San Francisco's “Zany” Municipal Code

One writer spent the holidays reading the city's municipal code

It's a perennial piece that never ceases to amuse: Going spelunking for the weirder points of law of our crazy, beautiful land. And local blog Akit's Complaint Department nailed it.

Poring over San Francisco's Municipal Code, Akit found that there is law against letting your cat roam free in a San Francisco park.

Without any context, it makes little sense as to why anyone felt the need to create this law, but there it is on the books, protecting us from the unleashed cat menace.

The ban on city purchases of buying tropical hardwood and virgin redwood makes some sense. It is a wonderful example of a futile gesture on the part of the Board of Supervisors, the world leader in legislative futile gestures, of which San Franciscans are rightly proud.

Of course, it's unlikely many of these provisions are strictly enforced, the San Francisco Citizen presented documentary evidence of the city's ban on advertising vehicles being wantonly flouted.

So, rest assured, those of you who complain about the nanny state -- as nannies go, San Francisco's is drunk on a sidewalk somewhere dreaming up reasons for why the San Francisco Police Department has to be in good standing with the National Rifle Association.

Photo by Flickr user chadh.

Jackson West does like to know his rights in order to better abuse them.

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