What Is the Curfew for 17-Year-Olds in Utah?

In Utah, the curfew for 17-year-olds is midnight to 6:00 a.m. under state law, but most cities and counties have their own ordinances that start earlier, often 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. on school nights. Your actual curfew depends on where you live, because a local ordinance replaces the statewide hours wherever one exists.¹

The Statewide Hours

Utah’s statewide juvenile curfew, enacted in 1997, makes it a violation for anyone under 18 to be in a public or semi-public place between midnight and 6:00 a.m. any day of the week.¹ The statute only fills gaps, though. Anywhere a city or county has passed its own curfew ordinance, the local rule controls.

State law also sets a floor on how strict local governments can be. Since 2021, no Utah city or county can enforce a curfew on minors between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.² That means any local curfew you encounter will start no earlier than 10:00 p.m. and will end by 6:00 a.m.

Your City’s Curfew Is the One That Matters

Most populated areas in Utah have their own ordinances, and these are usually stricter than the state default. Local curfews often start earlier on school nights and run later on weekends. Springville, for example, prohibits anyone under 18 from being in a public place between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.³ Brigham City has its own ordinance along similar lines.⁴

Because the specific hours vary by municipality, the only reliable way to know your exact curfew is to check your city or county’s code. Many Utah municipalities post ordinances online through their official websites or through code publishing platforms. A call to the local police non-emergency line will also get you a direct answer.

When You Can Legally Be Out Past Curfew

The statewide statute lists several situations in which a 17-year-old is not in violation:¹

Accompanied by a parent, guardian, or another adult with custody
Traveling directly to or from a job
Responding to an emergency, such as seeking medical help
Attending, or traveling to or from, a supervised school, religious, or recreational activity
Engaged in constitutionally protected activity, such as a religious service or political assembly
Legally married

Local ordinances usually mirror these exceptions but can word them more narrowly. Springville’s code, for instance, requires travel to and from a supervised event to be by a “direct route” and within a “reasonable time” of when the event starts or ends.³ Stopping for food on the way home from a late party can technically take you outside that exception.

If you are coming home from work, carrying something that shows it (a work ID, a recent pay stub, or a screenshot of your schedule) makes the stop go faster. Officers see this exception constantly, but they have no way to confirm it on the spot without documentation.

What Happens If You Get Caught

Under the statewide law, a curfew violation is a Class C misdemeanor, the least serious criminal offense in Utah. A court can order up to ten hours of community service along with counseling. Local ordinances may classify the offense similarly or treat it as a civil infraction with a fine.¹

In practice, an officer who stops you has to give you a chance to explain why you are out before deciding whether a violation has occurred. If the officer concludes you are in violation, the next step is to take you home to a parent or guardian. Only if no responsible adult is available can the officer take you to a designated county facility, and that facility cannot be a juvenile detention center.¹

Parents Can Be Charged Too

A parent or guardian who knowingly allows a minor to stay out during curfew hours, or who fails to make a reasonable effort to prevent the violation, commits the same Class C misdemeanor.¹ Many local ordinances carry identical parent-liability language. A pattern of repeat violations can turn into a legal problem for the whole household, not just the teen.

The Separate Rule for Teen Drivers

If you are driving, a different nighttime restriction applies through Utah’s Graduated Driver License program. The Utah Driver License Division states that licensed drivers ages 16 and 17 may not drive between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless they fit one of the following exceptions:⁵

Accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old
Traveling to or from work
Responding to an emergency
Engaged in agricultural operations
Traveling to or from a school-sponsored activity

State sources disagree on whether this restriction applies to 17-year-olds. The Zero Fatalities program lists the nighttime driving limit as applying only to 16-year-olds and shows “None” for 17-year-olds.⁶ The Driver License Division’s own page groups 16- and 17-year-olds together under the same rule.⁵ If you are 17 and driving late, the safer assumption is that the restriction still applies unless you qualify for one of the exceptions.

Passenger Limits

The GDL program also restricts who can ride with you. For the first six months after you get your license, or until you turn 18, whichever comes first, you cannot drive with passengers who are not immediate family members unless a licensed driver 21 or older is in the front passenger seat. Exceptions exist for agricultural operations and emergencies.⁵ This rule catches a lot of 17-year-olds off guard because it keeps applying even after the nighttime driving window has ended.

1
Utah Legislature. Utah Legislature SB0042 – Juvenile Curfew
2
Utah Legislature. Utah HB 377 – Local Government Curfew Amendments
3
Codepublishing. Springville Municipal Code Chapter 8-6 – Offenses Relating to Minors
4
Brigham City, UT Code of Ordinances. Brigham City Code of Ordinances 131.002 – Curfew for Minors
5
Utah Driver License Division. Teen Driver Restrictions
6
Zero Fatalities. Ready for Driver License