You probably like to think of yourself as a law-abiding citizen. Who doesn`t? . But what if there are laws you don`t even know you`re breaking? New York has thousands of laws in its books that are no longer enforced, but are still laws. Then there are the other laws. These are often outdated, absurd and seem to have been introduced due to a single incident that probably dates back centuries. They were ratified anyway, and often most people even forget that they exist. We did some research and found an article from Money Inc. that broke down some of these bizarre laws that are still in effect in the great state of New York. We looked at some of the most memorable, including laws on how to hold a hose in your lawn, how not to treat pigeons, and much, much more. In fact, it may not be such a bad idea. New Yorkers are required by law to obtain a license from the state stating that they can hang their laundry on a clothesline to dry. Not many people really care about this law, but it`s a good idea. I`m sure your neighbors would be happier to see your underwear on the clothesline if they were allowed, right? You know the ones I`m talking about: laws prohibiting murder, drunk driving, parking in front of fire hydrants and so on are prudent and help maintain order in society.
When someone breaks any of these laws, the usual reaction is, “Really?” It`s not even illegal in New York to go topless in public as a woman unless you`re doing it for commercial purposes. The law states that it is not legal to promote any type of business in public while being topless. We assume this is a great way to eliminate things like prostitution, but maybe it would be another great way not to allow topless women in public. But you know, the law is the law. We all understand a lot of basic laws that we need to follow to make our community a safe place, but on the other hand, there are some pretty strange and unique laws that we have to follow, as well as some pretty strange street names while driving. Here in upstate New York, there are strange, crazy, ridiculous laws that some people probably break all the time. If I look at some of them, I have certainly broken at least two or three. While this is a list of crazy/strange laws, it`s another law that doesn`t stray out of line. The number “25” seems very accurate, but this amount of balloons could seriously harm wildlife and certainly counts as garbage. The law states: “No person shall knowingly throw a ball or intentionally throw it outside. For the purposes of this section, “balloon” means a flexible, non-porous bag made of materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene or nylon containing helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, air or water. It is recommended that you reconsider the idea of gender disclosure party before you end up with a hefty fine! You have to go back a long way, when certain laws were included in the books to understand why they are laws in the first place.
New York State was a very different place 100 or 200 years ago and some laws fall through the cracks – meaning they`re not enforced and/or they`re so ridiculous they just aren`t. I`m sure a lot of people have heard of laws they can`t believe are in the books or ever have been. Thanks for reading our list of New York`s strange laws. As strange as it may seem, the habit of making a law and removing it from books when it is no longer relevant is a difficult cookie to manipulate. No matter how stupid one of these laws is, there may have been a good reason to make them. However, times are changing and many laws are becoming obsolete. Here is another piece of legislation that we think is worthwhile. It was enacted more than a century and a half ago and states that masks cannot be worn at public gatherings. With all the protesters and the problems people face when others are allowed to cover their faces, it makes sense to us that wearing a mask in public would be considered illegal. Do you know of any other strange or unique laws in Long Island and New York? Let us know and we`ll add them to this page! I wonder when someone was last convicted of breaking one of these laws? If so, I would like to talk to them.
Living on Long Island is not only a privilege, but the people of Long Island must follow the rules if they want to enjoy our island. We are of course part of New York State, so there are a lot of laws to follow. So, if you think your last ticket was unfair and unjustified, check out some unknown laws you can get a ticket for or stop in New York State.