The rules of trick-or-treating

Did you know that some city's have actual rules... And laws even, when it comes to Trick-Or-Treating? I certainly didn't... As far as I know, we had NO laws in Southern California, where I grew up. My friends & I would leave the house just after dinner, when it started getting dark, & we wouldn't come home till 9 or 10 pm. I did however remember, living on base in Arizona, they did have time restrictions... So since we live in military housing, but off base, I thought it might be a good idea to look up if the actual city had any time restrictions & whatnot. Well I found a little more information than I had expected and it was oddly surprising and kind of weird.

Let’s start with Norfolk, they city I currently live in.
"Children must be 12 years of age or younger and be off the streets by 8 p.m. A parent, guardian or other responsible person, who lawfully has in his custody a child 12 years old or younger, may accompany the child for the purpose of caring for, looking after or protecting the child. In Norfolk, it’s a class four misdemeanor to break these rules."

Newport News adds to that by stating:
"Trick or treating will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Children beyond the 7th grade or 13 years of age may not participate in trick-or-treating. An adult should escort small children and older children should go in large groups. Only children 15 years of age and younger may wear masks. Anyone 16 years or older wearing a mask in public is breaking the law."

The city of Hampton says:
"It’s a class four misdemeanor if you break these rules in Hampton. However, a parent, guardian or other responsible person, who lawfully has in his custody a child 12 years old or younger, may accompany the child for the purpose of caring for, looking after or protecting the child."

Virginia Beach takes it a little further and includes all of that but also adds that:
"...anyone trick or treating after 8 p.m. is committing a class four misdemeanor in Virginia Beach."

The anyone over 16 wearing a mask is breaking the law thing sort of got me off guard at first. Then I thought about it and I suppose the wolf man could be running around town robbing gas stations and that would kind of suck a little. So it makes sense. But since no one over 13 is allowed to trick or treat what are these 13 - 16 year olds going to do with their mask wearing privileges anyhow? I suppose they could have a Halloween party. But, I would also hope that wearing a mask indoors at a party is okay, as long as you aren’t out running a muck in the streets. Newport News is the only city in the Hampton Roads area that allows for trick or treaters to be 13, everyone else says 12 and under.