7 New York City’s Absurd Laws You’ll Have To Follow

Some strange laws are actually unbelievable.

In the Southeast of the United States Of America, New York is the world’s economic capital. It is the largest city both area and population-wise.

The city has good transport, an excellent geographical location and appreciable infrastructure. It is a dream city — a concrete jungle where dreams are made for most of us. Its streets make us feel brand new because of its cultural diversity and lights that inspire us.

New York is a city which served as the capital of the United States Of America for five years, from 1785 to 1790. It has a vibrant history and attracts millions of tourists every year.

However, things tend to get a bit uncanny regarding its laws, and some of New York’s laws will leave you flabbergasted. Keep on reading to learn more about New York City’s strange laws.

1. It is Legal To Be Topless In Public, But It’s Illegal Too

Women have been given many rights in recent years, and the taboo of women being topless was broken. A woman has the right to go topless in public if it pleases her and the majority of US states abide by this law.

But when it comes to New York, there are some grey areas regarding the law of breast exposure, which was ruled in 1992.

The law states breast exposure is allowed as long as it is not commercialized. It is legal for women in New York City to go topless in public, as long as they don’t sexualize it or do it for commercial reasons.

2. Ban On Buying Home Appliances On Sunday

Some of America’s blue laws are still upheld by some counties, and Bergen County is located just across the Hudson River.

It has been forbidden to buy any furniture, electronics, or clothing on Sundays in Bergen County since the 1950s.

Businesses that contain these items are prohibited from running by law, only restaurants, groceries, and some other entertainment venues.

People who made this law include many Bergen County residents, and they proclaim that the law has a purpose: to keep the traffic to the minimum on Sundays and give retail workers a day off so they can enjoy it too.

3. Carrying Ice Cream In Pocket On Sundays Isn’t Allowed

Well, if you are planning to have ice cream on a Sunday, then go on and enjoy that cold and delicious cone of ice cream.

But make sure you hold the cone in your hand or if you want to carry it someplace proper — whatever you do, don’t put it in your pocket because that would lead you straight to the jail. Who would actually put a cone in one’s pocket anyway?

Well, the story behind this law is somewhat vague, but it is worth mentioning, Someone, somewhere in New York City, was having a stroll with an ice cream in his pocket, which caused boundless mischief.

What kind of mischief? Well, that is still not known. This unknown act of mischief was enough for the authorities to legislate a law on this issue.

Some claim that ‘special sundaes’ are also a by-product of this law. The sole purpose of a sundae, back in the day, was to bypass this weird law of carrying ice cream. Interesting.

4. No Puppet Show From Your Window

For people who believe in sustainable entertainment, watching someone fiddling with puppets, just putting a sock on with some jokes or performing ballet from their window is a friendly and jolly way to pass the time and an excellent replacement for the idiot box.

But not if you live in New York, it is illegal to conduct a puppet show from your house’s window, and it doesn’t end here.

Any kind of entertainment performed from an open house window is illegal, and this could lead to some hefty fines.

5. Illegal To Operate Or Own A Pinball Machine

Pinball is a classic game every one of us has played at one time in our life. For some, it is nostalgia, and for others, it is a crown jewel of an arcade.

However, if you live in Beacon, New York, it will be a dream to see a pinball machine or an arcade.

Even the vintage pinball machines are banned, which were used in the 50s and 60s. If you are found operating or owning any, you could be jailed or fined.

This absurd law is not only limited to New York only. The game is prohibited in other major cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles.

The people who legislated this law believed playing pinball was a waste of time, and mafias ran arcades.

6. If You Find Any Money On The Streets, Don’t Keep More Than 10 USD From It

Don’t keep your hopes high on the off chance that you will find any money randomly lying on the streets. However, please don’t keep anything more than 10 USD for yourself if you do find any amount.

Anyone who finds more than 10 USD is legally required to deposit the found cash into the closest police station within the first ten days of finding it.

7. License To Use Clothes Line

People in New York City must get a license if they need to hang their clothes on the clotheslines.

This is one of the laws that is often overlooked by the authorities, but if it is not your day, this could lead to being heavily fined.

This is by far the most purposeful law out on the list, and the reason behind this law was to keep the outer picture of the city as clean as possible. It doesn’t matter how inconvenient it gets for the house owners.

Final words

No matter how absurd or strange these laws might seem, they still exist as a part of the New York Laws.

Over the years, the approach has changed towards some of abovementioned laws. Sometimes you might get overlooked but if it is your bad day then it can actually get worst!

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