Crime & Safety

Santee and East County Curfew Laws: An Overview

Santee's curfew for minors: September to May- 10 p.m. to sunrise; June to August- 11 p.m. to sunrise.

This is a rundown on the specific curfew laws concerning minors in Santee, Lakeside (County of San Diego), El Cajon and San Diego. Recent attention has been paid to curfew laws, , due to the recent tragic .

You will find a summary of the time period which minors are not allowed alone in public, the detailed code/ordinance, and exceptions/defenses to the curfew law. It's also good to know that the city of San Diego rigorously enforces their curfew law more often than most other cities in the state and nation. Voice of San Diego takes a closer look at that fact, and questions whether it is affective.

SANTEE

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Summary- September to May: 10 p.m. to sunrise; June to August: 11 p.m. to sunrise

9.44.030

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It is unlawful for any juvenile to remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment in the city between the hours of 10 p.m. of any and sunrise of the following day during the months of Sept. through May inclusive, and between the hours of 11 p.m. of any day and sunrise of the following day during the months of June through August.

9.44.050

It is unlawful for the parent of any juvenile to knowingly permit or, by insufficient control, to allow the juvenile to be in violation of any section of this
chapter.

Enforcement

A peace officer may issue a citation to any juvenile, parent found to be in violation of this chapter and may , until the juvenile can be placed in the care and custody of a parent or may transport the juvenile to his or her home or to the school from which the juvenile is absent. If cited, the juvenile and a parent shall appear in court as directed by the citation.

A.  Any juvenile convicted of a misdemeanor for violations of any section of this chapter may be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or by a requirement to perform city or school-approved work projects or community service or both. If required to perform a project, the total time for performance shall not exceed twenty hours over a period not to exceed sixty days, during times other than a juvenile’s hours of school attendance or juvenile or parent’s hours of employment.

B.   Any parent violating any provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment.

EL CAJON

No minor shall be present in any public place during curfew hours, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. of the following day.  No responsible adult shall knowingly permit or allow a minor to be present in any public place during curfew hours. 

LAKESIDE (COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO)

Summary- from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following day.

SEC. 35.103. CURFEW RESTRICTIONS

     (a)     It is unlawful for any minor to be present in any public place or on the premises of any establishment within the unincorporated area of the County of San Diego during curfew hours, the period from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following day, unaccompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible adult. 

     (b)     It is unlawful for any parent or guardian of a minor to knowingly or by insufficient control allow the minor to be present in any public place or on the premises of any establishment within the unincorporated area of the County of San Diego during curfew hours unaccompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible adult.

SAN DIEGO

Curfew hours in the City of San Diego apply from 10:00 p.m. any evening of the week until 6:00 a.m. the following day.

A recent Voice of San Diego article noted that, "while arrests have climbed in San Diego, they've fallen substantially across the state and nation." They go on to say that one in five curfew arrests in California occur in San Diego.

VSD also analyzed crime trends and questioned whether the San Diego curfew actually decreased crime. They concluded that "in the past five years, places without the sweeps have reported equal or greater drops in crime than those with them."

EXCEPTIONS to curfew rules generally include:

  • Accompanied by the juvenile’s parent.
  • On an errand or traveling in connection with activities at the direction or with the permission of the minor's parent.
  • In a motor vehicle involved in interstate travel.
  • Engaged in employment or educational activities, or going to or returning home from employment or educational activities.
  • Involved in an emergency.
  • On the sidewalk abutting the minor's residence.
  • Attending official school, religious or recreational activities supervised by one or more adults.
  • Exercising First Amendment rights protected by the United States Constitution or going to or coming from activities involving an exercise of First Amendment rights.
  • Emancipated pursuant to law.


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