What is the legal age a child can stay home alone in the state of Washington?

Answer 1

"Washington State does not have any laws or rules that say at what age a child can be left home alone. In general, children under 10 should not be left on their own, and babies and younger children should not be left alone even for a few minutes." - Child Care Resources There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. Georgia, Illiniois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with specific ages mentioned in their laws.

12 years of age appears to be the most common recommendation. Below in Related Links is an article entitled Home Alone Children Legal Age Limits which provides one guideline from a California agency representative who suggests that 8 year olds and over can be left at home for up to several hours (usually after school before a parent gets home from work). This site also provides a state by state comparison with references.

Answer 2

The age at which a child can be left at home alone is only legislated in two states and Tennessee is not one of them. The legal check is whether or not the child is safe and has the ability to take care of themselves. Most authorities agree that leaving a 12 year old alone at home for an hour or two is acceptable, but they should not be responsible for other children.

http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/homealone.html There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. Georgia, Illiniois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with specific ages mentioned in their laws. 12 years of age appears to be the most common recommendation. Below in Related Links is an article entitled Home Alone Children Legal Age Limits which provides a state by state comparison with references. One guideline from a California child welfare representative suggests that 8 year olds and over can be left at home for a brief period of time (usually just after school).

Answer 3

There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages, but many state agencies have published guidelines (NH, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with very specific ages). Typically 8 year olds and over can be left at home for up to several hours (usually after school before a parent gets home from work).

12 years old appears to be the most common recommendation. http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm provides a state by state comparison. Although the legal age varies, you'll need to really look at what your child is ready for. Most can be left occasionally for an hour or two. However, a regular after-school at home would have been inviting trouble for my older son. Each day, he would have done something new within that two hour parameter, eventually ending up using poor judgment. In fact, many of us moms have stories of our 12 year old boys and fire. My older one was working on a safety project for scouts, involving cutting out newspaper articles. He took a break, took a bike ride and found a lighter. Then, he decided to test it out. Luckily the only damage was a 3 foot diameter burn in the carpet. But his dad had a fast 45 mph drive from the other side of town. Another boy burned down the neighbor's newly planted yard when his fire in HIS yard got out of hand.

Answer 4

it varies from state to state. however, if the child can take care of himself, clen up after himself and cook for himself ususally its in the early teens. contact your local law enforcement dept. however, if something were to happen or an injury occured the parents/legal guardians can be held reponsible. this entails a possible jail time, parenting classes, and fines.

Answer 5

The legal age for a child to be left alone in the state of Washington is 12 years old.

Actually I looked into this a few years ago, and there is no specific age in WA state, which means a parent can decide when to allow their kids to stay home alone. But, if a parent chooses to leave a minor home alone (0-18 years) and that minor gets hurt during that time or does something illegal, etc---the parents can be charged with neglect. It's really a personal choice in this state, and parents should definitely consider the kid's age, maturity, and trustworthiness beforehand.

Answer 6

I am not sure, but I have been told by several people that they can be left alone if they are able to make a right decision by themselves. What I mean by that is if the house accidentally catches on fire, they would be able to get out of the house and call 911. Not sure if this helps you.

Answer 7

Washington state does not have a law stating your child has to be a certain age in order to stay home by themselves. There is only a guideline with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services that recommends that children under 10 should not be left home alone, but it is not a law.

Answer 8

There is no law that mandates thege at which someone can be left alone. Teenagers are normally considered old enough to take care of themselves.