LA to Repeal Law Threatening Jail for Playing Catch

An odd law in Los Angeles bans playing catch or kicking a soccer ball on many city streets, sidewalks, even in many public parks—but perhaps not for long. City council voted unanimously Tuesday to direct the city attorney to draft a repeal of Municipal Code Section 56.16, on the books since around 1945. The rule bans "any game of sport with a ball or football" or throwing any "missile"—including stones, bullets, and arrows—across or along streets, sidewalks, and parks unless they are "set apart for such purposes," threatening violators with $1,000 fines and up to six months in jail, per NBC News.

That means parents playing catch with their kids on the sidewalk in front of their home are technically breaking the law, according to council member Bob Blumenfield, who authored the repeal motion. He called the ordinance "uncommonly silly," arguing that more serious conduct listed in the section, such as firing a bullet or arrow, is covered by other statutes. The forthcoming repeal ordinance will return to the council for a final vote; until then, playing catch on a residential street remains illegal, though the New York Times stresses the law is "rarely enforced." A Blumenfield rep said they know of only one or two instances of enforcement across decades.