D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith placed a curfew for the District’s Navy Yard area that started Sunday night.
The Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 gives the police chief the authority to order a Juvenile Curfew Zone in an area where large groups of youths are gathering or intending to gather in a manner that poses a risk to public safety.
The Juvenile Curfew Zone, prohibits teens 17 and under from gathering in a group of nine or more in any public place, or on the premises of any establishment unless part of an exempted activity.
The curfew began Sunday at 8 p.m. and dovetails into the citywide curfew from 11 p.m. through 6 a.m. all summer.
Any adult who violates the Juvenile Curfew Act is subject to a fine not to exceed $500 or community service, and a minor who violates curfew may be ordered to perform up to 25 hours of community service.
Minors are exempt from the curfew if they fall under one of the following:
- Accompany a parent or guardian
- Complete an errand at the direction of a parent or guardian, without detour or stop
- Ride in a motor vehicle involved in interstate travel
- Work or return home from a job, without detour or stop
- Become involved in an emergency
- Stand on a sidewalk that joins their residence or the residence of a next-door neighbor, if the neighbor did not complain to police
- Attend an official school, religious, or other recreational activity sponsored by the District of Columbia, a civic organization, or other similar group that takes responsibility for the juvenile (this includes traveling to and from the activity)
- Exercise their First Amendment rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, including the free exercise of speech, religion, and right of assembly
Find more information about the curfew on the D.C. police website.
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