What Age Can a Child Stay Home Alone by State

Minimum Age
Minimum Age
AlabamaAlabamaNone
AlaskaAlaskaNone
ArizonaArizonaNone
ArkansasArkansasNone
CaliforniaCaliforniaNone
ColoradoColoradoNone
ConnecticutConnecticutNone
DelawareDelawareNone
FloridaFloridaNone
GeorgiaGeorgiaNone
HawaiiHawaiiNone
IdahoIdahoNone
IllinoisIllinois14
IndianaIndianaNone
IowaIowaNone
KansasKansasNone
KentuckyKentuckyNone
LouisianaLouisianaNone
MaineMaineNone
MarylandMaryland8
MassachusettsMassachusettsNone
MichiganMichiganNone
MinnesotaMinnesotaNone
MississippiMississippiNone
MissouriMissouriNone
MontanaMontanaNone
NebraskaNebraskaNone
NevadaNevadaNone
New HampshireNew HampshireNone
New JerseyNew JerseyNone
New MexicoNew MexicoNone
New YorkNew YorkNone
North CarolinaNorth Carolina8
North DakotaNorth DakotaNone
OhioOhioNone
OklahomaOklahomaNone
OregonOregonNone
PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaNone
Rhode IslandRhode IslandNone
South CarolinaSouth CarolinaNone
South DakotaSouth DakotaNone
TennesseeTennesseeNone
TexasTexasNone
UtahUtahNone
VermontVermontNone
VirginiaVirginiaNone
WashingtonWashingtonNone
West VirginiaWest VirginiaNone
WisconsinWisconsinNone
WyomingWyomingNone

Independence at Home: Age a Child Stay Home Alone

Childcare constitutes one of the biggest challenges for American parents, particularly in situations where parental responsibilities and work hours overlap. Determining when a child is ready to stay home alone is both a personal and legal matter, as the laws vary by state. Across the United States, legislation ranges from none at all to stipulated minimum ages for children to be left alone at home. Comprehensive understanding of these laws helps ensure legal compliance and supports national and personal discussions about child independence and safety.

Key findings:

  • The majority of states, including Wisconsin, Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, and Arizona, among others, do not legislate a minimum age for a child to stay home alone. This indicates that most of these states leave this consequential decision to parental discretion and maturity of the child.
  • However, two states, North Carolina and Maryland, specify a minimum age limit of 8 years. They stand as exceptions to the general rule, offering more structured guidelines for parents.
  • Among states that do specify a minimum age, only Illinois sets a relatively high age limit, suggesting that children must be at least 14 years old before they are left home alone.
  • Despite having broad versions of the Castle Doctrine or various self-defense laws, states do not necessarily set a minimum age limit for children to stay home alone.

By Region

Alabama

See Less
Alabama

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Alaska

See More
Alaska

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Arizona

See More
Arizona

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Arkansas

See More
Arkansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

California

See More
California

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Colorado

See More
Colorado

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Connecticut

See More
Connecticut

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Delaware

See More
Delaware

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Florida

See More
Florida

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Georgia

See More
Georgia

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Hawaii

See More
Hawaii

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Idaho

See More
Idaho

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Illinois

See More
Illinois

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

14

Indiana

See More
Indiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Iowa

See More
Iowa

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Kansas

See More
Kansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Kentucky

See More
Kentucky

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Louisiana

See More
Louisiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Maine

See More
Maine

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Maryland

See More
Maryland

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

8

Massachusetts

See More
Massachusetts

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Michigan

See More
Michigan

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Minnesota

See More
Minnesota

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Mississippi

See More
Mississippi

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Missouri

See More
Missouri

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Montana

See More
Montana

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Nebraska

See More
Nebraska

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Nevada

See More
Nevada

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

New Hampshire

See More
New Hampshire

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

New Jersey

See More
New Jersey

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

New Mexico

See More
New Mexico

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

New York

See More
New York

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

North Carolina

See More
North Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

8

North Dakota

See More
North Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Ohio

See More
Ohio

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Oklahoma

See More
Oklahoma

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Oregon

See More
Oregon

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Pennsylvania

See More
Pennsylvania

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Rhode Island

See More
Rhode Island

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

South Carolina

See More
South Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

South Dakota

See More
South Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Tennessee

See More
Tennessee

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Texas

See More
Texas

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Utah

See More
Utah

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Vermont

See More
Vermont

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Virginia

See More
Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Washington

See More
Washington

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

West Virginia

See More
West Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Wisconsin

See More
Wisconsin

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Wyoming

See More
Wyoming

Metric

Value

Rank

Minimum Age

None

Table

Region ↕Minimum Age ↕
Alabama iconAlabamaNone
Alaska iconAlaskaNone
Arizona iconArizonaNone
Arkansas iconArkansasNone
California iconCaliforniaNone
Colorado iconColoradoNone
Connecticut iconConnecticutNone
Delaware iconDelawareNone
Florida iconFloridaNone
Georgia iconGeorgiaNone
Hawaii iconHawaiiNone
Idaho iconIdahoNone
Illinois iconIllinois14
Indiana iconIndianaNone
Iowa iconIowaNone
Kansas iconKansasNone
Kentucky iconKentuckyNone
Louisiana iconLouisianaNone
Maine iconMaineNone
Maryland iconMaryland8
Massachusetts iconMassachusettsNone
Michigan iconMichiganNone
Minnesota iconMinnesotaNone
Mississippi iconMississippiNone
Missouri iconMissouriNone
Montana iconMontanaNone
Nebraska iconNebraskaNone
Nevada iconNevadaNone
New Hampshire iconNew HampshireNone
New Jersey iconNew JerseyNone
New Mexico iconNew MexicoNone
New York iconNew YorkNone
North Carolina iconNorth Carolina8
North Dakota iconNorth DakotaNone
Ohio iconOhioNone
Oklahoma iconOklahomaNone
Oregon iconOregonNone
Pennsylvania iconPennsylvaniaNone
Rhode Island iconRhode IslandNone
South Carolina iconSouth CarolinaNone
South Dakota iconSouth DakotaNone
Tennessee iconTennesseeNone
Texas iconTexasNone
Utah iconUtahNone
Vermont iconVermontNone
Virginia iconVirginiaNone
Washington iconWashingtonNone
West Virginia iconWest VirginiaNone
Wisconsin iconWisconsinNone
Wyoming iconWyomingNone
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