These Virginia Towns Can Jail, Fine Children Over 12 Who Trick-Or-Treat
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CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WJZ) -- There's a town in Virginia that can fine children up to a $100 or jail them for six months, if they go trick-or-treating and are above the age of 12.
That's right, children could be guilty of a misdemeanor.
And, it's actually a law in Chesapeake, Virginia.
According to the city's ordinance, "If any person over the age of 12 years shall engage in the activity commonly known as "trick ortreat" or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever, he or she shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 nor more than $100.00 or by confinement in jail for not more than six months or both."
The city also has a time limit for it's trick-or-treating activities: "If any person shall engage in the activity commonly known as "trick or treat" or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever after 8:00 p.m., he or she shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $10.00 nor more than $100.00 orby confinement in jail for not more than 30 days or both."
This means children in middle school and high school cannot go trick-or-treating. And no child can go trick-or-treating after 8 p.m. in town.
But they aren't the only community that has rules like this.
Many communities restrict the times for trick-or-treating like in Portsmouth, Virginia where children can trick-or-treat from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Newport has a similar code that children aged 12 or any child in seventh grade or younger can trick-or-treat. Otherwise it is a Class 4 misdemeanor, WSET reports.
Halloween, Oct. 31, lands on a Wednesday this year.