Is it illegal in USA to live without conventional electricity if you have childr

1. 92

   peeplesposted 9 years ago

   Is it illegal in USA to live without conventional electricity if you have children?
   
   While debating on if living without our conventional electricity provider is best, I found many stories where parents were arrested for neglect because of a lack of electricity. I am trying to figure out if there is an actual law, or if they are being arrested due to letting living conditions become poor. Anyone have any idea if there are actual laws now saying parents must have electricity?

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2. 78

   chuckandus6posted 9 years ago

   It is not illegal to no have electricity hooked up because you will find Amish families living through the u.s. who do not use electricity. It would be very hard to keep and maintain a normal household without electricity, nearly impossibly as far as my point of View.

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      peeplesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure we fit a normal household. lol, As long as we had a fridge, stove, and modem hooked into a generator we could live very happy. I wonder if the amish get religious exception?

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      chuckandus6posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure that is an interesting point.

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   SmartAndFunposted 9 years ago

   I am not a lawyer so I don't know for sure, but my feeling is this is going to vary from state to state or possibly even from town to town or county to county.
   
   I think in places where there is no statute specifically addressing electricity, it is going to be up to the opinions of police officers, judges, caseworkers, etc. to assess whether or not the living conditions are dangerous, deplorable or neglectful. I think it would be one of those things that they would look at on a case-by-case basis. If your home is clean, has food and running water, and the kids are able to bathe, do their homework, have clean clothes, are warm in the winter, etc., then that would be a much different situation than a home that is a squalor, dirty, without food or a way to prepare food, or a way to bathe or stay warm.
   
   You have the generator, so it's not like you are completely without electricity. You can prepare food, bathe, stay warm, etc. If your kids are safe and well cared for, I don't know what the rub would be. But again, I'm not a lawyer and laws differ from place to place. Hopefully, local authorities could give you a more definite answer.

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      peeplesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      We haven't made the decision yet, and local government offices don't seem to know an answer either. So I am thinking it would likely be a case by case issue. Thanks!

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4. 87

   tamarawilhiteposted 8 years ago

   If you have power from solar cells or a local small hydro dam, no, you won't get punished if there is light, heat and refrigeration in the home.
   
   If you are living without electricity, you better be Amish or prove that you're fighting to get the power turned back on AND have ways to keep the kids clean and fed in the interim.

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