How old is too old to trick-or-treat? Boo! Some towns have legal age limits at Halloween

When are you too old to go trick-or-treating? Every kid, teen and parent might have a different answer. But some towns have laws stipulating when you can – and can't – participate in the Halloween custom.

For instance, in Chesapeake, Virginia only kids and teens 14 and under can go trick-or-treating. And the fun must stop by 8 p.m. Those who break the law are guilty of a misdemeanor.

Chesapeake teens used to have a tougher time joining in the trick-or-treat tradition. Before a law change in 2019, any kid over the age of 12 caught trick-or-treating could face jail time of up to six months and fines of up to $100.

However, Chesapeake hasn't really enforced the ordinance in either of its forms, a city spokesperson told Today.com. The city "has never detained nor charged any person under the ordinance," the spokesperson said. "It is on the books to allow police officers a method to detain an individual if they create a disturbance or similar actions.

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Still, there are many cities across the U.S. with ordinances setting limits on ages of trick-or-treaters and a stop time for seeking sweets from neighbors. An example: in Taft, Texas, trick-or-treating must be done between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., NPR reported in its survey of city codes.

"The practice of persons in previous years on Halloween night in roving all over the city late at night has become … undesirable," making it an "an intolerable situation" for city police, NPR cited the city's law as saying.

Where are some places that have had trick-or-treating age limits?

As with Chesapeake, several other Virginia cities and towns have trick-or-treat age limit laws in place; among them Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Norfolk, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, York County andHampton. Many of them prohibit trick-or-treating after age 12. 

Belleville, Illinois,  also forbids children over age 12 from wearing a mask, and those in 9th grade or above can't "appear on the streets, highways, public homes, private homes, or public places in the city to make trick-or-treat visitations," according to the city's ordinance. And trick-or-treating is limited to between 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., the ordinance says.

In St. Michaels, Maryland, only children ages 12 and under can go trick-or-treating, according to their town code. 

Towns such as Jacksonville, Ill., and Rayne, Louisiana. bar kids who are 13 or older from trick-or-treating, according to NPR.

Charleston, South Carolina, has restricted trick-or-treating for teens over 16, who also aren't allowed to wear a mask in public places, per state law. 

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How old is 'too old' to trick-or treat?

Past surveys have suggested that 12 might be a good cutoff age for trick-or-treating. But in an ongoing Today.com poll, 46% say you're "never" to old to trick-or-treat. Also in that poll, 19% did say 15-16 is too old to trick-or-treat, while another 18% said 17-18 was too old.

Parents.com offers this parental advice: "All children, despite their age, should have to opportunity to celebrate Halloween, but it's up to parents to help them determine what that means. Every family and every child are different, and we all need to remember that childhood doesn't end when kids reach a certain height or age."

On Halloween, if you are handing out treats, don't make it your job to set the "kids" straight, says manners arbiter The Emily Post Institute. It's proper etiquette for give out candy to older children even if it may "seem ridiculous or even intimidating," the organization says in a blog post.

And keep in mind, some trick or treaters may be disabled – and by handing out candy, no questions asked, you are being more inclusive and perhaps passing on joy.

"These may just be people that are hanging on to this fun thing from their childhood, but it could also be people with disabilities who really enjoy participating in this still as young adults," Zoe Goss, director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, told USA TODAY. "So just we always encourage people to be accepting that people are different from each other."

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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