Related Topics

LPD Main

Youth Nighttime Loitering Law

Lakewood does not have a curfew for juveniles. The City does have a "juvenile nighttime loitering ordinance," which prohibits teens from standing around, hanging out or aimlessly roaming the streets late at night. Juvenile loitering is prohibited between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between midnight and 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The law applies to those who are under the age of 18, and it applies when teens are sitting inside a car. Teens can't hang out in a parked car or stand around on a street corner under the ordinance.

But the ordinance does not stop teens from going to the movies, having coffee at a restaurant or even attending a late night party in a home.

The City Council passed the juvenile nighttime loitering ordinance in 1993 as a way to protect teens from becoming victims of crimes, to reduce the criminal acts committed by juveniles and to reinforce parental authority.