Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online

In a civilized world, everyone will mostly agree that we need rules and laws to government every aspect of our lives because pure chaos is fun for a little bit, but then you understand that having people constantly taking your stuff or knocking over your mailbox without any repercussions becomes at the very least a tad bit annoying.

But these same rules and laws also cause confusion, whether because of loopholes, assumptions or the like and people end up thinking something is illegal, but in reality you won’t be arrested or charged for it.

The folks of Reddit have been sharing situations that most kinda assumed are illegal, or at the very least wrong and believed that they would be somehow reprimanded, but it was not the case.

Scroll down to check out what the internet has taught you today with regards to laws and regulations, and while you’re at it, vote, comment, and share with us some laws that most people don’t know are not really laws but figments of our assumption in the comment section below!

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online CilliamBlinton said:
Discussing wages with your fellow employees.

breaker-of-shovels replied:
Not only is it legal, your right to do so is protected by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. It’s actually illegal to tell your employees not to talk about wages with each other.

CilliamBlinton , Olgierd Report

Final score:

132points

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Ranax 2 years ago

Are there really people that think this is illegal? Must be the land of the "free".

51points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Employers asking for vaccination status. Or asking anyone their vaccination status. All perfectly legal. People say.. but it's a HIPAA violation. No it is not. Your employer must treat it as confidential, they can't share it with anyone else without your permission. But it's perfectly legal to ask or even require that you show proof.

wisathlete , Joint Base San Antonio Report

Final score:

125points

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GirlFriday 2 years ago

I think that most people don't realize that the only entities bound by HIPAA are health care providers and insurance companies. If I tell someone you have strep throat, I didn't violate any law, I just overshared. If I ask if you have an STI, I didn't violate any law, I am just way too nosy.

44points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online FriedBack said:
Cops lying to you. (U.S.) They dont have to tell you theyre a cop. They can say literally anything to extract information.

uwu_SenpaiSatan replied:
Even in interrogations.

FriedBack replied:
Especially in those. Anything to get you to incriminate yourself. Always request a lawyer and don't say anything else.

FriedBack , Jason O'Halloran Report

Final score:

95points

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K Witmer 2 years ago

Yes don't say a word and don't fall for " if you talk to us we'll help you". Always get a lawyer even if you did nothing wrong. My little brother learned this the hard way. Cops only want the charges and the arrest they don't care about anything else. They do not care if your innocent or a scape goat or young and dumb. They will put words in your mouth and violate your rights if they can get away w it. I watched a cop lie through his teeth while violating numerous constitutional rights and the only thing that saved the person he arrested was the video and recording in his car.

35points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Refusing service, as long as it is not based on a protected class and isn't an essential service. If you walk into my store with no intention to buy (or buy in the future,) I can ask you to leave and if you refuse, I can have you trespassed. I can kick you out for smelling bad, being rude, treating the staff disrespectfully, and for talking too loudly or with vulgar language. If you pay with a large bill or buy an expensive item with change, I can tell you to leave and come back with appropriate payment. Of course many of these things are bad business practices and your Google/Yelp reviews will reflect that, but they are generally legal (at least in the US.) This is especially true in bars, where protecting the alcohol service license is of upmost importance- anything that jeopardizes my liquor license is something you'll get 86'd for, and the law is generally on my side (on the civil court side of things there are more gray areas.)

westcoastpizzarat , Jonny Hunter Report

Final score:

86points

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Number 5 2 years ago

Do people really think it's illegal? I'm thinking it's more the forced "customer is always right" mindset and the fear they'll get fired. Some bosses due freak out over loss of business, even if it's loss of business from an a-hole.

25points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online wootpro said:
Counting cards at a casino black jack table.

BuffyStark replied:
It's just a strategy, nothing illegal about that. If Casinos catch you, they can bar you from coming back, but you cannot be arrested.

wootpro , Vivid Image Report

Final score:

81points

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Pezor Zass 2 years ago

i don't even get how they are allowed to bar you because of counting "Hey, you're playing this game intelligently instead of just throwing your money at us! That's rude! Don't come back!"

57points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Solisia said:
In Sweden (and maybe elsewhere?) it is not illegal to try or succeed to escape from prison

UnoriginalUse replied:
In many European countries the law takes into account if you are acting as any reasonable person would in that situation. IIRC, the desire to escape is seen as reasonable.

cKerensky replied:
The caveat being that you can't cause harm. IE, committing a crime to escape.

Solisia , Molly Haggerty Report

Final score:

73points

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Eric C. 2 years ago

...and by 'not illegal' they mean that no additional prison time will be added to your current sentence. The desire to be free is seen as an inalienable right for which you cannot be punished. You do have to go back to prison for the original offence, should you be captured,but no extra time will be added simply for escaping.

47points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Mackem101 said:
In the UK, trespass.

Most people believe it's a criminal offence, but that's only in certain circumstances (railways, MOD sites etc).

the_midget123 replied:
You can trespass until challenge. This law was put in place to stop hikers straying into someone land and getting arrested.

So in the UK you can trespass but as soon as your asked to leave and refuse then you can be arrested.

Mackem101 , Daniel Lobo Report

Final score:

65points

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Got Myself 4 Dwarves 2 years ago

Scotland has different laws than rest of the uk - we have the freedom to roam, which means as long as it isn't in someone's back garden or business/school/sports premises then you can go wherever you like, including camping wherever you please. Not everyone thinks a person in your space means you need to be violent about it - you definitely wouldn't be shot at which is a bit if an overreaction

34points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online In canada, women can be shirtless wherever men can. Though women still get arrested for this.

RevolutionaryRoad19 , joey zanotti Report

Final score:

64points

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Eric C. 2 years ago

Oregon has no public nudity laws, at least at the state level. Municipalities can instate them, but nothing at the state level. Portland has a 'Naked Bike Ride' every year.

22points

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online nickdude96 said:
Piracy if you download, in most countries. It's illegal to distribute pirated material but not to download it, mostly because the laws are a decade or two behind. Here in Canada, for instance, a copyright owner can send a warning notification to the internet provider and they're legally obligated to pass it on, but they have no obligation to punish you for it. I don't think any major providers here ban people, it doesn't affect them and you're still paying them.

Hyena-Heretic replied:
I’m in Canada and have gotten a few notices in the mail due to pirating movies. I can’t remember the exact wording but they say something along the lines of “you have to pay x thousands of dollars to this company”. There’s no legal obligation to pay but some people have ended up paying before.

kirklennon replied:
> There’s no legal obligation to pay but some people have ended up paying before.

The copyright holder *can* sue you to make you pay, but they *never* do this in Canada because there’s a rather modest lifetime total you can sue for in Canada that’s per work, so if you get your full money from one person, you can’t threaten to sue anybody else for pirating the same thing, ever. Instead the business model is just to send out thousands of demands and hope people settle.

nickdude96 , Kai Hendry Report

Final score:

57points

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Adam Belaire 2 years ago

Which is why VPNs are important.

14points

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#10

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online A lot of people think it’s illegal for an employer to fire someone over their opinions because “they were exercising their right of free speech.”

missionman77 , Blake Patterson Report

Final score:

55points

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Russ Kincade 2 years ago

Many people are confused about this. The US constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech". It DOESN'T say that social media platforms can't ban you for spouting racist $hit or spreading stupid, dangerous disinformation.

56points

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#11

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online leapdayjose said:
Giving cops the middle finger. It's protected under freedom of speech.
Doesn't mean it's smart to do and they won't find some reason to make your day hell. But it's legal lol.

you_lost-the_game replied:
Does not apply in Germany. Insults are illegal here and are not protected by free speech. Not exclusive to cops, insults in general are illegal

leapdayjose , crash71100 Report

Final score:

53points

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Kookamunga 2 years ago

"Explicitly Exposing One's Own Middle Hand Finger To Law Enforcement" - that's a lot of words for flipping the bird to the cops.

28points

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#12

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online In my state, turning left on a red light when you’re on a one-way and turning onto another one-way. Nobody knows, nobody goes, and it drives me bonkers.

TrustYourTingle , Ivan Radic Report

Final score:

47points

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Ragnhild Nilsen 2 years ago

Here, Norway, it's illegal to drive against red lights no matter what. But left turns have often got a separate light which can be green even if the main direction is red.

34points

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#13

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Bringing your own snacks to the cinema

Accurate_Towel_ , BuddyL Report

Final score:

43points

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Jo Johannsen 2 years ago

Another case of "you can't be arrested but you can be 86'd"

44points

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#14

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online In the US: driving barefoot. Absolutely zero states have a law against this.

The rumor probably started because many states have a law saying you must be wearing unobstructing footwear that won’t get in the way of petal operation. So no driving in ski boots.

EmperorPenguinNJ , osseous Report

Final score:

40points

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T. 2 years ago

Swiss law states that you need to have appropriate footwear, so bo barefoot, no flipflops bit I don't know about heels. Maybe depending on hight.

12points

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#15

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Driving with the interior light on in the car

megagirthyguapoboi , Jeff Kalikstein Report

Final score:

39points

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LAS 2 years ago

I think parents tell their children that it's illegal so they don't have to be the bad guy that says lights have to be off.

43points

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#16

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Child marriage is still legal in a surprising number of US states.

SpaceCowboy58 , Kumon Report

Final score:

38points

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Dominique Deveraux 2 years ago

Wow. Correcting that is not something you get around to eventually. It should be the first thing on the agenda.

39points

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#17

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online A lot of people think becoming a citizen of another country deprives you of the citizenship of your home country, particularly if you're a US citizen. All country's laws are different, but most modern democracies don't care if you acquire another citizenship. Notable exceptions include Japan and The Netherlands. I'm a British and US citizen, neither country minds.

zerbey , Edwin Sarmiento Report

Final score:

34points

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Pezor Zass 2 years ago

i think the US does mind, they just don't do anything about it. The citizenship oath, unless they changed it since i took it, has a bit about renouncing any other allegiances. Assholish, imo.

15points

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#18

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online LukeIAmYourPikachu said:
UK - Giving alcohol to someone under age 18. In a private residence anyone aged 5 or over can drink alcohol

Frogmarsh replied:
Where I live, in Wisconsin, USA, you can serve your children alcohol (I think at any age), at home, at bars, until they turn 18, at which point they have to wait until they’re 21 before you can buy them a drink again.

LukeIAmYourPikachu , Andy Walker Report

Final score:

33points

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Pezor Zass 2 years ago

i know it doesn't work this way for everyone, but my family never mystified or tabooed alcohol. we were given sips of wine or beer as kids, found it nasty, didn't have any interest in it again until much later. even then, it wasn't a big deal. never got wasted

46points

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#19

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Tax avoidance. Perfectly legal. Tax evasion is a completely different story.

Writer's Note: According to the IRS, tax avoidance is an action that's taken to lessen a person's or company's tax liability, this way maximizing their after-tax income, whereas tax evasion is failing to pay or deliberately underpaying on one's taxes.

aceh40 , Images Money Report

Final score:

31points

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JB 2 years ago

Perhaps it would make more sense to ordinary people if instead of using two words generally held to be synonymous the term was “tax mitigation” or “minimization”?

16points

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#20

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online In the US, owning machine guns.

It's expensive and there's a lot of dealing with the ATF, but you can own all sorts of wild weapons legally.

robexib , Danielle Buma Report

Final score:

30points

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Johnny Rodriguez 2 years ago

But why should someone in a civilized country need to own a machine gun? A MACHINE GUN!!

59points

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#21

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Recording someone on your phone in public. Ask a Karen they will tell ya

Tparty75 , Jeramey Jannene Report

Final score:

28points

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User# 6 2 years ago

Yeah, you want to try that in Europe? Germany doesn't even have google streetview because of privacy laws.

22points

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#22

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Learned a few days ago that only two us states place any legal restrictions on flamethrowers as they technically count as tools and not weapons

Falcon2604 , Matthew Bricks&Stones D. Report

Final score:

27points

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Eucritta 2 years ago

I discovered this after seeing catalog listings for small flamethrowers to kill weeds. I was flabbergasted they were legal.

12points

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#23

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Catfishing someone online. Even for nsfw content (so long as they’re above the legal age to do so). It’s legal until you actually use this facade to benefit financially. Then it’s deemed fraud.

The catfish TV show is proof of this, nobody ever gets legal repercussions. Just outed on TV and they part ways

ExplicitCyclops , Neil Rickards Report

Final score:

26points

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BasedWang 2 years ago

Who the hell would actually think this was illegal though?

6points

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#24

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Jaywalking confuses a lot of people. Here in Georgia it is a very specific definition: crossing a street between two intersections that both have traffic signals. Otherwise you can cross wherever you like; you just have to yield to traffic.

thereisonlyoneme , Vivian Chen [陳培雯] Report

Final score:

25points

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Eat Dirt Crow 2 years ago

The word "Jay" was a derogatory word for less than smart people. It's like calling someone a hick today. When cars were just starting to come on to city streets there were lots of collisions between cars and pedestrians because back then the streets were for everyone. The auto industry made a campaign to basically shame people into giving the automobile sole domain of the street by calling anyone who walked across the street a dumb redneck who didn't know any better.

22points

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#25

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Not giving two weeks notice when leaving a job

Teefromdaleft , David Hunter Report

Final score:

25points

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Ivana Bašić 2 years ago

In Europe it can be longer, it depends on how long you work there and what kind of contract.

15points

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#26

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Absinthe

tgmarie137 , Patrick Mueller Report

Final score:

24points

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MarmotArchivist 2 years ago (edited)

To be fair, it was illegal for a long time. In Switzerland from 1910-1999, after a winegrower murdered his family in 1905. He was a violent alcoholic and had consumed absinth besides a large quantity of other alcohols, but people solely blamed the absinth. Today, the thujone, which in excess acts like a neurotoxin, is regulated. But, even back then, there was never any evidence that the concentrations were high enough to cause bad effects. More likely, the problem was the excessive alcohol consumption and the bad quality of moonshine itself. In the US absinth only became legal again in 2007, in France in 2011. The Val-de-Travers, a valley between Switzerland and France, where absinth originated, still boasts an uninterrupted clandestine distilling tradition, despite many police raids. I may know of a bottle or two from the illegal days, we got from this region. And if you like the taste of anise and fennel I recommend you try absinth, it’s delicious.

18points

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#27

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Met a woman once who believed if you were related to the other people in the car it didn't count as carpooling for the carpool lane and was illegal. It is not, in fact, illegal.

gardeningisrad , Richard Drdul Report

Final score:

20points

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YoyoSthlm 2 years ago

So... every family can go in the car pool lane?

4points

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#28

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Not having a picture ID. I have met a shocking number of people who think it’s illegal to leave one’s home without an ID. It’s bizarre but I assure you A LOT of people believe it.

AurallyTalented , m-louis .® Report

Final score:

19points

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User# 6 2 years ago

Again, very dependent on whatever country you happen to be in.

29points

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#29

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Taking that tag off of the mattress

Imaginary-Bluejay-86 , sk Report

Final score:

12points

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Wellen Dowd 2 years ago

Only if done by the customer after purchase.

27points

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#30

Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online Trading and using used Windows even OEM I think, maybe other software too. It is against terms and conditions but afaik not illegal in EU. These are not pirated copies.

whatlogin666 , Mark Ordonez Report

Final score:

12points

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jk nbt 2 years ago (edited)

in the US, illegal... MS can sue to recover losses... or any software company... This is a favorite revenge tool used by mistreated employees after they leave or are unfairly fired... only they know about the bootleg copy of Autocad, Photoshop, or some other expensive software used without paying when it is hidden in the 3rd floor storeroom turned into a secret design center... The offended company can get a search warrant to prove the illegal use, demand the copy be deleted, and then put a surcharge on a legit copy. They can sue for damages if multiple copies are in use. Perfect revenge if you are a mistreated unfairly terminated employee, go for it... just be discrete so the unethical jerks don't retaliate...

4points

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What do you think ?

Monday 2 years ago

This would have been more helpful if every entry included the location.

Devil's Advocate 2 years ago

If in doubt, America.

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MyOpinionHasBeenServed 2 years ago

Much of these are very, very specific to a small region.

Mewton’s Third Paw 2 years ago

True, but everyone knew that going into this unless they were extremely stupid or self centered. The comments that all start with “AGAIN,” and go into a boring explanation about location all sound so dumb and ignorant. We all know this article was pulled from Reddit and we all know Reddit’s main demographic. Complaining won’t change it.

0points

Bill Evs 2 years ago

I'm in the UK and I'm never quite sure if having a fire in your garden (as in a bonfire) is legal or not.

Sareaesque 2 years ago

I know you can't use them to burn household waste as that can result in harmful fumes

3points

Peej Maybe 2 years ago

Most local councils / byelaws will cover fires in the boundaries of your own property. I would love to see that law extended to my twat of a neighbour who has a barbecue at least twice a day every single day of the summer that stinks out our entire neighbourhood (which means no one in our entire street can have their windows open in baking hot weather, of course)

1point

Some areas have clean air act zones which means no visible smoke from fires for over half an hour.

Carrie Laughs 2 years ago

https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules

martin734 2 years ago

As with many laws in the UK it depends on where, when and what. In some instances it could be illegal.

Huddo's sister 2 years ago

In Australia it depends on the local council area you are in. Most suburban and city councils you can't burn household waste and some you have to be using it for cooking. When I was in my late teens, we had a nosey neighbour who called the council on us for lighting a fire in the backyard. We were given a copy of the laws and it said it had to be used for cooking, so we made sure to put a potato on the next time we lit one. I recently moved to a country town, so will have to see what their rules are...

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Folks Reveal 30 Seemingly Illegal Things That Are Actually Not Criminal At All, As Shared Online

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