CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Anyone under 18 in Charlotte must now be home, or at least off city streets and out of parks and other public places, by 10 each night, after the city began a curfew pilot on Sunday, Nov. 1.
The test period lasts about 10 months and ends Aug. 31, 2027. During that stretch the curfew window runs from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.
The biggest change falls on older teens. Under the old rules, the hour depended on age. Kids 12 and under had to be in by 10, those 13 to 15 had until 11, and 16- and 17-year-olds had no limit at all. The pilot drops that sliding scale and applies one rule to every minor.
The exemptions in the existing youth protection ordinance still apply. A young person can be out late with a parent or an authorized adult, while running an errand for a parent, on the way to or from a job, during an emergency, or at a supervised school, church or recreation event.
City Council approved the pilot on a 9-2 vote in late September. Supporters pointed to so-called teen takeovers, social media-driven gatherings that drew hundreds of young people over the summer to Romare Bearden Park uptown, Birkdale Village in Huntersville and the Boardwalk shopping center in University City.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson has said officers will not go looking to cite teens and will use the rule mainly against those who start violence. She also told council members that officers would not pull a car over just because a driver looks underage, and that she would report back to the council every quarter.
A parent whose child breaks the curfew can be cited for contributing to a minor’s delinquency. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has said his office was not consulted and is not taking part, though deputies will keep enforcing state law.
Section: More Charlotte NC crime news
Filed under: Charlotte NC Public Safety News
