What is the legal age a child can be left home alone in Indiana?
“There is, to my knowledge, no specific law governing that,” said Steuben County, Indiana Sheriff Rick Lewis. “I know some parents think it’s OK to leave children who are 10 years old home alone. I feel strongly that a 10-year-old child is not old enough to be left unsupervised.” There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. Georgia, Illiniois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with specific ages mentioned in their laws. 12 years of age appears to be the most common recommendation. http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm provides a state by state comparison with references. The above quote is taken from the Indiana reference. This site also provides one guideline from a California agency representative who suggests that 8 year olds and over can be left at home for up to several hours (usually after school before a parent gets home from work).
