What Age Can Your Child Legally Be left Home Alone in New Jersey?

Before you leave your child home alone, keep this in mind.

We do several innocent things not knowing whether or not they're against the law.  Take eating and driving for example, or driving with your shoes off.  The above circumstances usually just involve ourselves, but what about situations that involve children?

There's been a point in all parents' lives where they just wanted to go run a quick errand without having to battle their child to accompany them.  I remember my mom dreading having the "turn off your video games, it's time to go to the store" talk with my brother when he was younger.

We've all been in the kids' positions too.  There's nothing worse than being brought somewhere you'd rather not be.  Especially when Mom or Dad can take forever running the errand (although trust me, they probably don't want to be there either).

I don't recall what age my Mom trusted me to be home alone, and I know my grandparents lived in an apartment in our house when I was younger, so I don't know if I was truly alone all that much.  I do remember she had conversations with me about what not to do: "don't answer the door, don't pick up the phone for any numbers you may not recognize, don't touch the stove," etc.

So when is the appropriate age to leave your child home, and more importantly, at what age can they legally be left alone in the state of New Jersey?

Is there a minimum age in New Jersey for children to be left home alone?

According to Williams Law Group, there is no specific age that determines when a child can be left home alone in New Jersey.  However, they go on to say that the parent is responsible for anything that goes wrong while they're gone.  That's a pretty big risk to factor in when deciding if your child can handle being alone.

If you think your child is mature enough to handle being home alone, make sure you cover all safety rules with them beforehand!