Chatham County Curfew: Hours, Exceptions, and Parent Liability

In unincorporated Chatham County, Georgia, minors aged 16 and younger can’t be in public places from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights, or from midnight to 6:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, unless one of seven specific exceptions applies. The Chatham County curfew, Section 11-122 of the county code, also makes it a separate offense for a parent or guardian to let the violation happen. Both the minor and the parent face up to a $500 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both.¹

Who the Curfew Covers and When

The age cutoff is 16 and under. A 17-year-old is not subject to the ordinance. The hours are straightforward:

Sunday through Thursday nights: 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Friday and Saturday nights: midnight to 6:00 a.m.

At 6:00 a.m., the restriction lifts regardless of the day.¹

Where the Curfew Applies

Only unincorporated Chatham County. The ordinance does not reach inside the city limits of Savannah, Pooler, Bloomingdale, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, or Tybee Island. Each of those cities sets its own rules. Savannah’s curfew, for example, uses the same hours and age limit under its own code.²

Within the unincorporated area, the covered locations are broad: streets, highways, roads, parks, playgrounds, public buildings, restaurants, entertainment venues, vacant lots, and essentially any place accessible to the general public. A minor sitting in a convenience store parking lot at 1:00 a.m. is as exposed as one walking along a sidewalk. Private property that operates as a business open to the public counts too.¹

The Seven Exceptions

The ordinance recognizes seven situations where a minor can lawfully be in public during curfew hours. This is the complete list:

Accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or another adult with lawful custody.
Running an emergency errand at the direction of a parent or guardian.
Returning directly home from a school or church activity.
Returning directly home from work.
Attending or traveling to or from any activity involving free speech, peaceful assembly, or religious exercise.
Traveling in a vehicle with a parent’s consent for normal travel, including interstate travel passing through the county.
On the property where the minor lives, or on the sidewalk immediately next to that building.

Several of these exceptions carry a direct-travel requirement. A minor leaving a church event who detours to a friend’s house for an hour before heading home has stepped outside the protection. The exception covers the route between the activity and the front door, nothing more.¹

Parents Can Be Charged Too

The ordinance doesn’t only target the minor. Section (2) makes it independently unlawful for a parent or guardian to permit a curfew violation or to allow one through inadequate supervision. You don’t have to drive your child to the park at midnight to be liable. If your 15-year-old routinely leaves the house at 11:30 p.m. and you’ve taken no reasonable steps to prevent it, that failure of control is its own offense.¹

A single incident can produce two separate cases, one against the minor and one against the parent. Prosecutors don’t need to show the parent explicitly told the child to go out. Evidence that the parent knew or should have known and failed to act is enough.

Fines and Jail Time

The curfew ordinance sets its own penalty: up to $500, up to 30 days in the county jail, or both, at the discretion of a Recorder’s Court judge. That cap applies to the minor and to any parent or guardian charged under the parental-responsibility provision.¹

In practice, jail time for a first offense is rare. Courts have wide discretion, and community service or educational programming is a more common outcome for juveniles, while parents are more likely to see a fine. Repeat violations tend to draw stiffer responses.

A Curfew Case Is Not a Delinquency Case

Georgia law treats curfew violations differently from crimes like theft or assault. Under Georgia Code Section 15-11-2, a child wandering streets or public places between midnight and 5:00 a.m. is classified as a “child in need of services” rather than a delinquent child.³ Federally, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention categorizes curfew violations as “status offenses,” meaning conduct that’s only illegal because the person is a minor.⁴

That classification matters. The federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act generally prohibits placing youth charged with status offenses in secure detention or locked confinement. A 15-year-old picked up for a curfew violation should not land in a juvenile detention facility awaiting a hearing. If you’re a parent navigating a curfew case, this is one of the most important protections your child has.

What to Expect If a Minor Is Stopped

The ordinance doesn’t lay out a step-by-step enforcement procedure, and practices vary with the officer and the circumstances. Typically, law enforcement may detain the minor briefly, try to reach a parent or guardian, and either release the minor to a responsible adult or issue a citation. Because curfew is a status offense, officers aren’t supposed to book a minor into a secure juvenile facility on this alone. A first encounter often ends in a warning or referral, though officers have authority to cite from the start.

If a case moves forward, it’s heard in the Recorder’s Court of Chatham County, the court named in the ordinance’s penalty provision. Any citation, whether addressed to you or your child, should be taken seriously. Missing a court date can turn a minor matter into a bench warrant.

1
National Association of Counties. Chatham County Curfew Ordinance
2
City of Savannah. Savannah Code of Ordinances Sec 9-1024 – Curfew
3
Justia Law. Georgia Code 15-11-2 – Definitions
4
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Status Offenses