When Is My Child Old Enough To Be Left Home Alone In Minnesota

My son is seven (soon to be eight) and I, personally, cannot imagine leaving him home by himself yet.

He's a very responsible kid, knows how to use the phone for an emergency and is the kind of kid that avoids mischief for the most part. With all that being said, I am not ready to cross that bridge as a parent.

I know what you are thinking. "My parents left me home alone as soon as I was potty trained, and I turned out fine," you say. I don't disagree, as I was left home alone for short periods of time by around the age of eight in the good old '80's as well.

However, the world of 2025 is, decidedly, not the same one we enjoyed 15 40 (?!) years ago. We have to play a little more defense these days.

With that all being said, what does the LAW say when it comes to leaving my children home alone, armed only with paint cans, blowtorches, Christmas ornaments and a bucket of caulking?

I AM THE LAW

Using information from the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota, it turns out that while some states have a set age at which children are allowed to be left home alone, Minnesota does not.

Examples given by the University of Minnesota include Illinois' minimum age of 14 and Maryland's minimum age of 8.

Minnesota Statute 609.378 Subd. 1(a) (1)):

A parent, legal guardian, or caretaker who willfully deprives a child of necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision appropriate to the child’s age, when the parent, guardian, or caretaker is reasonably able to make the necessary provisions and the deprivation harms or is likely to substantially harm the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health is guilty of neglect of a child and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both.

DHS GUIDELINES 

Minnesota Department of Human Services guidelines include an entry pertaining to the amount of time children are allowed to be left alone, based on age. The University of Minnesota page says 'Reports alleging inadequate supervision or child care arrangements may be screened in for a child protection response, including children’s ages.'

They say a seven year old left for any amount of time could be screened in for a response; a child 8-10 years old left for more than three hours; 11-13 left alone for more than 12 hours; 14-15 left alone for more than 24 hours.

Kids aged 16 and 17 can be left alone for more than 24 hours with a 'plan in place on how to respond to an emergency.'

The full University of Minnesota post can be viewed HERE.