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Law raises trick or treating age to 14 in Virginia town

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The city of Chesapeake adjusted its 50-year-old law that threatened anyone caught trick-or-treating over the age of 12 with jail time.

In March, the city changed its ordinance to raise the maximum age to 14 and made the crime a Class 4 misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $250, according to CNN. Additionally, there is an 8 p.m. curfew for those 14 and under.

The Virginian-Pilot reports no teens have ever actually been arrested under the ordinance. But it made news last Halloween, ending up parodied on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

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Here is the new ordinance as it appears on the city's Code of Ordinances website:

"Sec. 46-8. - Trick or treat activities.

"(a)If any person over the age of 14 years shall engage in the activity commonly known as "trick or treat" or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever, he or she shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting any parent, guardian, or other responsible person, having lawfully in his or her custody a child 14 years old or younger, from accompanying said child.

"(b)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 Class 4 misdemeanor.

"(Code 1970, § 17-13.1; Ord. of 10-26-70; Ord. No. 19-O-038, 3-12-19)"

Such laws are not anything new in the state. A 2015 article from WTKR said that Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk each had laws that would lead to a misdemeanor charge if a person over 12 goes trick-or-treating.

Such laws are not limited to Virginia. In 2010, The Associated Press reported that Belleville, Illinois; Meridian, Mississippi; Bishopville, South Carolina' and Boonsboro, Maryland all had trick-or-treating laws.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.