Title
Youth Protection Ordinance Pilot Program
Action
Action:
Approve a pilot program for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to implement a revised youth curfew from November 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, and
Adopt an ordinance approving amendments to Chapter 15, Article VII of the City Code as recommended by the Safety Committee.
Body
Committee Chair:
Danté Anderson, Safety Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Chief Estella Patterson, Police
Jacquelyn Bryley, Police
Jessica Battle, City Attorney’s Office
Current Ordinance
On June 26, 2026, Mayor Lyles signed a policy referral requesting that the Safety Committee review the city’s existing Youth Protection Ordinance, laws in other cities, and recent crime data to determine what actions the city can take to mitigate public safety issues associated with juvenile curfew violations.
NC General Statue Section 160A-198 allows municipalities to adopt curfews for persons less than 18 years of age. The city has ordinance provisions for youth curfews within Chapter 15, Article VII, Youth Protection of the City Code that was enacted in February 1995.
Current Youth Protection Curfew includes curfew provisions for the following hours:
Ages 12 and under: Any day of the week, from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. of the following day.
Ages 13, 14, and 15: Any day of the week, from 11:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. of the following day.
Exceptions to the curfew hours include:
Accompaniment by parent, guardian, or an authorized adult 21 years of age or older;
Running an errand at the parent/guardian’s direction;
Employment activity, or direct route to/from work;
Responding to an emergency; and
Attending/traveling to or from an official school, religious, or recreational activity that is supervised by adults and sponsored by a public or private school, the city or other governmental entity, or civic organization.
Recent safety issues with teen takeovers have promoted the need for considering curfew revisions.
Proposed Chang...
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