Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an emergency juvenile curfew into effect on November 7. The curfew prohibits youth under the age of 18 from being in public areas between 11 PM and 6 AM. This legislation comes after the DC Council’s decision to not reenact the summer teen curfew that expired on October 5.
The Juvenile Curfew Act was first enacted in 1995 as a response to rising violent crime by youth. Though it was challenged in court, it was found to be constitutional, and DC continued enforcing the curfew. Teens 16 and under could not be out in DC from 12 AM to 6 AM on the weekends and in the summer and from 11 PM to 6 AM on weekdays during the school year.
Penalties for violating curfew can affect both parents and teenagers. Parents, whether they were aware their child was violating curfew or not, can be fined up to $500 or mandated to do community service. Teens can also be subject to up to 25 hours of community service.
There are many exceptions to the juvenile curfew; teens with a parent or guardian, running an errand for a parent or guardian without detours, travelling to or from a job, or attending a school activity, religious event, or other activity sponsored by DC aren’t subject to the curfew.
On July 7, 2025, in response to nearly a dozen teenagers being arrested for disorderly conduct and launching fireworks over the Fourth of July Weekend, an extended teen curfew was passed by the DC Council. Teen curfew was expanded to start at 11 PM every night for anyone under 17. The Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 also allowed the Mayor to authorize an Emergency Juvenile Curfew and the Chief of Police to establish Extended Juvenile Curfew Zones.
Extended Juvenile Curfew Zones are areas with special curfews lasting up to four days where anyone 17 or under in a group of nine or more teens can’t be outside during curfew, which can start as early as 8 PM. Many Curfew Zones were enacted this summer, mainly in the U Street Corridor and Navy Yard. U Street Corridor was a Curfew Zone on July 18-20 and again on August 21-24. Navy Yard had a curfew of 8 PM on July 11-13, August 10-13, and August 15-18.
The expanded teen curfew expired on October 5. The DC Council met to vote on whether to sustain the extended curfew or not, and decided against it in order to hear from community voices.
However, Bowser enacted a city-wide emergency curfew following more disruptive youth activity around Halloween, which was effective from November 1 to November 5. There were Curfew Zones around Union Station, Banneker Recreation Center, Navy Yard, and U Street Corridor. Bowser also called on the council to enact a permanent extended curfew.
At the public hearing on October 30, teens and council members brought up many issues with the curfew. They mentioned how the curfew failed to address the reasons that some teens are out late, like unstable homes, lack of safe rides home, or food at their houses. Most teens speaking noted that the curfew was helping keep teens out of dangerous situations, but the root causes still need to be addressed.
On November 7, Bowser enacted another emergency juvenile curfew, this time lasting for 90 days. Teens under 18 cannot be outside from 11 PM to 6 AM, and DC Police Chief Pamela Smith can designate zones where curfew begins earlier, starting as early as 8 PM.
JR students think the curfew isn’t enforced, so there isn’t a point to having it. Sophomore Abby Gilbert said, “Kids are just going to continue going out, curfew or not.” Senior Anna Gordus echoed this sentiment, saying, “It hasn’t affected me at all and no one pays attention to it.”
A permanent version of the expanded curfew bill was introduced on October 31. The bill will require two Council votes to pass, and the hearing for the bill is scheduled for December 4.•
