Laurel sets summer youth curfew starting June 18

Laurel is imposing a citywide summer youth curfew that will keep anyone under 18 off public streets, sidewalks and other public places from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning June 18 and lasting through September 8. Mayor Keith Sydnor signed the executive order on June 11, turning late-night youth activity into a police-backed rule that families, teens and businesses will have to navigate all summer.

The city tied the move to public-safety concerns after two violent incidents during a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5. In a May 6 statement, Sydnor said he was concerned for the victims and thanked Laurel Police and Prince George’s County Police for their coordinated response, while stressing that the incidents did not reflect the spirit of the community. Laurel then ordered an establishment closed effective May 8 after preliminary findings related to the event, including misrepresentation of the security plan and licensing and use issues.

The new order includes three exceptions. Minors may be out with a parent or guardian, returning home from school, religious, volunteer or public entertainment activities, or traveling directly to or from work. That gives parents and employers some flexibility, but it still sets a hard boundary on late-night gatherings, transit runs and summer recreation that spill past curfew hours. Laurel’s June 12 newsletter said the June editions of Laurel Living and Laurel Living in Focus cover the new curfew, signaling that city hall is already pushing the message before enforcement begins.

Laurel has used this tool before. In July 2025, Sydnor issued Executive Order 2025-04 creating a temporary juvenile curfew for anyone under 17 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through August 31, 2025, with the Laurel Police Department directed to enforce it. Maryland law allows local juvenile curfews and includes similar exceptions for parent or guardian accompaniment, legal employment and school, religious, recreational or entertainment activities.

The city’s population was 30,060 in the 2020 Census, so the order touches a large share of daily life in a relatively small jurisdiction. It also fits a wider pattern in Prince George’s County, which created a juvenile curfew zone at National Harbor in April 2024 for people 16 and younger without supervision. In Laurel, the summer rule now carries an immediate message: late-night public life for teens will be restricted, and police have a formal tool to back it up.