Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated a citywide juvenile curfew Thursday through an emergency order, hours after the Washington D.C. Council allowed a law enabling targeted curfew zones to expire.
The order imposes an 11 p.m. curfew on anyone under 18 from April 16 until May 1, and restores authority for the police chief to designate curfew zones.
Bowser said the move was necessary to maintain public safety after “several weeks of disorderly behavior” involving large groups of teenagers gathering in the Navy Yard neighborhood.
The emergency declaration allows the Metropolitan Police Department’s interim chief to designate zones where youths under 18 cannot gather in groups of nine or more starting as early as 8 p.m. if authorities believe public safety is at risk.
The action comes after the D.C. Council declined to extend the Juvenile Curfew Second Temporary Amendment Act, which expired on Wednesday. At the time, Bowser urged lawmakers to renew the measure, warning that letting it lapse during spring break could lead to more disorder.
Instead, the mayor opted to use emergency powers as a stopgap measure until the council can revisit the issue at its next meeting on April 21.
“It’s not the only tool, but we need it,” she told reporters Wednesday night. “When we have a curfew zone, and we tell children not to take over an area, it has worked.”
Under the curfew law, minors are generally prohibited from being in public during late-night hours unless they are accompanied by a parent, traveling to or from work or school, or engaged in other exempted activities. Parents can face fines or community service if their children violate the rules.
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The curfew policy has been a recurring point of tension between Bowser and the council. Supporters argue it provides a necessary tool to prevent violence and large-scale disturbances. Critics, on the other hand, have questioned its effectiveness and raised concerns about increased police interactions with young people.
The policy was first enacted in 2025 in response to a series of disruptive and sometimes violent youth gatherings, dubbed “teen takeovers,” in neighborhoods such as Navy Yard and U Street.