.
Engaged in First Amendment activity, such as a political event, protest, or religious service.
Married and at least 16, or serving in the military.
On the sidewalk directly outside the minor’s own home, or on a neighbor’s property with the neighbor’s permission.

Maricopa County’s ordinance includes all of these, and also covers minors traveling interstate with parental permission.¹

Penalties for a Curfew Violation

A curfew violation is a petty offense in Arizona, which caps the court-imposed fine at $300.⁴ Curfew citations go to a juvenile hearing officer, who has broad discretion over how to resolve the case.⁵

First-time offenders are often steered into a diversion program instead of being fined. Diversion can include community service, counseling, traffic school, or an approved educational course. City and town attorneys set up these programs with the county attorney’s approval.⁵

If a repeat violation or other circumstances take diversion off the table, the hearing officer can order a monetary penalty up to $500 payable to the agency processing the case. Where no specific fine is set for the underlying offense, the cap is $150.⁵

License Suspension for Ignoring the Court

The consequence that catches families off guard is driving-related. If a minor fails to appear for a court date or ignores a court order tied to a curfew case, the hearing officer will direct the Arizona Department of Transportation to suspend the minor’s driver license or refuse to issue one. That suspension continues until the minor either turns 18 or complies with the order.⁶ For a 15- or 16-year-old, that can mean years without driving privileges over a citation that started small. The court warns the minor about this consequence when it issues its initial order.

What Parents Should Know About Their Own Exposure

Parents and legal guardians can be penalized under local ordinances for knowingly allowing a minor to violate curfew or for failing to keep adequate track of where the minor is.⁷

State law also requires a parent, guardian, or custodian to appear in court with the minor when the case is resolved. A judge can waive that requirement only on a showing of good cause, with the reasons stated on the record. A parent who simply does not show up and offers no explanation will get a show-cause order, which can lead to a contempt finding.⁶ Ignoring a curfew citation your child received is not a quiet way out.

Class G Teen Driving Restrictions Are a Separate Rule

Local curfew ordinances and Arizona’s graduated-license rules are two different things, and a teen out at 2:00 a.m. in a car can be cited under both. For the first six months after getting a Class G license, a teen cannot drive on public roads between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless an exception applies.⁸

Those exceptions are:

A parent or legal guardian with a full license is riding in the front passenger seat.
The teen is driving directly to or from a school-sponsored activity, a job, a religious activity, or a family emergency.

The same six-month period also caps passengers under 18 at one, unless the additional passengers are siblings or a parent is in the car. Wireless-device use while driving is barred, except for emergencies or hands-free navigation.⁸

These violations are civil, not criminal. A first offense brings a fine of up to $75 and extends the restricted period by 30 days. A second offense raises the fine to $100 and adds 60 days.⁸ They stack on top of any penalty from a local curfew ordinance.

1
Maricopa County, AZ. Ordinance P-12 – Section 1: Curfew Hours for Minors
2
City of Scottsdale. Juvenile
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 11-251 – Powers of Board
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-802 – Fines for Misdemeanors
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 8-323 – Juvenile Hearing Officer; Appointment; Term; Compensation; Hearings; Required Attendance; Contempt
6
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 8-323 – Juvenile Hearing Officer; Appointment; Term; Compensation; Hearings; Required Attendance; Contempt
7
Paradise Valley, AZ – Official Website. Curfew
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3174 – Class G Driver Licenses; Restrictions; Civil Penalties