State Policy Maps

Utah passed the first “Reasonable Childhood Independence” law in 2018. In 2020, Let Grow surveyed the non-criminal neglect laws that are enforced by child protection authorities, as well as the criminal codes of all of the states and the District of Columbia. Our goal was to determine which states allow parents to sometimes let their children be alone.

LG_LegislativeMaps 2022_JC CPS NLS_UPDATED

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States use a variety of names for the laws that authorize investigations and state action when unsupervised children are considered endangered. Since Utah, another seven states have passed “Reasonable Childhood Independence” laws: Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Illinois and Montana.

LG_LegislativeMaps 2022_CriminalLawSurvey_UPDATED

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Criminal & Neglect Laws For Each State

Alabama

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Alabama

Alaska

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Alaska

Arizona

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Arizona

Arkansas

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Arkansas

California

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in California

Colorado**

In 2022, Colorado became the fourth state to pass protections for childhood

Connecticut

Connecticut passed a Reasonable Independence for Children Law in 2023

Delaware

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Delaware

Florida

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Florida

Georgia

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Georgia

Hawaii

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Hawaii

Idaho

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Idaho

Illinois

Illinois amends its juvenile court law to clarify that independent activities are not neglect

Indiana

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Indiana

Iowa

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Iowa

Kansas

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Kansas

Kentucky

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Kentucky

Louisiana

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Louisiana

Maine

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Maine

Maryland

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Maryland

Massachusetts

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Massachusetts

Michigan

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Michigan

Minnesota

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Minnesota

Mississippi

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Mississippi

Missouri

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Missouri

Montana

In 2023, Montana became the eighth state to pass a Reasonable Childhood Independence law

Nebraska

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Nebraska

Nevada

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Nevada

New Hampshire

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in New Hampshire

New Jersey

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in New Jersey

New Mexico

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in New Mexico

New York

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in New York

North Carolina

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in North Carolina

North Dakota

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in North Dakota

Ohio

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Ohio

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Is the Second State to Pass an Independence for Children Law

Oregon

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Oregon

Pennsylvania

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Rhode Island

South Carolina

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in South Carolina

South Dakota

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in South Dakota

Tennessee

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Tennessee

Texas**

Texas Is the Third State to Adopt Explicit Protections for Children’s Independence

Utah**

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Utah

Vermont

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Vermont

Virginia**

In 2023, Virginia Passed Strong Protections for Childhood Independence to Date

Washington

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Washington

Washington D.C.

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Washington D.C.

West Virginia

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in West Virginia

Wisconsin

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Wisconsin

Wyoming

Read about the policies, criminal & neglect laws, and regulations in Wyoming