What age can kids be left home alone in North Carolina? Laws, guidelines, more.

School is out for the summer in Western North Carolina, and many parents may be wondering if their child is ready to stay home alone — and whether the state agrees with their verdict.

In N.C., like many other states, laws around the issue aren't terribly specific. While there are a few hard and fast rules including some age specifics, the decision of whether it's appropriate to leave a child home alone is too personal and varied to have much of a written metric.

Luckily for N.C. parents, however, the state offers plenty of guidance on how to make this decision. Here's what to know this summer .

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At what age can kids be left home alone in North Carolina?

According to N.C. Fire Code, which contains the only statewide age specifications, a child under the age of 8 cannot be left alone unsupervised. However, the individual maturity levels of children come into play more than the exact minimum age requirement.

Due to that last factor, it's still very much a possibility for parents to be charged with child endangerment or similar offenses for leaving children home alone before they're ready. To help determine whether a child is ready for "self-care" the N.C. Pediatric Society created a decision-making guide.

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How do you know what age you can leave your kid home alone?

The N.C. Pediatric Society guide asks parents a wide variety of questions on maturity, communication skills and more to determine an individual child's readiness. Some questions included were:

• Does my child want to be home alone?
• Does my child follow directions? Exercise self-control?
• Can my child tell an emergency from a non-emergency?
• Is my child overly fearful?
• Does my child have a concept of time?
• Has my child been involved in behaviors of concern?
• Can my child think logically and is he/she able to problem solve?
• Does my child listen to and speak with other adults, such as the neighbors?
• Can my child say, “No” to an adult who may want to come into the house?

The guide also stressed the importance of teaching your child what to do in emergencies such as a fire, injury or bad weather. The full list of things a child should know before being left home alone includes:

• Important names and telephone numbers: A list of important numbers should be posted by the telephone, if you have one, or somewhere prominent, with a way for your child to reach you, as well as a nearby adult and 911.
• When you’ll be home.
• How to use a telephone: Children should practice how to make a call, answer a call and write a message.
• How to dial 911 in an emergency.
• How to enter and exit the house, keep track of keys and lock and unlock doors easily.
• What appliances are OK to use alone and how to use them.
• Where to go for help: Children home alone need an adult who lives or works nearby who can help in case of an emergency or lost key.

In 2019 Rolanda Mitchell, an education counselor at North Carolina State University, gave USA TODAY her metric for how parents might determine whether their child is ready.

“Parents should look for signs of responsibility when their children are with them before leaving them home alone. Are they able to follow directions without being told repeatedly? Do they only follow directions if you are there watching? If they only follow the rules when you’re watching, it’s unlikely that they will follow them when they are home alone,” Mitchell said. “School behavior can also be a good indicator because school is where children spend the most of their time without their parents watching. If they’re misbehaving or violating rules, they may do the same when they’re home alone.”

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What age can kids be left home alone in North Carolina? Laws, guidelines, more.