In Ocean City, Maryland, a year-round curfew keeps anyone under 18 off public streets, the Boardwalk, the beach, and other public places between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless a parent, guardian, or caretaker is with them. The rule runs every night of the year, and parents who let their teens roam during those hours face fines starting at $250.
Hours and Who Is Covered
The restricted hours are 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., seven days a week, all year. Weekdays, weekends, holidays, peak summer, off-season — the clock is the only thing that matters.
The curfew applies to every minor under 18 who has not been legally emancipated. There is no earlier cutoff for younger children; a 10-year-old and a 17-year-old face the same 11:00 p.m. line.
Adults are on the hook too. Parents, legal guardians, and caretakers can be charged for knowingly allowing an unaccompanied minor to be out during curfew hours. Drivers and vehicle owners who let a minor ride along in violation, and business operators who let minors hang around their premises, can also be cited.
Where the Curfew Reaches
“Public place” is defined broadly. It covers streets, highways, sidewalks, alleys, parks, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, office buildings, transportation facilities, and shops. That sweeps in the Boardwalk, the beach, and public parking lots. It also extends to any motor vehicle in a public area, parked or moving, and to private businesses that are open to the public.
Legal Exceptions
The ordinance lists a short set of defenses. These are the only situations in which a minor can lawfully be in a public place during curfew hours:
- The minor is physically accompanied by a parent, guardian, or caretaker.
- The minor is working at, or traveling directly to or from, a job that Maryland law permits a juvenile to hold.
- The minor is on a sidewalk or property directly next to where they live with a parent or guardian — a neighbor’s front steps, for example — and no one has complained to police about their presence.
- The minor is attending, or traveling to or from, an adult-supervised recreational activity sponsored by a school, religious organization, or Ocean City itself.
The list is deliberately short. There is no general carve-out for medical emergencies, quick errands, or attending a protest or religious service that is not part of an adult-supervised, organized event. A genuine emergency may function as a practical defense based on the facts, but the ordinance does not formally exempt it.
What Happens When Police Stop a Minor
Enforcement is graduated. An officer who encounters a minor who appears to be out in violation first investigates: age, reason for being out, whether any recognized defense applies. If none fits, the officer issues a curbside warning and tells the minor to leave. A minor must receive at least two curbside warnings before anything more happens.
After the second warning, or if a minor refuses to leave after any warning, the officer can bring the minor to the station for what the ordinance calls a stationhouse adjustment. Police contact a parent, guardian, or caretaker to work out a resolution, and most encounters end there. If no adult can be reached before the curfew period expires, or if the minor refuses to identify themselves, the minor may be released to juvenile authorities.
A minor cannot be charged with juvenile delinquency solely for a curfew violation. The mechanism is warnings and the stationhouse process, not the criminal system.
Fines for Parents and Guardians
The financial consequences fall on the adults. Fines escalate with repeat offenses inside a one-year window:
- First offense: $250 to $500.
- Second offense within one year: $500 to $1,000.
- Third or later offense within one year: $1,000 to $1,500.
Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so fines can stack quickly across a vacation. The fines are imposed by the municipal court on conviction. Business operators and vehicle owners who knowingly allow a violation face penalties too, though the ordinance directs the heaviest fines at parents and guardians.
What Visiting Families Should Know
Tourists are subject to the same rules as residents. The classic trap is a 16- or 17-year-old walking back to a rental from the Boardwalk after 11:00 p.m. without an adult. The walk may be short, but once the minor steps onto a public sidewalk or street unaccompanied, they are in violation.
If your teen wants to stay out past 11:00 p.m., an adult has to go with them. Employment is the only other reliable exception, and it only covers the direct route between work and home. The adjacent-property defense evaporates the moment a neighbor calls police. Planning around the curfew is far easier than dealing with a stationhouse adjustment and a $250 fine on a family vacation.