Lorain committee outlines changes to youth curfew; law department to draft revised ordinance

The police, fire and legislative committee of the Lorain City Council discussed proposed corrections and amendments to the city’s existing curfew ordinance and asked the law department to prepare a revised draft for council consideration.

Committee members and staff weighed competing options for hours, exceptions and enforcement after Attorney Zaleski summarized the current ordinance and presented the City of Avon’s curfew as a drafting model. Zaleski noted the city’s ordinance currently reads roughly 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for minors and that Friday had been omitted from the text; he said staff would draft updated language incorporating council direction.

Why it matters: council members said the ordinance is intended to protect public safety by reducing late‑night incidents while minimizing unfair penalties for minors who are at work, school events or in the care of an authorized adult.

Most council members expressed a preference for a uniform, easy‑to‑understand time frame rather than seasonal or day‑by‑day variations. Options discussed included retaining a version consistent with neighboring municipalities (for example, an 11:00 p.m.–5:00 a.m. model cited from Avon) and Arroyo’s proposed 10:30 p.m.–6:00 a.m. schedule. Several members said year‑round consistency is clearer for residents.

Council debated how to define an adult permitted to accompany a minor after hours. Several members favored limiting supervisory authority to a natural or adoptive parent, legal guardian, or an adult who is “duly authorized in writing” by the parent or guardian. Council members also discussed raising the minimum age of a supervising non‑parent adult from 18 to 21; Attorney Zaleski said the council may define that age in its ordinance language.

On exemptions, members asked that the draft explicitly cover youths who are working, traveling with school teams or attending school events. Attorney Zaleski and Mayor Bradley noted that state labor rules and existing juvenile procedure limit how long minors may work at night and that juvenile matters are handled in juvenile court rather than in municipal court.

Mayor Bradley outlined enforcement options and penalties: under the proposed draft the offense is currently a minor misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $150 for a single citation, but the council discussed elevating repeated parental non‑compliance (for example, a third offense within a year) to a higher misdemeanor with increased fines and potential short jail exposure. The mayor also recommended requiring written, signed authorization when a parent designates another adult to supervise a minor after curfew to reduce confusion during enforcement.

Public commenters asked how the ordinance would affect homeless youths and how many citations would result in escalating consequences; Attorney Zaleski reiterated juveniles are processed through juvenile court and that municipal court lacks juvenile jurisdiction. Patrick Kron, a resident, urged the council to ensure the police have sufficient resources for enforcement and to consider parental accountability when youths repeatedly violate curfew.

What’s next: Attorney Zaleski said he will draft the revised curfew language (reflecting the council’s guidance on hours, supervisor age and written authorization, and options for escalation of penalties) and deliver it to the committee by Thursday for placement on next Monday’s council agenda. The committee approved a motion to send the drafted revisions back to counsel for consideration.