There are Wizarding Laws that young Witches and Wizards must be aware of and adhere to at all times. Failure to abide by the law can result in punishment up to and including forfeiture of one's wand or even imprisonment within Azkaban.

Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery - Est.1875 : This Decree imposes restrictions to the use of magic by Witches and Wizards who are under the age of 17. Specifically, for anyone who is underage, the use of magic outside areas such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and other areas designated as Exception Zones is strictly prohibited! The intentional use of magic by an underage Witch or Wizard in the presence of a Muggle is expressly prohibited unless there are exceptional circumstances, including situations in which the life of the Witch or Wizard, or of other Witches, Wizards and Muggles are at risk.

The International Statute of Secrecy - Est. 1689 : Magical-Muggle relations had been growing steadily worse since the beginning of the dark ages, culminating in the international decision to fully separate the Muggle World and the Wizarding World in 1689. The statute was signed that year into law but not officially established by all international magical communities until 1692. There is some debate in the wizarding community about the true establishment of this Statute, but it was first set up on a permanent basis (established) in 1689 and adopted by several communities that year. It simply took a further three years for all communities to recognize it.

While some protested this new law, most accepted that the danger that Muggles posed to Magical Beings and that Magical Beings posed to Muggles warranted this change. The Statute makes each magical government responsible for hiding all evidence of magical activity as well as the magical flora and fauna (plants and animals) within their jurisdictions. The text A History of Magic explains it best:

"Upon the signature of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards went into hiding for good. It was natural, perhaps, that they formed their own small communities within a community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, who banded together for mutual support and protection. The villages of Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, and Ottery St. Catchpole on the south coast of England were notable homes to knots of Wizarding families who lived alongside tolerant and sometimes Confunded Muggles. Most celebrated of these half-magical dwelling places is, perhaps, Godric's Hollow, the West Country village where the great wizard Godric Gryffindor was born, and where Bowman Wright, Wizarding smith, forged the first Golden Snitch. The graveyard is full of the names of ancient magical families, and this accounts, no doubt, for the stories of hauntings that have dogged the little church beside it for many centuries."

-Bathilda Bagshot, A History of Magic