# Where do you complain about ToTing hours?



## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

So, here I am, getting all set up for Halloween. The Trick or Treating hours have always been 6-8. However, my husband comes in and informs me that the hours this year are from 5-7. Now, since daylight savings was pushed from the middle of October to the wee hours of November 1st, it was BROAD DAYLIGHT until after 6pm. I was so angry. Trick or treating in they daytime? Really? At least make it 5-8 so that the older kids can enjoy the hours I put into the display. 

So, by 6:30, it was finally pitch black, and it looked pretty good. However, ToTing was ending, so it sucked. 

Fortunately, a lot of people didn't know about it, and actually continued to come for candy until 8. It really sucked. 

Anyway, I want to complain, but who do I complain to?


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

IMO there is really nothing anyone can do to enforce TOT hours. Cities set certain hours as guidelines but if kids are out past the end time (within reason) they can't force them to stop. My sense is that you could call your City Councilman and express concern. Sometimes a petition works but you'd have to get a lot of people on board and there really aren't that many that would care.
We had on municipality that had hours from 2-4! 6-8 is bad enough and where we are it didn't get fully dark until about 6:45.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

I had so many people complain about the hours. I might write a letter to the editor, but I don't think most people care enough to sign a petition.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I'd go with writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.

Aside from the effect of daylight on a haunt, there are two issues here that affect even the non-haunters:

1) For the retired and elderly, dinner is often planned for earlier evening hours. This is what annoys my mom with the 5:00 TOT time where she lives. She and my dad are both in their 80s. Dad takes medications at specific times of the day and dinnertime is one of those. She's all for handing out candy, but she pretty much has to leave the porch light off because she can't rearrange dinner to suit the city council's decision as to when people should be out for Halloween.

2) For working parents with a typical day job, it's close to a guarantee that you are not going to be home at 5:00PM, and you may be lucky to get home by 6:00PM. That means you aren't around when the early TOTs arrive, and you won't have much time to get your own kids ready to go out.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

I believe I remember reading something about a local ordinance passed someplace in IL this year which not only enforces the hours but the the age limits to ToTing as well. Apparently a bunch of whiny grannies complained about their safety and strangers wearing masks at their doors at a past 7pm. Think there's a thread here on it.

The days of old school ToTing are waning in lieu of over-protective parents and frightened elders.


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## GPSaxophone (Sep 6, 2007)

There are official hours for TOTing? What has this world come to?

/Glad I don't live in an area like that. Most kids arrived between 6 and 8:30 with only a few outside of that time. I handed out full-size candy bars to the teenagers who dressed up, and even some costumed parents. You can't put an age limit on having fun.


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## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

Maybe call your town council or mayor.

Our township always has TOT on Halloween regardless of the day, and the hours are sundown until......well until the kids stop wandering around.


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## Spartan005 (Mar 13, 2007)

the tot's i got came between 2:00 and 5:00. absolutely no one showed up after that


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

We seem to have the same type issue around. People started dissipating pretty early. I didn't know there were official ToT hours. What a joke. We had a few cars and vans drive by the haunt later in the evening and pause at the street. I came out front and waved them out.

I think if you want to influence the city...you ought to start with their pocket books. Explain to the merchants that you and your neighbors are buying less and less food, candy, and supplies because of the short hours. If they want to make more money...they need to stop posting hours.

Hey...it's Halloween. This isn't a night for sissies.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

This hours enforcement thing is just weird. I know of no such thing around these parts. Periodically I'd leave the haunt and go up into the street to attract attention and there were plenty of kids ToTing at night. As far as going out when it's still light, I remember some of the little ones doing that as far back as I can remember. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, there were kids ToTing in the light in the original _Halloween_.


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

If the tot'ing hours in your town are just guideline hours, then a letter to the editor in local paper is a good idea. If for some absurd reason it is an actual city ordinance, then the city council is who you need to talk to. Thank goodness no such ludicrous thing exists in my town.

Unfortunatly some towns to have actual ordinances about the tot'ing hours. If it turns out that your city's tot'ing hours are under an ordinance, I would go to city hall, get a copy of said ordinance and also a copy of the minutes of the meeting when it was passed. Then you can see by name which council members voted for and which voted against. Then remember those names next time you go cast your vote for city council members.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

I don't think it is an ordinance because they change whenever it suits them. It is usually 6-8, but I assume since it was on a Saturday, they changed it to 5-7. Now, since daylight savings is pushed back so far, it was bright as day!


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

That would really suck being a kid who has been looking forward to going to "the scary house" and even though you save it for the last stop of the night, it is still daylight out because of city guideline hours and daylight savings time being pushed back.
Pretty fortunate here in MN, it's dark about 6:00


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## HauntedHacienda (Sep 16, 2008)

Our TOT Hours are 5:00 p.m. to about 9:30 p.m. That is when it all pretty well dissipates for us.
We like to keep going until 10:00 p.m. for stragglers.
No one here complains. Everyone loves it.


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## RavensHollow (Nov 3, 2009)

I am so glad that our city doesn't have any ToT hours. I never even knew such a thing existed! My heartfelt sympathy goes out to any haunter who have to deal with that. Our neighborhood is busy from around 6 to 9:30. We have all age groups and thankfully no sour apples.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

It isn't a state issue...each city would have its own rules. You may want to check to see if it is an actual ordinance or just a strong suggestion in your town.
Baton Rouge has a ToT guideline but it isn't official.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

The HOA sets TOT hours every year for our housing development, and they're pretty much ignored.


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## Eeeekim (Aug 14, 2009)

I have never read anything in our paper about official treating times. But I would like to make a request that no treats be handed out before dusk. It losses something when kids are at my door in broad daylight. It's 4:00 pm and I was still putting the finish touches on the yard and a family comes up looking for candy. I gave it to the kids (7-9 yrs old not babies) it's not their fault that their parents are goofy. BUT COME ON PEOPLE! dark, spooky = halloween
We also have an issue of kids taking way more than a few candies from unattended bowls. Last year I left the bowl sitting on the porch to go grab a slice of pizza and a beer and when I come back out a bunch of older boys are snatching all they can and the mom is on the side walk telling them to take it all. what the hell?


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

nope.... can't go to the bathroom because the bowl will be emptied by the next kid.

It is amazing to me that they can't figure out that you might have gone into the house for water or something. "helloooooo, helloooooo...there isn't anybody here" (bowl gets ravaged).

Teens did that to me last year. I caught the last in the group and scared the crap out of them.

I had a couple kids this year who couldn't wait and started going to the neighbor's houses before dark. Most everybody else waited until dusk. I always thought it was fun to go out after sundown. I was about finished when the kid across the street came over. Her Dad told me she was pestering him so much he gave in.


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

fick209 said:


> If the tot'ing hours in your town are just guideline hours, then a letter to the editor in local paper is a good idea. If for some absurd reason it is an actual city ordinance, then the city council is who you need to talk to. Thank goodness no such ludicrous thing exists in my town.
> 
> Unfortunatly some towns to have actual ordinances about the tot'ing hours. If it turns out that your city's tot'ing hours are under an ordinance, I would go to city hall, get a copy of said ordinance and also a copy of the minutes of the meeting when it was passed. Then you can see by name which council members voted for and which voted against. Then remember those names next time you go cast your vote for city council members.


I've read about some of those ordinances - I still don't see how they're supposed to work. What do you do - throw the TOT's in jail? Do you pay a fine for going out to have fun? Makes no sense to me.

I agree with the others here - a letter to the local paper is good idea. And perhaps attending a city council meeting would be in order, as well. Silly rules like those are usually passed without any debate and you don't find out about them until they're on the books. Believe me, if my city tried to pull that BS I'd be knocking on the doors of the council members.


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## Anitafacelift (Jul 22, 2009)

There are hours of trick or treating?? In the U.S? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Never knew that even existed! Bet the bars were open till 2 though,..pfffft,.whatever. >:/
I'd be p*ssed. Sorry your Halloween was ruined,.sigh.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

Just found this about my town. So angry. Never heard a word about it.

http://ci.champaign.il.us/news/general-news/trick-or-treat-hours/


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## Devils Chariot (May 23, 2007)

well it s sounds like it is just guide lines or a strong suggestion. I didn't see any ordinances listed. it doesn't appear to be a law type thing. Maybe you should ask them for clarification, what the ordinance? whats the penalty? Is this all just BS?


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## The Creepster (Sep 18, 2009)

Hours of operation for a Holiday LOL......Sweet


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## propmistress1 (Nov 7, 2009)

My husband and I had tots from 4 pm until after 10pm

We were still setting up when the first kids arrived. 

And we were taking down our display when we got our last kid.


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

Johnny Thunder said:


> Maybe call your town council or mayor.
> 
> Our township always has TOT on Halloween regardless of the day, and the hours are sundown until......well until the kids stop wandering around.


This has always been the way here also. A few young ones show up right before total dark, but usually because the parents had somewhere else to go after. And the older kids come as late as 9:30ish if my yard is still lit up and we are outside.


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

I'm not sure what the time restrictions are for Halloween, but all I know is I was getting kids at 1pm. I didn't even have my costume on and my motion sensor for my props wasn't on. I'm glad my daughters friend's were around to help hand out the candy while I got my costume together. I find anytime it is on a weekend the kids come really early. Since it falls on a Sunday next year I will have to be prepared and have my costume on at noon. Although the kids came so early I'm glad they had the chance to go trick or treating before the rain came around 7pm. So my display was pretty much shot for lighting, but that was because of weather and not stupid rules.


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

Toting in my area generally starts at dusk and continues until 8:30ish, with stragglers till around 9:00. No age limits either, my 16yr old went toting, as did many of her classmates, I gave candy to parents too. We did get some early tots starting about 4:00, most of them drove up, so I think they just stopped here before other Halloween plans. I was running around helping my kids with their costumes, getting the haunt turned on, setting up party stuff, so I ws a bit harried when tots started arriving.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

I remember when I was a kid, we'd hit the streets at dusk and stay out as late as there were porch lights on, often until after 10 pm. There were no set hours, and almost every house gave out treats. We'd sometimes go home and unload our sacks then head back out for more, and we'd cover a lot of territory on foot. Never got driven around. With less people giving out candy, kids need rides to neighborhoods where Halloween is actually celebrated. I can almost see a reason to set hours, but 8 p.m. is too early for a cut off. As an adult, I don't think I'd want to be going to the door every ten minutes for 4 hours, but limiting TOT to 2 hours or having it in the daytime is wrong, IMO.


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## HauntCast (Jul 25, 2008)

There has never been a set time for ToTing in my area. Kids always start at dusk and go til 8:30-9pm. If I lived in an area where they made kids go in daylight I would have to seriously think about going pro.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

Well this is depressing. I had no idea TOTing hours were not universal. I mean, I thought each town just set their own.


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## Evil Andrew (Nov 6, 2009)

Like some of the others I'm shocked that something like this exists. I think if I lived someplace where this was actually an ordinance, I make sure each council member got a flaming bag of dog poop on thier door step each Halloween - at midnight !


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## DTRobers (Sep 2, 2016)

I realize that this is a very old thread but wanted to sound off on this topic. In our city (Kenosha, WI) from the early 90s until 2 years ago the official TOT hours were from 1 to 4 on the Sunday afternoon before Halloween. That's right - if the 31st was on a Friday we celebrated on Oct. 26th!

The official justification was that it was more convenient for families with 2 working parents and safer for the TOTers due to better visibility and less traffic. This period also saw a lot of the later-debunked press about treat tampering and satanic cult activity so I suspect that also played into the decision. Hence my daughters, born in 1985 and 1989 never had the old-fashioned Halloween that I enjoyed in my youth.

Happily the City Counsel amended the TOT hours two years ago so that trick-or treating is now officially from 4 to 8 on the 31st.

Interestingly, one of the previous posters suggested soliciting the support of retail establishments whose sales are negatively impacted by curtailed TOT activity. When I would bring up the topic I was told that TOT hours had minimal economic impact because most of the money is spent on adult accessories, bevereges, and party food. Also most of the stores were happy to get a 5 or 6 day headstart on shelving Christmas merchandise!


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## Longmont Haunt (Jul 26, 2016)

This thread simply makes me sad! I've never heard of TOT hours, and to think of a kiddo missing out on TOTing on the actual night is just plain wrong! That calls for civil disobedience, in my opinion.

Anyway, FWIW, I try to encourage early TOTing for my kiddos (7, 4 and 2 this year) for three reasons: (1) so they're safer and more visible (and warmer if it's a cold or snowy year); (2) they're slow (a 2 yo's legs can only pump so fast, even with loads of sugar); and (3) so we can make it home to pass out candy to the others. This year, I'll be cutting out even earlier to make it home to pass out candy, but my point is that we go whenever we feel is best, official hours be damned! IMHO, Halloween (and Nov. 1) should be days off for everyone, so kids (old and young) can TOT from like noon to midnight! Okay, maybe that's a bit of overkill, but you get my point, my friends: TOT hours are ludicrous!

[End rant.]


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

LOL, Longmont, if anyone showed up at our house at noon looking for candy, I'd tell them to come back after the sun goes down We're just getting into yard set up that early in the day on Halloween. And by 9:30PM, we're tearing down 'cause it takes a while and we're bone tired by then:jol:

Also interesting that you mention it being wrong to have Halloween on any day other than the 31st. You'll find old threads here where people argued for having the date set to the last Saturday in October so they would get bigger crowds and have more time for set up since they would already be off work that day. Aside from the fact that Spooky1 and I, like you, are purists and believe Halloween should never be moved from 10/31, our experience has been that the number of visitors we get on the weekend are about the same or even less than the number we get during the week.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, our HOA usually sends out an email to anyone on the email list stating what the ToT hours are for the neighborhood on Halloween - I think 6-8:30PM is typical - but it's not law by any stretch of the imagination. Most of our TotTers show up within that time frame.


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## DTRobers (Sep 2, 2016)

To be clear, I do not believe that the hours for TOT set by the city are law in the sense of a punishable action. The effect of setting a city-wide time is that people are prepared to give out candy (or activate yard haunts) during those hours. You could TOT outside of those hours but you would find a lot of dark houses and cranky homeowners.

And the suggestion that you and your neighbors take matters into your own hands is, I think, a good one. 4 or 5 years ago several families in our subdivision put out a flyer to all residents suggesting an old-fashioned Halloween after dark on Oct. 31. Those that wanted to participate just left their porch lights burning. It was a success and we would probably still do it if the city had not revised their policy


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## Plastic Ninja (Sep 30, 2010)

I just find it funny that your town moved Halloween TO Sunday. The last time Halloween landed on Sunday, everyone here decided that we couldn't do it on church day and moved it to the 30th. 

Personally I don't really care either way, so long as I get to do my thing. One day is as good as the next for me.


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## Longmont Haunt (Jul 26, 2016)

Wow, who knew there was such variety around the country? Not I, for sure. My experience was always going out on Halloween night, around dusk, and going for a few hours. As I got older, it was more about handing out candy and watching scary movies, but it was the same deal: dusk until about 9 or 10. And always on Halloween night itself.

Anyway, I think you guys are absolutely right that it's not necessarily a law, but more a guideline. Frankly, I think there would be some First Amendment issues with it being a law, but that's another argument for another forum. :lolkin:

Anyway, if I might use this opportunity to further rant about something similar: why in the world do TV networks air Halloween episodes in November?! Growing up, it was always a big deal to watch the Simpsons Halloween show, and others, but then, for no apparent reason (beyond their own profit), they started showing things the week after Halloween! :finger: The mere thought still catches in my craw. :madvil:

Okay, time to return to a happier, hauntier place! Cheers all!


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