Virginia curfew laws are set by cities, counties, and towns, not by the state. Virginia Code § 15.2-926 lets each locality decide whether to adopt a curfew for unaccompanied minors and lets it pick any hours within a 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. window.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-926 – Prohibiting Loitering; Frequenting Amusements and Curfew for Minors; Penalty One Virginia community may have strict curfew hours while the next one over has no ordinance at all. To know what applies to you, you have to look at the ordinance where you actually are.
What Hours a Curfew Can Cover
The state statute caps the possible range at 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. A locality can use that full window or a narrower slice of it, such as 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. It cannot reach outside those outer limits.
“Public place” is defined broadly in the statute and includes both public and private property, with public libraries specifically called out.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-926 – Prohibiting Loitering; Frequenting Amusements and Curfew for Minors; Penalty Local ordinances typically expand on that, listing streets, sidewalks, parks, alleys, and parked vehicles.
What Happens If a Minor Violates Curfew
A general curfew violation under subsection A of § 15.2-926 is not a criminal misdemeanor. The case goes to juvenile and domestic relations court, which handles the disposition under Virginia Code §§ 16.1-278.4 and 16.1-278.5.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-926 – Prohibiting Loitering; Frequenting Amusements and Curfew for Minors; Penalty The focus is rehabilitation, not punishment.
The judge has a range of options. For a child found in need of services under § 16.1-278.4, the court can leave the child at home under court-imposed conditions, order the child or a parent into a treatment or counseling program, require community service, transfer legal custody to a relative or agency, or authorize placement in another home or residential facility.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 16.1-278.4 – Children in Need of Services Section 16.1-278.5 adds probation, which can include suspension of the minor’s driver’s license with a restricted permit.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 16.1-278.5 – Children in Need of Supervision
First-time violations rarely draw the harsher dispositions. Expect conditions on the family, a required program, or community service hours. Repeat violations, or curfew citations paired with other conduct, push the response further up the list.
Loitering at Public Places of Amusement
Subsection B of § 15.2-926 covers a narrower situation: minors loitering in or around public places of amusement. A locality can make this conduct punishable as a Class 3 misdemeanor, which under Virginia Code § 18.2-11 carries a fine of up to $500 and no jail time.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-926 – Prohibiting Loitering; Frequenting Amusements and Curfew for Minors; Penalty4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-11 – Punishment for Conviction of Misdemeanor That is the only piece of the curfew statute that puts a straight monetary fine on the minor’s conduct, and it applies to amusement-related loitering, not to ordinary after-hours curfew violations.
Can Parents Be Penalized
The state statute itself does not set penalties for parents. Many local ordinances do. A common approach makes it unlawful for a parent, guardian, or other adult with custody to permit, allow, or encourage a minor to violate curfew. Where that language exists, a parent who knowingly lets a child stay out past curfew faces consequences separate from whatever happens in juvenile court. Some ordinances include a defense for a parent who has already filed a missing-person report with local police.
Exceptions a Minor Can Rely On
The state statute contains one built-in exception: a minor accompanied by a parent is not subject to the curfew.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-926 – Prohibiting Loitering; Frequenting Amusements and Curfew for Minors; Penalty Every other exception comes from local ordinance.
Most Virginia localities that adopt a curfew include a familiar set of exemptions. The wording varies, but the categories that recur include:
- Traveling to or from a legitimate job, or being at work.
- Responding to an emergency, or running a specific errand directed by a parent or guardian.
- Attending or returning from a school, church, or civic event. Some localities ask the sponsoring organization to register the event with police in advance and expect the minor home within 30 minutes of its end.
- Carrying out a specific task or business authorized by a parent or guardian.
Because these exceptions live in local law, you cannot assume your city or county recognizes all of them. Read the actual ordinance.
Why the Local Ordinance Is the One That Matters
Virginia communities differ on more than hours. They set different age cutoffs, choose different enforcement approaches, and some have no curfew at all. A teenager who drives between jurisdictions can be subject to one rule at home and a different rule a few miles away. If you want the exact hours, the exact exceptions, and the exact penalties that apply where you live or spend time, your local police department or the city or county clerk’s office can point you to the current ordinance.