Indianapolis teens may see a stricter curfew again this summer as concerns around youth gun violence are still on the rise in the city.
A proposal approved by the city’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday would start the city’s curfew two hours earlier than the statewide curfew for children 17 and younger.
If approved by the full City-County Council, teens aged 15-17 would have a new curfew of 11 p.m. on Friday through Saturday, instead of 1 a.m. From Sunday to Thursday, teens would have a curfew of 9 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. All other children under the age of 15 would have a 9 p.m. curfew every day. All curfews end at 5 a.m.
State law allows moving curfew hours by up to two hours when conditions necessitate it for public safety, but it’s only a temporary measure.
The change in curfew would stay in effect for 120 days. The city-county council’s next meeting is scheduled for May 4, where they will likely vote on the proposal.
City officials changed the city’s youth curfew time last year in response to a spike in youth-involved gun violence around the city. A high-profile mass shooting on July 4, 2025 killed two juveniles and injured five others.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Tanya Terry told council members on Wednesday that the troubling trend of youth gun violence has persisted this year.
Terry said that in the first quarter of 2026 there has been a 4% rise in gun homicides involving juveniles compared to this time last year.
“In response to what we have seen so far this year and in past summers, we need to intervene early in a non-intrusive way and provide support to our young people,” Terry said. “….keeping young people out of situations where they are more likely to become victims or be involved in violence is a priority and a shared responsibility that I think we all have.”
Along with the new curfew times, Terry pointed to the city’s “Connection Center”. Youth caught violating curfew will be taken to the center where parents can pick up their children, it will also offer youth and families needed services.
Being taken to the center is not considered an arrest and will not create a criminal record.
Terry said that no juveniles were sent to the center in 2025 and that only a “handful” of juveniles had been sent this year.
Exceptions for the youth curfew
These are the allowable instances where youth will not be punished for breaking curfew:
- They are out for a lawful employment-related reason
- They are accompanied by a parent, guardian or custodian
- They are out for a school-sanctioned event
- They are out for a religious event
- They are assisting with an emergency that involves the protection of a person or property from an imminent threat
- They are participating in a non-profit or government event that provides education, training or other care under the supervision of at least one adult
- They are participating in an activity and have written direction of a parent, guardian or custodian
Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org
