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Question: Is skateboarding a crime?

Answer: Skateboarding itself is not a crime. However, skateboarding in certain locations may be a crime.

The owners of property - homes, shopping centers, parks, etc.- have the right to set reasonable rules for what visitors to their property can do while they are visitors. Owners could be individual people, in the case of a house, a company, in the case of a shopping center, or a city government, in the case of a park. It is common to see signs on property that prohibits skateboarding. This prohibition would be a reasonable rule because skateboarding could cause injury to both the skateboarder and other visitors. A property owner can be held responsible for injuries incurred by visitors while on their property and so most property owners try to set rules that reduce the likelihood for injuries occurring. If skateboarding in a certain place is prohibited and you are caught skateboarding there, you could be charged with the crime of trespassing, as well as other crimes depending on if anything on the property was damaged due to the skateboarding or if someone was injured.

Some cities have passed ordinances (city laws) that make skateboarding illegal in certain places. It is illegal to skateboard in the street, other than in a crosswalk, in Mesa. It is illegal to skateboard in or around city buildings in Chandler. You should check with your local police department to see if there are specific restrictions like this in your city.

There are many public places where skateboarding is encouraged like Scottsdale Skateboard Park. Its best to skateboard in areas made for skateboarding.


Comments
36 thru 40 of 195 comments
On 05/16/06
Justin from AZ said:
I have been skating for about four years and I love it and I am not going to quite just because a stupid cop or old person tells me to get out of the property I LOVE SKATEBOARDING!!!
On 04/06/06
jessica from WV said:
hey whats up? why do people say that skateboarding is a crime when its not. it is art.do not let people tell you different. skaters keep on skatin
On 03/20/06
cameron from CA said:
why the law agastr skateborading we should be able too skate in schools.
On 02/27/06
Derrick from OH said:
is skateboarding a crime? no i dont believe it is. i've been skateboarding for 10 years. i never knew that there are restrictions on where i can skate. i cant even skate to school without being stopped by a cop. i skate because i love it. and im not about to stop skating just because some dumb cop said so.
On 02/14/06
Cedric Blasdell from VT said:
I think that Skateboarding is not a crime, and people shouldn't be herast daily about it. in the town of ST. Johnsbury Vermont all of the cops here have a problem with it and I think that it is pointless to herass us, because there are worse things in this town than skating like drugs or people speeding and the police act as if they don't care about these things and it's more important to herass us about skating on there sidewalks.
36 thru 40 of 195 comments



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