Leave Child Home Alone in Illinois? Big Trouble Before this Age

It made for a very entertaining movie plot, but the question of how old a child must be before they can be legally left home alone in Illinois is a serious question. Plus, Illinois has some of the strictest requirements in the country that could get you in big trouble if a child is below a certain age.

Did you know that Illinois is one of only 4 states that has a strict age requirement for any child that is left at home by themselves?

The specific technical name for the Illinois statute that addresses children left home alone is (705 ILCS 405/2-3) (from Ch. 37, par. 802-3). It's in regards to neglected or abused minors. You have to scroll down to the "d" part of the statute which says "any minor under the age of 14 years whose parent or other person responsible for the minor's welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that minor".

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has a helpful guide on how to prepare your kids for staying home alone once they're legally old enough and responsible enough to do so. It involves helping them know what to do in the event of severe storms, how to be safe in the kitchen and what to do if they believe someone is in the house or is trying to break into the house that shouldn't be.

The ironic part of all this is Home Alone was filmed in Illinois which is the least likely state for it to legally happen.