ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – A long-standing law prohibits children from participating in trick-or-treating after the eighth grade in at least one Metro East community, widely regarded as one of the strictest Halloween laws in the entire state of Illinois.
Simply put, once students complete middle school, it’s illegal to go door-to-door in that community and ask for candy on Halloween night.
That law has been enforced in Belleville, Illinois since 2008, according to city ordinances.
Bellville ordinance 130.19 states, in part: “It shall be unlawful for any person to appear on the streets, highways, public homes, private homes or public places in the city to make trick or treat visitations; except that, this section shall not apply to children who attend any public, private, parochial school or equivalent to include home schooled student(s) in the eighth grade and under on Halloween night.”
The ordinance also enables a parent, guardian or “responsible person” to accompany a child in the eighth grade or under while trick-or-treating for safety purposes.
As written, the law seemingly prohibits middle-aged and older-aged teenagers from participating in trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
Violations could lead up to a $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses, per Belleville city ordinances.
According to a 2010 report from Today.com, former mayor Mark Eckert led the push for the grade-restricting law. He believed stricter regulations were necessary to maintain a safer, family-friendly experience around trick-or-treating. The policy, perhaps, was interpreted as an effort to reduce the possibility of unruly behavior from older trick-or-treaters.
For some, Belleville’s law may spark a debate over the proper age for children to stop trick-or-treating for good. There is no nationwide age limit for trick-or-treating, but if a state or municipality adopts a law around the experience, it must be followed.
Today.com also collected feedback for a poll in 2019. A survey found that around 19% of parents felt 15 or 16 should be the stopping point, while 16% felt 17 or 18 should be the stopping point. Around half of parents felt that there shouldn’t be an age limit for trick-or-treaters as long as they are still of children’s age.
Belleville’s Halloween ordinance, in addition to its grade restriction on trick-or-treating, also makes it illegal for anyone over 12 to wear a mask or disguise on any day other than Halloween unless they have permission from the mayor or police chief.
For the night of Halloween itself, the ordinance also issues a strict curfew for trick-or-treaters from 5-8:30 p.m.
