WHAT ARE LOCAL ORDINANCES?
Every state has its laws, just as each in turn abide by federal law. But further down the ladder, every town, every settlement on the frontier has its own place and beliefs.
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Local Ordinances are city-specific laws, as punishable within town limits. From specific laws on modesty to mandates on animals, every location has its own way of keeping the peace - some being more strict and structured than others.
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Within the bounds of these ordinances, local law enforcement reserve the right to fine or arrest both civilians or visitors to the area. However, please note; the enforcement or creation of non-approved ordinances will be considered a form of corruption roleplay. Local leadership in the form of mayors may request law-changes via a Narrative ticket within the Community Discord server.
BLACKWATER MUNICIPAL CODE
INTRODUCTION
Blackwater is a thriving trade town on the banks of Flat Iron Lake, still growing into its own. Basing its identity largely on industry, this harbor town is largely accepting to anyone with the right mind for business, and puts public order above all else - placing ones personal freedoms just second to that ideal.
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CIVIL ORDER
1.1. Segregation of Public Spaces
All public accommodations, including saloons, bathhouses, schools, churches, hospitals, and theaters, may designate separate areas for patrons by race, but are not required to by town law. Failure to comply with business-mandated segregation will result in removal and fines of up to $10 per infringement.
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1.2 Right of Labor
Men and women, regardless of sex, color, immigration, or origin, may seek work or ownership of property within the town of Blackwater, so long as proper documentation and paperwork is provided. Businesses reserve the right to deny work for any reason.
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1.3 Decency Ordinance
Men and women, regardless of sex, color, immigration, or origin, are required to dress modestly within town limits. This includes proper shirts, trousers, footwear, or skirts and dresses for women. Crosswear is not permissible, except for in the case of working women, and ethnic wear is prohibited, with a fine of up to $30.
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1.4 Sunday Decency Ordinance
On the Sabbath, all citizens of Blackwater Township are expected to appear in Sunday attire. Offenders may be fined up to $20 for disturbing the peace.
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PUBLIC SAFETY
2.1 Open Carry
No person shall openly carry firearms within the city limits of Blackwater, save for duly appointed law officers or those holding a valid permit issued by the Courthouse.
2.2 Weapon Bans
Firearms are strictly forbidden within the premises of any drinking establishment, house of worship, schoolhouse, or government building. Violators are subject to fine of $20 or ejection.
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2.3 Self-Defense Clause
Discharge of any firearm within city limits is prohibited, except in immediate defense of life. Reckless or celebratory fire shall be met with arrest of 48hrs (2hrs) and fine of $60.
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2.4 Prostitution Ordinance
Lewd acts or the solicitation of carnal services are prohibited within city limits. Proprietors of establishments known to house such activity shall be fined at the discretion of the Sheriff’s Office.
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2.5 Public Conduct
Any person found inebriated, gambling, underdressed, and disturbing the peace upon public streets, alleys, or docks shall be detained until sober and fined a sum of $40.
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2.6 Sale of Liquor
The unlicensed manufacture, trade, or transport of intoxicating spirits within Blackwater limits shall result in fine no less than $25 and forfeiture of goods, along with any federal action.
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2.7 Gambling Law
Gambling conducted on public streets, docks, or alleys, including games of dice, cards, or tokens, shall be considered unlawful assembly and subject to fine of $60 or imprisonment.
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PUBLIC ORDER
3.1 Vagrancy Law
Any person found within the city without visible employment, place of residence, or lawful business, and who refuses to move on when ordered, shall be deemed a vagrant and subject to fine of up to $20, confinement of up to 24hrs (1hr), or removal.
3.2 Loitering Law
No person shall linger in alleys, doorways, shopfronts, or public walks without lawful purpose, and must disperse when instructed by a peace officer.
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3.3 Mounted Safety
No rider shall proceed through the town at a pace faster than a moderate trot. Galloping or racing within town limits shall be punished by fine not exceeding $10.
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3.4 Wagon Safety
All carts, carriages, and freight wagons shall proceed at a walking pace within the commercial district, and shall yield to pedestrians at crossings.
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3.5 Racing Prohibition
Reckless operation of any wagon, dray, buggy, or saddle horse, including racing, sharp turning, or undue noise, is prohibited and shall be met with fine of up to $60 or seizure of rig or horse.
3.6 Livestock Prohibition
No swine, goat, sheep, or horned cattle shall be driven, penned, or loosed within the central city district.
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3.7 Public Disturbance
Any livestock, machinery, or business causing undue noise, waste, or obstruction of the public way shall be deemed a nuisance and may be seized or ordered removed by the Sheriff’s Office.
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3.8 Hitching Ordinance
All horses must remain securely hitched within city limits, or face fine of up to $20.
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PUBLIC HEALTH
4.1 Littering Ordinance
All residents and proprietors must sweep and remove refuse from the public walk in front of their property daily. Failure to do so may result in fine not exceeding $5.
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4.2 Waste Removal
No person shall throw slops, urine, or the contents of a chamber pot into the street, alley, or yard without proper container and cover. Stable and livery owners must remove or cover manure daily. No manure pile shall be kept within 100 feet of any dwelling, business, or well. Violators shall be fined up to $120 or jailed for no more than one month (1 week).
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4.3 Illness Mandate
All physicians, clergy, and boarding house owners shall report known cases of cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, or other deadly afflictions to the City Health Officer within 24 hours.
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4.4 Quarantine Mandate
Persons suspected of carrying contagious affliction may be detained by order of the Mayor, Health Officer, or Sheriff, and removed to the Isolation Ward or Pest House beyond the city boundary. No person may leave or enter a home, boarding house, or business declared under quarantine, except by order of the Sheriff or Health Officer. Quarantine shall be visibly marked with red bunting or a placard at the door.
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4.5 Fire Mandate
No open flame, including torches, campfires, or oil braziers, shall be kindled within city limits, save for properly attended hearths, lamps, or cookstoves indoors. All chimneys and stovepipes must be swept monthly. Smoking, pipe-lighting, or the carrying of open lanterns is prohibited inside any hayloft, stable, warehouse, or dry goods store. All able-bodied men residing within city limits may be called to render assistance to the Blackwater Fire Watch during a declared blaze, under penalty of fine or confinement.
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ADDITIONAL STATUTES
5.1 Curfew Mandate
All persons under the age of 16, and all laborers not employed on night shift, shall be off public streets, alleys, and squares between the hours of 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM unless accompanied by a guardian or carrying a work token.
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5.2 Truancy Mandate
Children between 8 and 14 must be in school or employed between sunrise and 2 PM, Monday through Friday. No minor under 18 shall enter a saloon, billiard hall, or gambling parlor, nor shall any proprietor permit such entry. Any child caught throwing stones, disturbing livestock, or ringing false alarms shall be subject to caning or confinement at the discretion of the Sheriff.
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5.3 Voting Ordinance
Any free man, able to read and right and holding citizenship within these United States of America holds the right to vote on all public elections within the Township of Blackwater. No person convicted of theft, riot, or vagrancy shall be permitted to vote within two years of such offense.
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5.4 Jury Ordinance
Any property-owning free man, able to read and right and holding citizenship within these United States of America may serve on a jury within the Blackwater district.
STATUTES OF THE TOWN OF RHODES
INTRODUCTION
Rhodes is a small, religious (mostly Southern Baptist) town just south of Scarlett Meadows in Lemoyne County. Abiding by strict moral codes, the place is harsh on outsiders and suspicious of anyone who does not meet their societal norms. Only as of 1885, under the guidance of the elected Mayor McCollins, have their policies on 'outsiders' softened.
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PUBLIC MORALITY
1. Sundown Ordinance
No person of good legal standing shall be permitted to loiter or remain within the town limits of Rhodes between the hours of sundown and sunrise, save for those in the immediate employ of labor and bearing a written pass of permission, duly signed and dated by their employer. All found loitering after sundown shall be questioned by law.
2. Public Assembly
No public gathering, meeting, parade, demonstration, festival, picnic, or social assembly of more than five persons shall be permitted within the town limits unless expressly sanctioned by the office of the Mayor or the Rhodes Baptist Church. Any such gathering must serve a moral, religious, or civic purpose, and may not take place on the Sabbath nor extend beyond one hour past sundown, outside of private dwellings.
Gatherings deemed unruly, irreverent, political in nature, or involving morally uncouth company shall be disbanded by the sheriff or his deputies without delay.
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3. Proper Guardianship
No unmarried woman under the age of twenty-one years shall dwell or labor within Rhodes unless under the care of a male relative, husband, or employer, who shall serve as her legal and moral guardian.
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4. Proper Conduct
All women appearing in public must be dressed in modest and feminine attire, including skirts or dresses reaching below the ankle and garments covering the arms to the wrist. Trousers, breeches, or shortened skirts are deemed improper unless under direct religious charity.
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5. Propriety in Employment
No unmarried woman may own, lease, or operate a business within the Township of Rhodes without the co-signature of male spouse, relative, or local business-owner of good standing.
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6. Prostitution Ordinance
The act of harlotry, solicitation, or the keeping of a bawdy house is strictly forbidden within the limits of Rhodes. Any woman found to be trading in flesh, living in a house of ill repute, or conducting herself in a manner unbecoming of modest Christian femininity shall be arrested and removed from town.
Any man who frequents such women, maintains such a house, or knowingly harbors a prostitute is likewise guilty of moral corruption and subject to penalty of up to 2 months (2 weeks) in jail.
7. Liquor Ordinance
The sale of strong drink, including but not limited to whiskey, gin, rum, and brandy, is restricted to licensed establishments, and may only be served Monday through Saturday, unless under approval of the town council. No drink may be sold on the Sabbath, and subject to fines of up to $120.
Public drunkenness, drinking in the street, or being visibly intoxicated in view of women or children is an offense of the same degree.
8. Gambling Ordinance
No business shall operate as a gambling hall, without proper consent from the town council. Saloons may not offer games, wagers, or house cut arrangements. Any establishment found to host games of profit or chance shall be shuttered.
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9. Vagrancy Ordinance
Any person found idle, loitering without clear purpose, lacking visible means of employment, or wandering town streets without lawful business shall be deemed a vagrant. This includes beggars, drifters, tramps, and persons habitually unemployed or known to associate with undesirable elements.
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PUBLIC MORALITY
10. Reckless Driving
No person shall ride or drive a horse, mule, wagon, cart, or buggy through the streets of Rhodes at a gait exceeding a trot. Racing, galloping, or reckless driving within town limits is strictly forbidden. Penalty shall be fine of $10 and possible suspension of driving privileges within town.
11. Public Obstruction
Drivers must not leave wagons, carts, or beasts of burden unattended or unhitched in the public thoroughfare. All such vehicles must be pulled aside in a manner that does not impede street or storefront access. Penalty shall be fine of $5; vehicle or horse may be moved by town authorities at owner’s cost.
12. Church-Based Education Mandate
All children between the ages of six and fourteen residing within the town limits of Rhodes shall attend school at the First Baptist Church of Rhodes, where they shall be instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic, Holy Scripture, and moral conduct under the supervision of a certified schoolmistress or schoolmaster approved by both the Mayor and the church elder.
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Religious teachings are to reflect essential Christian beliefs, without the pressing of denominational scripture, which may be taught at parental leisure.
13. Waste and Refuse Disposal
No household, business, or stable shall throw or deposit refuse, slop water, kitchen waste, manure, dead animals, or other filth into the street, alleyway, or public ditch. All such waste must be placed in designated refuse pits or carted outside of town once per week, on penalty: $10 fine per offense; repeat violations may result in property inspection by the sheriff.
14. Standing Water Ordinance
No barrel, trough, or container shall be allowed to collect stagnant water that may breed mosquitoes or illness. Properties must be kept free of foul ditches, uncovered cisterns, or other breeding grounds for disease, on penalty of $10 fine and mandatory cleanup under town marshal’s supervision.
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15. Livestock Ordinance
Livestock (hogs, chickens, goats, etc.) shall not be kept in town limits in numbers exceeding what is needed for family subsistence. All pens and coops must be cleaned weekly.
Property owners must take measures to reduce rats, lice, and fleas, especially near food storage on penalty of $5 fine per week of noncompliance; animals may be seized if conditions are severe.
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16. Open Flame Ordinance
No open flame, oil lamp, or lantern shall be left burning unattended in any business or home. Candles must be kept in holders, and no child under twelve shall be permitted to carry a lantern unsupervised, on penalty of $10 fine; damages resulting in fire may carry criminal negligence charges.
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Each able-bodied household must maintain two full water buckets in readiness in case of fire. In the event of an alarm, all citizens shall report to their designated street bucket line unless excused by age, health, or religious office.
SAINT DENIS CIVIL LAW
INTRODUCTION
Saint Denis is the capital of the state, a large, bustling city on the waterfront. With a diverse citizenship and a rich history, the city is known for its tolerance on all manner of things - as well as its focus on arts and culture over all else.
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OF SOCIAL ORDER
1.1 Legal Proprietorship
Citizens of the city, regardless of origin, sex, race, or creed, possess the right to own property under their own choice and volition. No man or woman shall be denied their right to business or trade within the City of Saint Denis.
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Proprietors reserve the right to deny service or employment to anyone, for any reason.
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1.2 Refugee’s Right
Men and women of non-American descent, especially those of Chinese descent, who have not yet earned legal citizenship within the country may seek refuge and work strictly within the Jade Ward, Eastrow, or Dockside districts of the city, only under legal citizens of the city.
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1.3 Wive’s Right
Any woman, possessing property within the City prior to her marriage, shall retain custody of her property, regardless of spouse’s holdings or status.
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1.4 Decency Code
Any woman within a public space found without proper attire - dictated as an ankle-length skirt, proper footwear, and either bonnet, hat, or parasol - unless engaged in active labor or in mourning, may be cited for public indecency.
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Any man found within the city’s trade and financial districts without proper shirt, trousers, and footwear will be similarly cited.
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1.5 Heritage Code
Parades, festivities, and religious processions of immigrant origin must be verified and permitted by the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and may not interfere with Christian processions or rites.
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The use of foreign languages may only be utilized within the Jade Ward, Eastrow, or Dockside districts of the city, or within permissed private property.
1.6 Road Clearance
No structure, fence, or stall shall extend onto a public thoroughfare, footpath, or market square without city license. Tenants or occupants shall maintain the cleanliness and safety of any adjoining sidewalk, alleyway, or balcony.
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Street performers, musicians, and fortune-tellers, and all disruptive trades within public streets are prohibited after dark, on fine of $20.
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1.7 Vagrancy Law
Any person found loitering, sleeping, or begging in public without visible means of support may be charged as a vagrant, on arrest of up to 30 days (1 week). No group of more than three persons shall loiter at street corners, alleyways, or docks in a manner obstructing traffic or business.
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Children found begging or wandering are remanded to the City Orphanage or Catholic Sisters of Mercy for instruction and discipline.
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1.8 Conduct Law
Any person uttering profane, lewd, or blasphemous language in the public squares, on the docks, or within earshot of a lady or child shall be fined not more than $10, or imprisoned two days.
Unseemly displays of affection or solicitation in public thoroughfares shall be punishable by a fine of $5, or removal from the premises.
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OF PUBLIC SAFETY
2.1 Carrier’s Right
It shall be unlawful to openly carry a firearm in any public space within Saint Denis without a city-issued permit, except in the following cases:
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Peace officers
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Active-duty military
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City-appointed night watch or guardsmen
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Recognized bounty hunters with registered warrants
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Bank and rail guards with company license
Firearms may not be carried into any church, school, theatre, saloon, or gambling hall, even by those with permits.
2.2 Discharge Ordinance
No firearms may be discharged within city limits except:
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In defense of life
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During law enforcement
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At designated shooting ranges or hunting clubs outside city bounds
2.3 Gunsmith’s Ordinance
All merchants selling firearms must:
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Register their inventory monthly
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Refrain from selling to minors, drunkards, or non-citizen immigrants
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Refuse all sales without proof of residence in the parish
2.4 Public Fighting
Fighting in public is prohibited under penalty of fine or jail, regardless of reason or status. This includes:
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Fistfights
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Street brawls
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Assault with blunt or sharp objects
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Use of canes or walking sticks as weapons
Any display of a deadly weapon during a verbal dispute may be treated as attempted assault, even if no blow is struck.
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2.5 Segregation of Practice
All facilities of the following classes - those being hospitals, clinics, bathhouses, libraries, and railcars - must maintain separate, clean, and kempt sections or wards for white and colored peoples, in accordance with the city Bureau of Health.
Public schools and churches may not cross the teaching or worship of pupils or worshippers , in accordance with the city Bureau of Education.
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2.6 Transport Safety Ordinance
Every horse, mule, or team of animals used for hire, freight, or commercial transport used within the city must be registered with the City Clerk for Stagecoach licensure.
2.7 Domestic Animal Ordinance
Cruelty to horses, dogs, or beasts of burden is prohibited. Beating or overworking an animal may incur a fine up to $20, and confiscation by the constable.
Any stray dog without collar shall be seized by the city pound; if unclaimed within three days, it shall be destroyed.
2.8 Wild Animal Ordinance
No person shall exhibit exotic or dangerous animals (serpents, apes, lions, etc.) in public without license and containment by iron cage.
2.9 Road Safety Ordinance
No cart, carriage, wagon, or horse shall:
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Gallop or trot above a moderate pace within city limits.
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Drive abreast (side-by-side) so as to block traffic.
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Stop upon bridges, crossings, or near streetcar tracks except to load or unload.
No animal shall be left unattended while hitched in the street unless secured with proper halter and weight.
2.10 Runoff Safety Ordinance
Stable runoff, dung, and straw must be removed daily and not dumped into gutters, drains, or canals. No refuse, offal, garbage, dead animals, or stagnant water shall be left to fester in public sight or upon the streets, canals, or levees.
It is unlawful to:
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Throw garbage or animal remains into the gutters, canals, or river.
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Empty chamber pots into streets or drains.
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Allow waste to accumulate behind shops, boarding houses, or taverns.
Every house or business must maintain a privy or cesspool of proper depth and distance from wells or cisterns. Contents of cesspools and night-soil pits must be emptied by licensed scavengers, known as “night men,” between 10 PM and 5 AM.
Corpses of large animals must be removed by the city’s dead animal contractor and hauled to the rendering yard outside city limits. All butchers, fishmongers, and produce sellers must keep stalls swept and blood drained away into proper channels.
2.11 Disease Safety Ordinance
In case of yellow fever, cholera, or smallpox, the Mayor may declare a Sanitary Emergency, authorizing:
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Quarantine of ships and wharves.
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Disinfection of homes and bedding with sulfur or carbolic acid.
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Temporary closing of schools, theaters, and churches.
Persons concealing sickness or corpses during epidemics are subject to arrest and fine.
2.12 Fire Safety Ordinance
No building within the Central or Commercial Wards shall be erected or rebuilt with wooden exterior walls or roofs. Every new structure must provide one accessible means of escape, either by stairway or fire ladder.Balconies, galleries, and verandas of wooden construction are allowed, but must not overhang into the street by more than three feet.
Haylofts, warehouses, and factories must maintain fire buckets and sand barrels on each floor.
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The Fire Marshal and his deputies may enter any building (except private bedrooms) upon probable cause to inspect for hazards.
2.13 Curfew Ordinance
All persons under the age of sixteen years shall be prohibited from being upon the streets, wharves, levees, or public houses after the hour of nine o’clock in the evening unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or employer.
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No general curfew shall be imposed upon adult residents of Saint Denis. Citizens may move freely at all hours, save for those areas declared unsafe or restricted by the city marshal or health authority.
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Gatherings of more than ten persons in public squares, docks, or street corners after eleven o’clock shall be considered unlawful unless licensed for festivity, religious observance, or parade.
OF PUBLIC MORALITY
3.1 Prostitution Mandate
Prostitution is not legalized, but tolerated so long as it remains:
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Confined to designated vice districts
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Not conducted in public or near schools, churches, or civic institutions
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Discreet in advertising and appearance
Brothels and independent workers are required to procure proper licensure from the City Council, and keep record of monthly physical exams at the Saint Denis City Hospital.
3.2 Prohibition of Alcohol
The sale of alcohol must take place within licensed venues, Monday through Saturday. All alcohol sold during closed hours must be provided in sealed containers, and consumed in private dwellings or rooms.
Public drunkenness to be fined $20, with jailing until sobriety.
3.3 Right of Religion
The Catholic Church, Protestant congregations, and Jewish synagogues may each hold worship services at customary hours without restriction or interference, under any circumstances.
3.4 Prohibition of Gambling
Gambling is lawful only under license issued by the City Treasurer, available to men of good standing in proprietorship of drinking halls. Private games held in homes or clubs are permitted if no public betting or profit is taken by the host.
Any gambling outside licensed or private premises is unlawful, punishable by $120 fine.
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OF THE COURTS
4.1 Right of Court
No citizen of the city, regardless of origin, sex, race, or creed, may be denied right of representation by fair trial, nor to represent another with proper licensure. Nor shall any man deemed fit to judge or serve as jury by the State of Lavinia, be denied his right on account of origin, race, or creed.
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4.2 Right of Vote
Any man, senior of twenty-one years and holding citizenship, retains the right to vote in city elections, regardless of origin, race, or creed.
STRAWBERRY TOWN CODE
INTRODUCTION
Strawberry is a small logging town - a sleepy, quiet community known for its serene atmosphere. Here, any man or woman can live in peace... the people operate largely by a 'don't ask, don't tell' mantra, and keep to their own.
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CIVIC CODE
By the Civil Code of the township of Strawberry, every man, woman, and child, regardless of his or her race, color, or origin, who conducts themselves peaceably, pays their dues, and abides by the ordinances of the town, shall not be hindered or harassed by citizens or officers, and are subject to and protected by the same ordinances of Strawberry.
TOWN LAWS
1. Right to Bear Arms
Every peaceable citizen of the township shall have the right to keep and carry firearms or other weapons upon his person or property, provided such arms be used and borne in a lawful and peaceable manner.
Any person who brandishes, flourishes, or otherwise displays a firearm or blade in a threatening or disorderly manner, not being in immediate peril, shall be guilty of disturbing the peace.
2. Disorderly Conduct
Any person who, by drunkenness, quarrel, loud or profane speech, brawling, brandishing of weapons, indecent exposure, disturbance of the peace, or any behavior tending to alarm, offend, or endanger the quiet and good order of the township, shall be deemed guilty of disorderly conduct.
The Sheriff or his deputies may, at their discretion, arrest such person and detain them not exceeding one night (1 hour), or impose a fine not exceeding ten dollars, as the case may warrant.
3. Sale of Intoxicating Spirits
Any man or woman may sell or dispense liquor within the township, provided they obtain a tavern or saloon license from the Sheriff’s office and maintain peace within their establishment.
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No person shall sell or give spirits to any individual already in a state of visible drunkenness, nor to any minor under the age of sixteen years.
4. Houses of Ill Repute
Any house wherein prostitution is carried on quietly, without public solicitation or disorder, shall not be interfered with by the town authorities; yet any bawdy-house or brothel which becomes a nuisance, loud, or indecent in manner shall be suppressed by order of the Sheriff.
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No person shall openly solicit carnal business upon the public road, near the church, schoolhouse, or within sight of the courthouse or jail.
5. Disposal of Waste and Offal
No person shall cast or leave offal, animal carcasses, or refuse upon public ground or into the creek within the settled bounds of Strawberry.
Waste may be buried, burned, or carted beyond the mill road.
6. Public Health and Contagion
In the event of known sickness or contagious malady, the Sheriff, upon consultation with the local physician, may quarantine the affected house or district until such danger be passed.
7. Fire Safety
All businesses fronting the main street shall keep at least two filled water buckets or barrels upon the premises for the purpose of fire control.
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No open flame or lamp shall be left unattended in barns, stables, or sawmills. Lanterns must be covered and hung secure. No man shall smoke a pipe, cigar, or cigarette within ten feet of hay, lumber piles, or powder stores.
LAWS OF VALENTINE
INTRODUCTION
Valentine is a frontier town, the classic image of a southern township. The place is rough, yet minds its own and more than that - PROTECTS its own. Justice is believed in strongly here, but so are liberties. Do not be too public about the skeletons in your closet, and all will be just fine.
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TOWN LAWS
1. Equal Right to Commerce
All persons, regardless of color or origin, may trade, work, or conduct lawful business in Valentine. Any ranch, business, or public work may employ whom they please. Disputes over wage discrimination or abuse are civil matters, not criminal. All persons may give testimony in town court if they are of sound mind and not under sentence of crime.
No merchant or innkeeper is required to serve anyone, but the town prohibits open violence, threats, or obstruction of trade on account of race, origin, or creed.
2. Equal Right to Arms
Citizens may openly carry revolvers, rifles, and shotguns within town limits, provided the weapons are unloaded or secured while in public gatherings or establishments.
Drawing, waving, or handling a weapon in a threatening or careless manner - except in self-defense - within town limits is a breach of peace.
Fighting with fists or weapons in public is Disorderly Conduct with Violence.
3. Licensing of Saloons and Taverns
Any establishment serving liquor must obtain a Liquor License renewed through the Clerk’s Office.
Drunkenness itself is not unlawful, but any drunk found fighting, disturbing the peace, or lying in the street shall be arrested for Disorderly Conduct.
4. Licensing of Prostitution
Prostitution is tolerated but regulated. All brothels and “boarding houses for women of pleasure” must hold a license, as must all soliciting women. Licensed brothels subject to inspection by the town doctor once monthly for cleanliness and disease control.
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Refusal or repeated sickness outbreaks may void the license.
Any man who lays hands on a woman of ill repute within town limits shall pay restitution to the victim.
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5. Vagrancy Law
Any able-bodied person found without visible means of support, not seeking work, or idling about town for more than three consecutive days without lawful occupation may be deemed a vagrant, and removed from town.
6. Cleanliness of Streets and Premises
Every property owner or tenant must keep the space in front of their premises free of rubbish, manure, standing water, and offensive matter. Stable owners must remove dung and bedding to the town dump at least once per week.
All refuse and animal remains to be disposed of at the town refuse pit, located south of the rail spur. Dumping into the river, wells, or public street is strictly prohibited.
7. Public Safety and Nuisance
Standing filth, stagnant ponds, foul smoke, or carcasses deemed offensive may be declared a Public Nuisance by the Sheriff.
All chimneys and stove pipes must be lined and fitted with spark guards.Each business front and stable must maintain one full water barrel or two fire buckets readily available.
8. Town Curfew
Children under sixteen years of age shall not be found upon the streets or in saloons after 9 o’clock p.m., unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Groups of five or more persons gathering after dark in the streets or alleys may be dispersed by the Sheriff if deemed “boisterous or suspicious in purpose.”
9. Mainstreet Clearance
No herd exceeding twenty head of cattle may be driven through Main Street during daylight hours.
Any stray horse, mule, dog, or cattle found unbound after three days shall be seized by the Sheriff and advertised at the Valentine Livery Stable for auction after one week.