Halloween is a holiday that has been celebrated by kids and adults for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, some jurisdictions in the United States have laws that limit specific aspects of the celebration. Fortunately in Nevada, no such crazy laws exist to prohibit trick-or-treating. In fact, there are many great ways to celebrate Halloween in Nevada including the following events:

 Las Vegas Events for Halloween 2019

• Mandalay Bay: The Shark Reef aquarium welcomes guests into their dark and eerie Haunted Shark Reef.
• Freakling Bros. Trilogy of Terror: If you can handle three scary haunted attractions in one night, try Freaking Bros. Trilogy of Terror in the west valley on select dates September 26-October 31. After signing a consent form and deciding how much fear you can handle, you’ll make your way through three terrifying interactive haunted houses, including the R-rated Gates of Hell.
• Fear The Walking Dead Survival: This walk-through horror attraction is like an escape room, maze, video game, haunted house and motion simulator all in one. Inspired by AMC’s The Walking Dead, this wild ride has enough freaks to rival the cast of characters outside on the Fremont Street Experience.
• Springs Preserve Haunted Harvest: Share the holiday spirit with the entire family at Springs Preserve with carnival games, live entertainment and a petting zoo among the Halloween activities. The Haunted Harvest is accessible for tricksters of all ages. This year’s 2019 edition runs Oct. 11-13, 18-20, 25-27, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

 HallOVeen at Opportunity Village: Ghosts and goblins of all ages are welcome to hop aboard a mini coaster, enchanted carousel and other rides at the family-friendly Magical Forest. Enjoy carnival-style snacks and take part in a round of mini golf. HallOVeen runs October 11-13, 18-31.

Please watch for our upcoming blog for safety tips to stay safe and have a great time this Halloween.

Even though Henderson does not have restrictive Halloween laws, may cities have crazy Halloween laws.  One city even has a ban on silly string! There are some places that even outlaw trick-or-treating on Sundays! There are some bizarre laws throughout the United States and even the world which allegedly try to “protect the public”. Unfortunately, they do put a damper on the holiday spirit. The following are some of the more humorous or interesting laws that can be found governing the holiday:

TOP TEN WEIRD HALLOWEEN LAWS

• No masks for the grownups in Illinois. The small town of Belleville, Illinois has many regulations regarding trick-or-treating including a ban on masks for any person over the age of 12. They also have laws limiting trick-or-treating to children in the eighth grade and under. Sadly, that would’ve put a real damper on our teenage fun. Which, by the way, teenagers are still considered children under the law. They also have a law that trick-or-treating can only go on between 5:00 PM and 8:30 PM. In addition, they actually have a legal definition for trick-or-treating which states “Halloween solicitation shall mean seeking or obtaining gifts, food, candy or contributions of money, as is customarily and commonly known as trick or treat in the celebration of Halloween day.“ Interesting that the state legislature actually sat and wrote down laws and voted on them for Halloween.  Maybe they did not have educational issues, economic woes, environmental hazards, or criminal regulations to address that year.2) No masks for anyone in Walnut, California, either. In Walnut, California, the law states that “no one of any age is allowed to wear a mask or disguise on a public street without a permit on this from the sheriff – on Halloween or for the other 364 days a year.“ That is very sad; it appears that most costumes are outlawed in the city of Walnut, California. This law was apparently passed to reduce illegal incidents during Halloween. People are required to obtain a permit to wear a mask on Halloween.  So I guess if you’re really wanted to wear that mask, head to the police station for a permit! Seriously.  Talk about bureaucracy.

http://qcode.us/codes/walnut/view.php?topic=3-3_48-3_48_200&frames=on

3) No nuns allowed in Alabama. Yes that is real. They have an ordinance in Alabama that states it is illegal to dress up as a “minister of any religion, or nun, priest, rabbi or other member of the clergy.” This law is effective on Halloween or any other day. Seems like an infringement on your first amendment rights, however, apparently the law has not been challenged at this time. It is actually a criminal statute which is punished with a fine of up to $500 and/or a stint in the county jail for up to a year.  It appears they have very little sense of Halloween spirit in Alabama.

https://codes.findlaw.com/al/title-13a-criminal-code/al-code-sect-13a-14-4.html

4) No clowns allowed. The town of Vendargues, France has banned people from wearing clown costumes on Halloween for the entire month of November for anyone who is over the age of 13. If people wish to dress up as clowns for “fairs or other public festivities, during the ban,” they are required to get a special permit from the authorities. I guess they are quite afraid of clowns in France.

https://www.france24.com/en/20141031-french-town-bans-clown-costumes-after-terror-wave-halloween-vendargues

5) No Halloween at all! Some countries have extreme rules regarding Halloween. In Jordan, all public celebrations are banned for Halloween as of 2014. In fact the United States Embassy actually advises any United States citizens living in Jordan to “expect police reaction, including arrests at any public Halloween themed event. “ The United States Embassy went on to advice US citizens traveling from their home to a Halloween party to cover their costumes while in public or even in the car.  They are serious about not allowing Halloween in Jordan.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/why-has-jordan-banned-halloween/382207/

6) No silly string!  In Hollywood.   That’s right! In the land that one would consider the most entertainment and festival focused city, the city of Hollywood, California says it is against the law to “possess, use, sell or distribute silly string“ in public from 12:01 AM on October 31 to noon on November 1.  Violating this law can cost you $1000. They are serious about silly string in Hollywood.

http://www.lapdonline.org/october_2004/news_view/20641

7) No Teen Trick or Treating. Some jurisdictions really dampen the fun for the older kids. In Newport News, Virginia trick-or-treating for those over the age of 12 is sadly prohibited. And even if you are the legal age to trick-or-treat you cannot do so after 8 PM. There is a fine of up to $250 and punishment of a class four misdemeanor for violating these ordinances.  Talk about party poopers.  This is one of the harshest statutes I came across.   Gone are the days of endless trick-or-treating for the teens after the little kids have gone to bed in Newport News, Virginia

8) No Go on Sunday! Perhaps one of the saddest statutes is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where trick-or-treating is prohibited on Sundays. Sadly, if trick or treat night falls on a Sunday, Halloween is moved to October 30 for trick-or-treating between 6 and 8 PM. Many children will miss out on Sunday Halloween’s in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  Hopefully it is a small town and kids can go to their friend’s house outside the city to trick-or-treat on the traditional day.

9)  Not too Late! On a happy Halloween note, Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada recently  enacted a law allowing children to trick-or-treat up to the age of 16 and extending the curfew to 8 PM. However, violating the curfew could cost you about $200 in fines.

10) No Sunglasses!  In Dublin, Georgia, it is illegal to go out in public wearing a mask, sunglasses or any other type of accessory that covers your face. Seriously? This law was put in place allegedly to reduce mischief on Halloween. I think it just reduces the fun. If you live in Dublin, Georgia, again hopefully you can go to your neighbors nearby and trick-or-treat in a less restrictive venue.

Fortunately in Nevada, no such crazy laws exist to prohibit trick-or-treating. Please watch for our upcoming blog for safety tips to stay safe and have a great time this Halloween.

As your family heads out for a fun Halloween of trick or treating, The Law Offices of Laura Payne Hunt wishes you a safe and fun holiday.   Please keep your children safe by staying with them and watching for traffic.  If you must be out on the roadway, please drive with extreme caution and watch for children, parents and pets out on the streets taking part in traditional Halloween fun.  This is all our community here in Henderson, Nevada and we would like to see a safe and fun Holiday for everyone.

If you or a loved one is ever in any type of accident and have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our offices today.  At my office, we are experienced in helping injured victims get the compensation they are entitled to.  Insurance companies never have the best interest of the injured person at the top of their priorities.  They want to pay as little on every claim as possible.  Having worked for an insurance company as an attorney for 9 years before opening my boutique law firm specializing in helping injured people, I reviewed thousands of auto accident claims and policy provisions.

At the Law Offices of Laura Payne Hunt we are here to help you and your family in the event that accidents and tragedies occur. For any of your legal needs, do not hesitate to contact our offices.  The Law Offices of Laura Payne Hunt is a boutique, family owned law firm in Henderson that specializes in helping injured people and the community with legal issues involving auto accidents, wrongful deaths, slip and falls, truck accidents, injuries to children, bicycle accidents, dog bites, and all types of injury claims.  Please do not hesitate to call us anytime you have a legal question or you or a loved one has sustained an injury at 702-450-(HUNT) 4868 and text 24/7 at 702-600-0032.

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