Drying clothes on clothes lines is an eco-friendly and affordable way. However, are clothes line illegal in the US? There is a regulation for the use of clotheslines in several states in the US. Those rules and regulations are created because of the landscape of the state.
Overall, using a clothesline is not illegal in the US. Most states allow people to dry their clothes on it. However, some states have a clothesline ban. So, people in those states are forbidden to use clotheslines.
States in the US with Clothesline Ban
There are about 20 states with a clothesline ban. However, some states have the most bans such as Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.
The natural landscape in those states is the main reason why it is banned. The HOAs want to keep the landscape tidy and good to attract more people to visit the states.
Reasons Why Clotheslines are Banned
After knowing about the answer to “are clothes line illegal?” Here is the reason why clothesline is banned in some states. The main reason is to create a tidy and clean residential area.
With a better area look, the housing value can be higher in the market. Clothing lines in front of the house will affect the look of the area. That is why HOA organizations prevent people living in the area from using clotheslines.
However, in some areas, using the clothing lines is allowed with special regulations. The first one is people must keep it in the backyard so that it will be less visible to passersby. Another regulation is the clothesline must be low so that it will not be visible from afar.
Moreover, another reason for the ban on clotheslines is they can obstruct the neighboring views. Some people want a great view, so they buy a house in a beautiful area.
However, with the clotheslines everywhere, indeed it will obstruct the view. Thus, there is a regulation for a clothesline ban.
Alternative of Clothesline
Drying wet clothes can be indoors too. Some popular alternatives are retractable clotheslines, drying rods, and drying racks. Those are inexpensive enough as alternatives for replacing clotheslines. Also, they are as effective as clotheslines to dry wet clothes.
- Retractable clotheslines
It is a portable washing line that people can set up indoors. It can be used anywhere as long as there is a place to install the hook and the opposite for the clothesline reel. People can be easier to reset or bring when they move to a new house.
- Drying rods
Drying rods are another alternative for a clothesline. There is one row, and it can be hung anywhere like on the porch or balcony. This tool is wide enough to hold many clothes. So, it is effective to dry wet clothes indoors.
- Drying racks
After answering the question “are clothes line illegal?”, using clotheslines is only illegal in some states. To avoid any punishment, using a drying rack is a good idea.
This rack is similar to a drying rod. The difference is this drying rack has more rows to hang the wet clothes indoors.