Ballantyne teens 16 and 17 will face a curfew for the first time under a 10-month pilot program Charlotte City Council approved Monday, Sept. 28.

The council voted 9-2 to require everyone under 18 to be home by 10 p.m. every night. The new curfew takes effect Nov. 1 and runs through Aug. 31, 2027. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will enforce it, and city leaders will then decide whether to make it permanent.

The vote changes two things from the existing Youth Protection Ordinance, which has been on the books since 1995. That ordinance set a 10 p.m. curfew for children 12 and under and 11 p.m. for teens 13 through 15. Teens 16 and 17 had no curfew at all. Under the pilot, one rule covers everyone under 18: home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless an exception applies.

Councilwomen LaWana Mayfield and Renee Perkins Johnson cast the two no votes, the Charlotte Observer reported. Mayfield said she wanted data showing why the current curfew was not working before changing it. Perkins Johnson wanted CMPD to revise its internal policy on traffic stops first.

The debate stretched past four hours before council reached the curfew item, QC News reported. Councilmember JD Mazuera Arias, who represents Charlotte's fifth district, had been hesitant but asked CMPD Chief Estella Patterson for a verbal commitment that officers would not conduct traffic stops solely on suspicion of a curfew violation. Patterson agreed.

"You do have my commitment … Part of our internal education campaign is to talk to our officers and make sure that they know that is the expectation," Patterson said at the Sept. 28 meeting, according to QC News.

Several exceptions apply.

Minors can be out past 10 p.m. if they are with a parent or authorized adult at least 21 years old, traveling to or from work, or running an errand for a parent. Attending a supervised school, religious or recreational activity sponsored by a government entity or civic organization also qualifies, as does responding to an emergency.

Parents remain on the hook for violations. Under the existing ordinance, a parent can face a Class 3 misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 if their child breaks curfew. That penalty stays the same under the pilot, Spectrum News reported.

CMPD data presented to council showed 431 juvenile victims of violent crime between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. from July 2025 through June 2026, according to the Charlotte Weekly. Of those, 127 were ages 16 and 17, falling outside the old curfew. About 68% of the cases involved gun-related assaults.

Patterson will give quarterly updates to the council on the pilot's progress. CMPD will also seek an external evaluation when the pilot ends in August 2027.