What Age Can You Legally Leave A Kid Home Alone In Minnesota?

Are there specific laws in Minnesota telling parents the minimum age when they are allowed to leave a kid home alone?

I remember living in northern Minnesota as a kid and making spending cash babysitting the neighbor kids.

I had no idea there were no laws regarding at what age you could babysit in Minnesota.

It turns out however that different counties in Minnesota do have some guidelines on the topic of babysitting and age.

Like Chisago County Minnesota...”Babysitting younger children is not permitted for children under the age of 11, and the caretaker must return on the same day.

Additionally, individuals under the age of 15 are restricted from babysitting younger children for more than 24 hours.”

The kids I babysat weren't that much younger than me at the time.

So are there laws in Minnesota about how old a kid has to be before a parent or guardian can leave them alone without someone watching them?

The funky part of this subject arises from the fact that similar to almost every other state in the U.S., Minnesota lacks a specific law addressing the exact age at which children can be left home alone.

But again there are guidelines in many Minnesota counties to consider when thinking of leaving a child home alone...

• Children 7 and under may not be left alone for any period of time.
• Children 8 to 10 may not be left alone for more than three hours.
• Children 11 to 13 may not be left alone for more than 12 hours.
• Children 14 to 15 may not be left alone for more than 24 hours.