Virginia laws threaten jail for overage trick-or-treaters

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Halloween revelers in Virginia are being warned of the holiday's unusual rules -- including potential jail time for trick-or-treaters over the age of 12.

The city code in Chesapeake puts strict limits on trick-or-treating, including making it a misdemeanor for anyone over the age of 12 to don costumes and go door-to-door for candy.

The code lists the penalty for overage trick-or-treating as fines of up to $25-$100 and up to six months in jail.

The section of city code, ratified in 1970, also bans trick-or-treating after 8 p.m., with potential fines of $10-$100 and the possibility of up to 30 days in jail.

The city of Newport News also restricts trick-or-treating to children 12 and under, and adds that "no accompanying parent or guardian shall wear a mask of any type."

Historians said Halloween wasn't widely celebrated in New England for many years due to strict Protestant traditions, but the holiday eventually spread from other states and was a common celebration by the 1950s.