Reddit
reddit.com › r/legal › why is it illegal to sleep atop a refrigerator in pennsylvania?
r/legal on Reddit: Why is it illegal to sleep atop a refrigerator in Pennsylvania?
December 31, 2014 -
I will buy and give Gold to whomever can first provide the statute, ordinance, case law etc. (restricted to PA cases). I have killed my laptop battery twice now between WestLaw & Lexis and can not find the goddamn legal precedent.
Top answer 1 of 2
7
There are three main problems with "wacky laws": Effectively no one who publishes them, checks or even cares about their veracity. Dumblaws.com, the most frequently cited "source" that I can find for this particular alleged law, even states on its front page that a non-zero number of the laws on their site--nay "many"--"have been taken from sources which do not include law citations." Just because a law is still "on the books," this by no means implies that it is still valid. Any more recent legislation, statute, act, or precedent that contradicts, clarifies, or overlaps it takes legal precedent over whatever archaic Kentucky law may or may not have said you can beat your wife on the steps of city hall on Sundays. A lot of these "laws" rely on either spinning the presentation of a law to make it sound absurd, misinterpreting it by assuming some perceived loophole or ambiguous interpretation that would never hold up in court, or citing the hyper-specific (sometimes inaccurate) circumstances of an individual case as if it were the stated legal prescription. In many of these cases, it becomes virtually impossible to determine what the actual precedent was for any given "wacky law" as it's presented. For "illegal in Pennsylvania to sleep on top of a refrigerator" (also cited as inside "but on top is okay," and "illegal in Maine, but fine in PA"), it could be any number of food safety or zoning laws--if anything at all. For instance, Pennsylvania Code § 705.25 incidentally describes a food service business as being "non-residential." If I had no integrity, and needed ad revenue for my wacky laws website, I would spin the fact that restaurants are non-residential as "Welp, if there's a refrigerator in a restaurant, you can't sleep on it. Let's say it's illegal to sleep on top of refrigerators in Pennsylvania because there are refrigerators that are illegal to sleep on in Pennsylvania!" Maybe one person once got cited for sleeping in a restaurant under the non-residential zoning regulations, or outside on loitering or anti-vagrant laws, and they just happened to have been on a refrigerator to keep warm or away from animals or something. Maybe someone saw that § 59.106 prohibits "animals and fowl" from entering milkrooms on a dairy farm, but allows refrigerators. "Well humans are animals, right? So you sure can't sleep on THAT refrigerator. Write that one down, Larry; that's a keeper for the wacky laws book for Scholastic!" One could see House Bill No. 794 from the General Assembly of Pennsylvania that states all hotel rooms must have at least one bed and be like, "Dude, you can't have a hotel room without a bed. You can't just like...make people sleep on the refrigerator or something, lol. (takes hit from bong)" My favorite possibility might be Senate Bill No. 436 which offers exclusions to the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act for any recreational cabin as long as it "is equipped with at least one smoke detector, one fire extinguisher and one carbon monoxide detector in both the kitchen and sleeping quarters." And if you sleep on the refrigerator, then you can't have them in the sleeping quarters AND the kitchen, "Because they are the same room. Right? OMG, I'm so clever, Larry. Do we have anything left from our book advance to buy more weed?" tl;dr "wacky laws" are mostly fake, almost anything could be the precedent for the claim because there is no precedent for the "law"
2 of 2
2
who says it is illegal? all i found were apocryphal humor stories that said it was illegal but never actually produced a citation to a law.
Quora
quora.com › Why-is-it-illegal-to-sleep-on-a-refrigerator-outside-in-Pennsylvania
Why is it illegal to sleep on a refrigerator outside in Pennsylvania? - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): Why is it illegal to sleep on a refrigerator outside in Pennsylvania? My first reaction to these types of questions is “What is the actual law you are citing?”. That way I can read the actual text. Often these spawn from weird interpretation of some judicial ruling that ...
WPST
wpst.com › this-is-hands-down-the-most-bizarre-law-in-pennsylvania
This Is Hands Down The Most Bizarre Law In Pennsylvania
May 25, 2024 - I'm not sure why anyone would have to know this, but the answer is yes, it is stated that it is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors in Pennsylvania.
The Pitt News
pittnews.com › home › confused, complicated complex and just plain crazy
Confused, complicated complex and just plain crazy - The Pitt News
September 28, 2005 - According to www.justafreak.com, it is illegal, only in Pittsburgh, for a person to sleep on top of a refrigerator. It sounds absurd, but all this law really enforces is sanitary conditions in restaurants, forbidding people to sleep in a ...
Foodnitedstates
foodnitedstates.com › blogs › foodnited-news › dumb-state-food-laws-pennsylvania
Dumb State Food Laws: Don't Sleep on a Refrigerator in Pennsylvania
Well, if you're currently feeling sleepy in Pennsylvania, don't even think about catching Z's on a refrigerator. There's an antiquated law making it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator.
The Blackman Voice
blackmanvoice.net › 2023 › 10 › 23 › weird-laws-in-america
Weird Laws in America – The Blackman Voice
One strange law in Pennsylvania, it is illegal to sleep on top of your refrigerator outside.
York Daily Record
ydr.com › story › news › politics › blogs › york-city-limits › 2012 › 10 › 18 › strange-laws-dont-sleep-outside-on-your-refrigerator › 31674739
Strange Laws: Don't sleep outside on your refrigerator
October 18, 2012 - It's OK to fall asleep on top of your refrigerator indoors, but take a nap on your favorite appliance outside and you're breaking the law, according to a compilation of some of the strangest laws in Pennsylvania.
This Old House
thisoldhouse.com › home › laws you didn’t know you were breaking
Laws You Didnt Know You Were Breaking - This Old House
July 9, 2025 - You may not sleep in, or on top of, a refrigerator in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia Magazine
phillymag.com › news › 2013 › 07 › 16 › pennsylvania-weird-laws
Pennsylvania Laws Kathleen Kane | The Philly Post
July 16, 2013 - 11. Pennsylvania law prohibits people from sleeping on top of a refrigerator outdoors. Obviously, if you’re sleeping outdoors and have access to a refrigerator, you’re going to sleep inside the fridge.
HG.org
hg.org › legal-articles › laws-regarding-sleeping-31839
Laws Regarding Sleeping - HG.org
Tulsa, Oklahoma requires pilots to sleep 10 hours before flying two planes in one day. Pennsylvania prohibits sleeping on top of a refrigerator outdoors (sleeping on it indoors remains legal, apparently).
Stupidlaws
stupidlaws.com › it-it-illegal-to-sleep-on-top-of-a-refrigerator-outdoors
stupidlaws.com - This website is for sale! - stupidlaws Resources and Information.
This website is for sale! stupidlaws.com is your first and best source for information about stupidlaws. Here you will also find topics relating to issues of general interest. We hope you find what you are looking for!
Web News 21
webnews21.com › home › law/legal
Why is it Illegal to sleep on a Refrigerator in Pennsylvania - Web News 21
November 12, 2023 - Whatever the motive behind the law, it’s important to keep in mind that the law is only applicable to refrigerators that are used for sleeping outdoors. It is completely legal to stay in an indoor refrigerator in Pennsylvania. There’s no ...
ABC27
abc27.com › digital-originals › weird-laws-proposals-only-found-in-pennsylvania
Weird laws, proposals only found in Pennsylvania | ABC27
January 27, 2024 - Tired from a long day working outside and just have nowhere else to sleep but the top of your outdoor fridge, well look somewhere else because that would be breaking a law.
The BluePrint
thebablueprint.com › 14679 › the-power-of-three › the-power-of-3-dumb-laws
THE POWER OF 3: Dumb Laws – The BluePrint
Tweet TweetPennsylvania: In PA, it is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. First off, it doesn’t really surprise me that someone in PA would end up sleeping on fridge.
LegalClarity
legalclarity.org › is-it-illegal-to-sleep-on-a-refrigerator-outdoors-in-pennsylvania
Is It Illegal to Sleep on a Refrigerator Outdoors in Pennsylvania? - LegalClarity
March 20, 2025 - Even with permission, municipal ... outdoor spaces, particularly concerning discarded appliances. Pennsylvania law requires refrigerators left outside to have their doors removed to prevent entrapment hazards, which could affect the legality of sleeping on one....
Reddit
reddit.com › r/a:t5_gdsyg › *fridge fact* if you live in pennsylvania, it is illegal to sleep outdoors on top of a refrigerator, apparently (plus more fridge facts)
r/a:t5_gdsyg on Reddit: *FRIDGE FACT* If you live in Pennsylvania, it is illegal to sleep outdoors on top of a refrigerator, apparently (PLUS MORE FRIDGE FACTS)
June 27, 2017 - TIL that it's illegal to sleep outside on a refrigerator in Pennsylvania.
Forest Grove Elementary
forestgrove.pgusd.org › documents › Computer-Lab › Strange-State-Laws.pdf pdf
Copyright © 2011 SpeechDrive Dumb Laws (List) Alabama:
• It is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. • In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags. • Morrisville: It is required that a woman have a permit to wear cosmetics. • Ridley Park: You cannot walk backwards eating peanuts in front of the Barnstormers ·
PartyShopMaine
partyshopmaine.com › home › is it illegal to sleep on a refrigerator in pennsylvania?
Is It Illegal To Sleep On A Refrigerator In Pennsylvania? - PartyShopMaine
August 15, 2022 - Pennsylvania: You cannot sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. But you may sleep on top of any refrigerator you want in the privacy of your own home. It is illegal to sing in the bathtub. What is the weirdest law in Pennsylvania? 4. In Pennsylvania, you may not catch a fish with your bare …