LBI Curfew for Minors: Hours by Borough, Fines, and Parent Penalties

The LBI curfew for minors depends on which borough you’re in. Restricted hours start as early as 9:00 p.m. on Long Beach Township beaches and run as late as midnight in Harvey Cedars and for older teens in Barnegat Light. Surf City has no juvenile curfew at all. New Jersey law lets each municipality write its own rules under N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.52, and five of LBI’s six boroughs have done so with different hours and age cutoffs.¹ If you’re renting on the island with teenagers, the rules that matter are the ones for the town you’re staying in.

Curfew Hours by Borough

A teen who is fine walking around Harvey Cedars at 11:00 p.m. would already be in violation a few miles south in Long Beach Township. The differences are real and they trip up visitors every summer.

Long Beach Township

Long Beach Township covers the largest stretch of the island, including Loveladies, North Beach, Brant Beach, and Beach Haven Crest. Anyone under 18 is off the beach after 9:00 p.m. and off all other public places after 10:00 p.m., with both restrictions running until 5:00 a.m.² That 9:00 p.m. beach cutoff is the earliest on LBI.

Beach Haven

At the island’s southern end, the curfew runs 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for anyone under 18 on public streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, and vacant lots.³

Harvey Cedars

Harvey Cedars is the most lenient. The curfew runs midnight to 6:00 a.m. for anyone under 18 and covers streets, beaches, parks, public buildings, and any business open to the public.⁴

Barnegat Light

Barnegat Light is the only LBI town that splits its curfew by age. Kids under 14 have to be off the streets by 10:00 p.m. Teens aged 14 through 17 have until midnight. Both groups can return at 5:00 a.m.⁵

Ship Bottom

Ship Bottom keeps curfew provisions on the books, but the borough updated its loitering and curfew ordinances in 2024. Confirm the current restricted hours with Ship Bottom police before relying on them.

Surf City

Surf City does not enforce a juvenile curfew.

When the Curfew Doesn’t Apply

Every borough with a curfew builds in exceptions for teens who have a legitimate reason to be out. The same core categories show up across the island.

Being with a parent, legal guardian, or another adult who has custody removes the curfew entirely. This is the universal exemption.³

Employment is covered too. A teen walking home from a shift at a restaurant or ice cream shop is exempt. Long Beach Township limits this to juveniles aged 14 through 17 and requires that state law authorize a minor to hold the job.²

Traveling directly to or from a school function, religious service, or civic event is protected. Harvey Cedars also extends this to “properly supervised events” and social gatherings.⁴

Medical emergencies and parent-directed errands are handled a little differently town by town. Long Beach Township explicitly allows minors out during curfew hours for medical emergency errands.² Harvey Cedars permits emergency errands as long as the minor carries a signed parental note stating the nature of the errand, the destination, and the time the note was written.⁴ Barnegat Light allows emergency errands and “legitimate business” directed by a parent.⁵

Long Beach Township adds two exceptions you won’t find everywhere. A juvenile passing through as part of interstate travel is exempt, and teens can be on a sidewalk or the property immediately next to their residence unless a neighbor complains.²

Some documentation helps. A work schedule, a signed parental note, or contact information for an event organizer can resolve a police stop quickly.

What Happens When a Teen Is Stopped

Officers on LBI don’t lead with a summons. Long Beach Township’s ordinance lays out a graduated process. First, the officer tells the unaccompanied minor to leave the public area and gives them a chance to comply. Only after a second warning, or if the teen refuses to leave, does it escalate to a stationhouse adjustment where a parent is called to pick the minor up.²

If the juvenile refuses to identify themselves, or no parent can be reached before curfew ends, the officer can take the minor to a temporary care facility until the restricted hours are over.² Rare, but a good reason for your teen to keep their phone charged and know how to reach you.

Patrols get heavier on peak summer weekends, especially around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Officers focus on unaccompanied groups of minors at beach access points and bayfront parks, not families walking home from dinner.

Fines and Community Service

The state statute that authorizes these local curfews sets the penalty floor. Any ordinance enacted under N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.52 must require community service and may impose a fine of up to $1,000.¹ Community service isn’t optional. The statute says it “shall be required,” so a court has to order it for anyone found guilty.

The actual fine depends on the borough and the circumstances. A first-time violation with a cooperative teen looks very different from a repeat offender who refused to give their name.

Parents Can Be Cited Too

Every LBI borough that enforces a curfew also makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to knowingly let an unaccompanied minor be out during restricted hours. The state statute expressly authorizes this parallel liability.¹

When both a juvenile and their parent are cited, the state statute requires them to perform community service together.¹ Harvey Cedars writes its parental provision broadly, reaching any adult with “custody, care, or control” of the minor. That can include a grandparent, an older sibling, or a family friend supervising a teen for the week.⁴

The practical takeaway for a family renting a house on LBI: if your teenager wants to walk to Wawa at 10:30 p.m. in Long Beach Township, someone 18 or older needs to go with them.

1
Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 40:48-2.52
2
Township of Long Beach, NJ. Township of Long Beach Code Chapter 135 – Peace and Good Order – Section: Juvenile Curfew
3
Borough of Beach Haven, NJ. Borough of Beach Haven Code – Chapter 77 Curfew
4
Borough of Harvey Cedars, NJ. Borough of Harvey Cedars Code Chapter 3 – Police Regulations – Section: Curfew
5
Borough of Barnegat Light, NJ. Borough of Barnegat Light Code – Chapter 79 Curfew