Curfew Hours Change for Juveniles in Marion County

Source: WIBC INDIANAPOLIS — Juvenile curfew hours in Marion County are moving earlier after the City-County Council approved Proposal No. 99 on Monday. For teens ages 15 to 16, curfew on Friday and Saturday nights shifts from 1 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Sunday through Thursday nights, curfew moves from 11 p.m. to 9 p.m. Children under 15 must be inside by 9 p.m. every night. Seventeen-year-olds remain under existing curfew rules. Curfew runs until 5 a.m. daily, when juveniles can be in public spaces again. The change is allowed under a 2025 ordinance that lets the council adjust curfew hours for up to 120 days at a time while they review or update regulations. The current change is expected to last about four months unless extended. Certain exemptions remain in place, including for school events and religious activities. City leaders say the curfew system also includes enforcement steps from police, including warnings, transport to a reunification center for parents to pick up juveniles, and possible detention in the juvenile system if parents cannot be reached. The detention is not treated as an arrest and does not go on a permanent record. Police can also forward curfew violations to juvenile court, which can issue orders to prevent repeat violations and notify parents. A proposed fine for parents of curfew violators did not pass last year.