How Old Is Too Old To Trick-Or-Treat? One NJ Town Says 12

How do you know if you’re too old for trick-or-treating? Some people stop dressing up and going door-to-door for candy when they become teens. Others continue into early adulthood. Some will go around with a pillow case for a bag and a t-shirt that reads, “This is my costume.”

In Upper Deerfield Township in Cumberland County, there's a suggested age limit of 12 years old, according to Township Administrator Roy Spoltore. The age limit has been suggested for over 30 years, but there is no penalty or codified ordinance about the age limit, according to Spoltore.

While it's just a suggestion in Upper Deerfield Township, it is law elsewhere. The issue came into the spotlight after a USA Today report about Chesapeake, Virginia’s ordinance that says anyone caught trick-or-treating over the age of 12 – in that town – face fines of $25-$100 and up to six months in jail.

Last year, The Today Show ran a segment on the subject and asked viewers in a poll if there should be an age limit for trick-or-treating, with 66 percent of respondents saying there should be. (See video below).

A Today report also noted that such laws are rarely enforced, and violators usually get off with just a warning.

A poll run by Slate found that 40 percent of readers felt 12 should be the cutoff age for trick-or-treating.

Then again, we’re talking about a practice based on dressing up as evil spirits; is that something you ever really get too old for?

What do you think? Should there be an age limit for trick-or-treating, and if so, what should it be? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image via Shutterstock