Did you know that? And laws even! I didn’t know that until the other day when I went to look up the trick or treating times for our city. I found a little more information than I had expected and it was oddly surprising and kind of weird. We have the usual trick or treat at the mall thing that you can opt to do if you want daylight trick or treat. We actually did this the first year we were down here because we weren’t familiar with the areas. Yeah, totally not fun. Eye Care Offices and Real Estate agents handing out stale gum and business cards was not at all exciting. Maybe our mall just sucks, but it was very boring. The mall wasn’t even decorated! Blech. Definitely won’t make that mistake again.

On to the weird rules and laws. And there are a lot in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Let’s start with Newport News, they city I currently live in.

Trick or treating will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Children beyond the 7th grade or 13 years of age may not participate in trick-or-treating. An adult should escort small children and older children should go in large groups. Only children 15 years of age and younger may wear masks. Anyone 16 years or older wearing a mask in public is breaking the law.

The anyone over 16 wearing a mask is breaking the law thing sort of got me off guard at first. Then I thought about it and I suppose the wolf man could be running around town robbing gas stations and that would kind of suck a little. So it makes sense. But since noe over 13 is allowed to trick or treat what are these 13 - 16 year olds going to do with their mask wearing privileges anyhow? I suppose they could have a Halloween party. But, I would also hope that wearing a mask indoors at a party is okay, as long as you aren’t out running a muck in the streets.

Newport News is the only city in the Hampton Roads area that allows for trick or treaters to be 13, everyone else says 12 and under.

City of Hampton says

It’s a class four misdemeanor if you break these rules in Hampton. However, a parent, guardian or other responsible person, who lawfully has in his custody a child 12 years old or younger, may accompany the child for the purpose of caring for, looking after or protecting the child.

And Norfolk agrees for the most part

Children must be 12 years of age or younger and be off the streets by 8 p.m. A parent, guardian or other responsible person, who lawfully has in his custody a child 12 years old or younger, may accompany the child for the purpose of caring for, looking after or protecting the child. In Norfolk, it’s a class four misdemeanor to break these rules.

Virginia Beach takes it a little further and includes all of that but also adds that

anyone trick or treating after 8 p.m. is committing a class four misdemeanor in Virginia Beach.

So, what are the trick or treat ordinances in your city?

Technorati Tags: trick or treat, halloween

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