Real estate is an exciting industry to be in, but whether you are a homeowner, landlord, or a tenant, there are challenges that you may encounter, especially when dealing with local regulations and laws. You might not have heard about one or all of them, but there are weird real estate laws that do exist in some states in the U.S., like the ones below.
1. No More Than 2 Toilets | Waldron Island, Washington
Waldron Island is located off the northwest of Orcas Island. This is part of the 172 islands that comprise the San Juan Archipelago that lies between Canada and Washington State. As part of the Waldron Subarea Plan, no structure is allowed to have more than two toilets.
The ban is in place to help limit development on the island. Waldron Island is inhabited by a small, private community of 104, so they would like to keep their community as peaceful and private as possible.
2. No Residential Fences Taller Than 6 Feet | Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, a residential fence taller than six feet is already considered a "spite fence"--a structure that has no legitimate purpose but was just purposely built to annoy or deprive a neighbor of his/her right such blocking off sunlight due to its excessive height.
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3. No Pointed Fences | Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton in Pennsylvania also has a law regarding fences. Homeowners are not allowed to erect a fence with barbed wire or a fence made of iron, wood, or any material with a sharp or pointed picket.
4. House Painting on a Sunday is Illegal | New Jersey
In Passaic, New Jersey, a house that needs to have a fresh lick of paint can have this home improvement task done any time except on a Sunday.
5. No Couches on Your Porch | Boulder, Colorado
That may be a lovely couch, but if you live in Boulder, Colorado, you can't place it on your porch. The law restricts the use, storing, or maintenance of any upholstered furniture for outdoor use, such as chairs, couches, and mattresses. That is unless the furniture is manufactured for outdoor use.
The law was intended to stop incidences of couches being set on fire, which has become a bad and dangerous habit among local college students.
6. Putting Dirt, Sand, Cement, Rock on Your Property is Illegal | Walnut, California
In Walnut, California, it is not allowed to place, deposit, or dump trash, dead animal, or rubbish on your property--which makes perfect sense. Apart from garbage and animal carcasses, property owners are restricted from placing cement, dirt, sand, and rock.
7. No Throwing of Snowballs | Aspen, Colorado
In Aspen, Colorado, it is illegal for any person to throw snowballs, stones, or any flying object at a private or public property, person, or vehicle.
8. No Burglar Bars Outside the Windows | Ridgeland, Mississippi
Exterior Security or burglar bars placed on windows and doors are not allowed in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Property owners may place burglar bars on the interior of the building. Security/burglar doors will also be allowed if they are placed on the interior part of an exterior door.
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