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Muskegon City Commission adopts curfew change to align with state law, raising age threshold to 17
Summary
The commission approved a second-reading amendment to the city code to change the juvenile curfew threshold from 16 to 17 to align with a 2021 state law change; staff said the amendment is intended to mirror state requirements but some enforcement-hour details were not fully clarified at the meeting.
The Muskegon City Commission on Aug. 26 approved a second-reading amendment to the city ordinance that raises the curfew age threshold so that the local code applies to minors 17 years of age and younger. The motion was moved by Commissioner Jermaine German and seconded by Commissioner Keener and passed on a roll-call vote.
Tim Coles, Muskegon’s public safety director, told commissioners the change updates chapter 54, article 7, section 54-241 of the municipal code to reflect an earlier change at the state level. “We found that we haven't looked at this ordinance to update it to reflect the state changes,” Coles said, adding that the state change occurred in 2021 and the local amendment is intended to bring the city into alignment.
Commissioners asked for clarification on how the ordinance would be enforced and what exceptions apply. During the discussion Coles said officers would make contact with a minor out past the curfew and notify parents; the city provides informational materials to parents and works with the prosecutor’s office to refer families to intervention programs when appropriate. A staff speaker identified the curfew cutoff during discussion as 11 p.m., but commissioners raised other timing questions and the transcript shows an unclear reference to additional hours that was not fully resolved at the meeting.
Commissioner Keener pressed staff about interventions for youths who “sneak out” despite parental supervision; Coles said the prosecutor’s office and local programs are used to introduce families to services and that officers sometimes work with prosecutors on-site to connect families with resources.
The motion to amend the ordinance passed on a roll-call vote with commissioners recorded in the affirmative and the clerk announced the motion carried. The meeting record does not show additional amendments to the ordinance during the session.
The commission’s change updates the municipal code to match state law; staff indicated further operational questions about enforcement and program referrals could be handled through public safety and the prosecutor’s office outside the meeting.
