This US City Made It Illegal To Use Silly String On Halloween

Hollywood regularly deals with its share of everyday crises, from movie-star feuds to paparazzi pileups. But in the early 2000s, one of its more colorful problems came from a can. Silly String — or any canned, colorful string that sprays out in sticky strands — became such a municipal nuisance during Halloween that the city of Los Angeles prohibited it. The Los Angeles law, which has been in place since 2004, states that no one "shall possess, use, sell or distribute Silly String [...] within the Hollywood Division during Halloween." The impulse to pick up a can of the silly stuff can land you with considerably less silly consequences: Up to a $1,000 fine and/or six months of jail time.

Hollywood's Silly String prohibition applies within the LAPD's Hollywood Division, which includes Hollywood, East Hollywood, Los Feliz, the Hollywood Hills, and several surrounding neighborhoods. The 36-hour ban kicks in at midnight on October 31, remaining in effect until noon on November 1. In practice, the LAPD doesn't seem to be hunting down Silly String offenders with vigorous enthusiasm — the Los Angeles Times reported just one arrest and no citations between 2009 and 2022.

Still, some locals have no desire to see the sticky stuff make a comeback. One Reddit commenter recalled (with a decent share of upvotes), "Maybe you never lived in the Hollywood area but I did. Every jerk from the valley drove over the hill to make a mess with silly string." Another user sympathized, "I don't blame them, must have been hell to clean up." Halloween in Hollywood is better enjoyed with other spooky-season activities to check off a fall bucket list that don't leave you tangled up in sticky neon strings.

The Silly String ban was initiated after huge Halloween crowds left Hollywood Boulevard and the iconic, star-studded Walk of Fame plastered with it. To the delight of costumed merrymakers, vendors sold Silly String up and down the street. However, local property owners and businesses complained about the sticky string clinging to cars, sidewalks, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while city workers were left scraping up the aftermath. Property owners had up to $200,000 in Halloween cleanup costs from the Silly String spectacle. Beyond the public nuisance element, the ordinance cites environmental concerns, too, as the string could clog storm drains and wash out to sea. After years of scraping, the ban passed in August 2004, remaining in the books to this day.

Los Angeles isn't alone in the ban, as similar rules have cropped up in various other spooky cities perfect for a Halloween vacation. In Los Angeles' own council file, it names New Orleans as an inspiration for the ban. The Louisiana city prohibits vendors from selling Silly String along Mardi Gras parade routes and anyone from using it during the carnival. More Halloween-specific rules apply to Hollywood's glamorous neighbor Beverly Hills, where people under 21 years old aren't allowed to use Silly String during Halloween (for good measure, the law also names shaving cream and hair removal products).