Dig into any local code and you\u2019ll inevitably find something quirky.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve got weirdly specific rules, like Los Angeles County\u2019s law barring rollerblading at Compton\u2019s courthouse and library<\/a> for example, but there are also old ones on the books that don\u2019t make much sense.<\/p>\n One of those is the city of L.A.\u2019s prohibition of playing sports with a ball in the park (yes, you read that right) and other areas. The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to start the repeal process, but it\u2019s got us wondering\u2026 why is that even a thing?<\/p>\n What the law does<\/p>\n Under L.A. Municipal Code section 56.16<\/a> it\u2019s technically illegal to play catch or other sports on some city property, like on the sidewalk with your kids in front of your own house.<\/p>\n Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n The motion<\/a> comes from councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who says it\u2019s an \u201cuncommonly silly law.\u201d The code reads:<\/p>\n \u201cNo person shall play ball or any game of sport with a ball or football or throw, cast, shoot or discharge any stone, pellet, bullet, arrow or any other missile, in, over, across, along or upon any street or sidewalk or in any public park, except on those portions of said park set apart for such purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry, the repeal won\u2019t make the more serious parts legal. (The ones about bullets and arrows.) Those are covered in LAMC section 55.0<\/a> and 55.06<\/a>.<\/p>\n On paper, violating this strange law comes with a six-month stint in jail or a $1,000 fine, according to the motion, but it\u2019s largely been ignored.<\/p>\n \u201cLAPD records show maybe one or two tickets but it is fair to say it is not regularly enforced,\u201d said Jake Flynn, a spokesperson for Blumenfield.<\/p>\n To repeal the law, the City Council has to pass an ordinance removing it. That\u2019s what the city attorney will draft next.<\/p>\n Why is it there?<\/p>\n We don\u2019t know when 56.16 was added to the city\u2019s municipal code, but it\u2019s traceable to at least 1945<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not unusual for weird laws like this to stick around. Old codes aren\u2019t deleted often, according to Zev Yaroslavsky, a former county supervisor and director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n As for the reason it started? The original intent appears to be lost to time, according to Flynn.<\/p>\n It could\u2019ve been a way to keep the public right-of-way clear. The publication Van Nuys News printed the law in 1948<\/a> because they got complaints about children playing games in the street. \u201cRisk to life, limb and property is cited by most persons who make complaints,\u201d said the newspaper.<\/p>\n For the park rule, though, your best guess is as good as mine.<\/p>\n