Is there a curfew for those younger than 18 in Vegas?

In the Las Vegas metropolitan area, anyone younger than 18 years of age who’s not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian must be off the streets and out of any public area between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from midnight to 5 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, legal holidays, and during summer vacation.

There’s an exception for the Las Vegas Strip on weekends and holidays. On the Strip and surrounding streets, curfew hours are 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and legal holidays year-round.

Teen driving laws are similar. Drivers under 18 may not drive between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless they’re traveling to or from a scheduled event (such as work or school). Law-enforcement officers may ask drivers to show proof of the scheduled event.

If police officers identify teens who appear too young to be out after curfew hours are in force, they typically check their IDs, determine if there’s reason to hold them, such as warrants or even previous curfew violations, make a note of their names, tell them to go home, and release them.

Officers also have the discretion to hold a curfew violator for pick-up by parents, and to issue a citation. Fines for first offenses start at $35. Failure to go home when told or to pay a fine can lead to a court appearance in front of a “referee.” Cases may be referred to probation officers, who can impose counseling or community-service requirements.

Several thousand citations are issued annually, which, according to one estimate we saw, is roughly 10% of curfew violators who are stopped and ID’d.