Winston-Salem rejects youth curfew extension; rules expire Oct. 12

Winston-Salem City Council voted 6-2 on Oct. 5 against extending the city’s temporary youth-curfew ordinance. The current restrictions remain in effect until 6 a.m. Oct. 12, 2026. The vote rejected the proposed extension but did not change the ordinance’s expiration date.

The amendment would have moved the ordinance’s sunset to 6 a.m. Nov. 1, 2027, keeping the restrictions in place for about a year beyond the current expiration. Because council members did not adopt it, the amendment will not extend the rules through that date.

The ordinance generally restricts people younger than 18 from being in public places and businesses in Winston-Salem between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It includes exceptions, including for work and certain supervised activities, as well as other circumstances specified in the ordinance. Those restrictions remain in force until the current sunset, subject to the exceptions.

Proposal reached council without a committee recommendation

The Public Safety Committee split 2-2 and forwarded the proposal to the full council without a recommendation. Police Chief William Penn Jr. asked council members to extend the ordinance to allow more time to gather and analyze information about its effects.

Public comments included concerns about safety and disruptive late-night behavior raised by a representative of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership. Olivia Doyle, speaking for Hate Out of Winston and a coalition of organizations, questioned whether police had enough evidence to justify continuing the restrictions and urged the city to provide more activities for teenagers.

The council’s vote decided whether to adopt this particular extension; it did not determine whether the city will propose a replacement policy. The city calendar lists Oct. 19, 2026, as the next scheduled full City Council meeting, about a week after the ordinance’s Oct. 12 expiration date.