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LA city has a ‘silly’ law that makes playing sports illegal. Lawmakers want to repeal it
Under the law as it currently stands, sports with a ball can only be played in parks where it's meant for that purpose, like a soccer field.
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Genaro Molina
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Dig into any local code and you’ll inevitably find something quirky.
We’ve got weirdly specific rules, like Los Angeles County’s law barring rollerblading at Compton’s courthouse and library for example, but there are also old ones on the books that don’t make much sense.
One of those is the city of L.A.’s 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’s got us wondering… why is that even a thing?
What the law does
Under L.A. Municipal Code section 56.16 it’s 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.
The motion comes from councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who says it’s an “uncommonly silly law.” The code reads:
“No 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.”
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Don’t worry, the repeal won’t make the more serious parts legal. (The ones about bullets and arrows.) Those are covered in LAMC section 55.0 and 55.06.
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’s largely been ignored.
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“LAPD records show maybe one or two tickets but it is fair to say it is not regularly enforced,” said Jake Flynn, a spokesperson for Blumenfield.
To repeal the law, the City Council has to pass an ordinance removing it. That’s what the city attorney will draft next.
Why is it there?
We don’t know when 56.16 was added to the city’s municipal code, but it’s traceable to at least 1945.
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It’s not unusual for weird laws like this to stick around. Old codes aren’t 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.
As for the reason it started? The original intent appears to be lost to time, according to Flynn.
It could’ve been a way to keep the public right-of-way clear. The publication Van Nuys News printed the law in 1948 because they got complaints about children playing games in the street. “Risk to life, limb and property is cited by most persons who make complaints,” said the newspaper.
For the park rule, though, your best guess is as good as mine.
Do you know why it started? Send me an email at chernandez@laist.com.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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