Charlotte City Council members voted 9-2 Monday to adopt a new, more stringent curfew for minors in response to safety concerns in parks and other public spaces. The revised city curfew ordinance requires anyone under 18 to be home by 10 p.m. every day, including weekends — with exceptions that include parental accompaniment and traveling to and from jobs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson said the department does not intend to punish young people.
“I do not want to see any teenager end up in prison, jail, because of a curfew violation. That is not the intent of what we are trying to do here," Patterson said. "We want voluntary compliance, we want parents to know where their children are, and we want to make sure that our youth are protected and that they’re doing something productive.”
The changes will take effect Nov. 1 and run as a pilot program through August 2027. Council members will then decide whether they continue. Police have said they struggle to control “teen takeovers” and other nighttime youth gatherings at places like Romare Bearden Park uptown and Camp North End.
