France's weirdest local laws - from mosquito bans to donkey rules
In France mayors - and their local authorities - have quite a lot of power, which means that plenty of towns have their own laws that only apply in that area. And some of them are pretty weird.
French mayors have a very important role to play, whether they are in charge of big cities and control a multi-million euro budget or they are village mayors responsible for just a few hundred souls.
EXPLAINED: What powers do French mayors have?
They have wide ranging powers and can, and do, bring in laws that have far-reaching effects on the lives of local people - from traffic restrictions to rules on drinking and even, in extreme cases, imposing a night-time curfew. Some national rules - such as water restrictions during a drought - are also implemented on a local basis, allowing authorities to decide the level of restrictions.
Most of the rules they make are entirely sensible and allow local variations to national laws in order to try and improve the lives of citizens.
Some places, however, have laws that at first glance seem a little bizarre.
Illegal to sit down
The south-west town of Angoulême - famous for its annual comic book festival - has recently introduced a decree allowing the town to issue fines to people who "block the public space by sitting or lying down".
The rather vaguely-worded law gives local police the power to issue €35 fines to people who are sitting or lying in any public space - including pavements and in front of the train station - if they are deemed to be obstructing a public space.
It's not the town's first foray into sitting-based rules - it also wrapped its public benches in wire to prevent homeless people sleeping on them (or anyone else sitting on them).
Illegal to be rude
The Mayor of Lhéraule, a village of some 200 people in northern France, introduced a rule in 2012 whereby visitors to the town hall have to use polite phrases like bonjour and merci during their visit.
Should they fail to do so, they can be asked to leave. The rule is not applicable during weddings or election days.
When the town first introduced the rule, it was considered a strange curiosity, but more recently 'incivility' to public officials has become a major problem, ranging from verbal abuse and online attacks to physical assaults.
The mayor of a town in northern France became a target for the far-right over a new centre for asylum seekers, and eventually resigned after an arson attack at his home. The home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L'Hay-les-roses was also targeted during the recent riots.
Illegal to insult a donkey
Donkeys get a bad reputation - with most phrases (in both English and French) relating to them being stupid, stubborn or both.
In 1991 the mayor of Saint-Léger-des-Prés in Brittany - who owned three donkeys - decided that this was unfair and banned in his town donkey-related insults such as bête comme un âne (stupid as a donkey) dire des âneries (talking rubbish) un bonnet d'âne (a dunce's cap) and faire l'âne (acting dumb).
The decree remains in place although it's unclear whether anyone has actually been punished for hurting the feelings of a local donkey.
Illegal to fly a UFO
We're not sure whether aliens (if they exist, of course) speak French or read municipal decrees - but in one town in south-west France it is illegal to land a UFO
The 1954 law states that you cannot fly a UFO over Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or land one in the town.
It is thought that this rule was initially passed as part of a marketing campaign and has remained in place ever since. If you're not an alien, we highly recommend a trip to Châteauneuf-du-Pape - the town is very pretty and the world-famous wine is excellent.
Illegal to walk a dog without a DNA test
To be clear - it's the dog that needs the test, rather than its owner. This is the result of a new law in the town of Béziers in southern France, aimed at people who do not pick up after their dogs.
The town mayor, fed up with dog mess on the streets, has decreed that all local dogs must take a DNA test and get a 'health pass' in order to legally be walked in the town centre. Dog mess found on the streets will be collected and DNA tested, with the culprit identified via the local register of pet owners.
Walking your dog without a health pass can net you a €35 fine (although there will apparently be toleration for tourists and visitors) while fouling will cost you €122.
Shirtless men are banned
A national law banning being topless (for both genders) in public was scrapped in 1994, but several towns have opted to replace it with their own local laws, especially targeting men who wander around shirtless as the temperatures rise.
For example those who decide to go shirtless in the town of Trouville-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast, face fines of up to €17 while at La Grande Motte, a popular seaside resort in the southern French region of Occitanie this penalty jumps to €60. Bandol on the French Riviera has a fine of €38.
Even in places where it is not illegal, it's considered impolite or scruffy for men to be topless in a town centre, so if you're on the beach you would be well advised to put a top on before going to a restaurant or bar.
READ ALSO The rules on going topless in French towns
Mosquitoes are barred from town
The town hall of Briollay, a small town in western France, banned mosquitoes with a municipal decree in 2018.
As well as being highly annoying to those who get bitten, mosquitoes are increasingly presenting health risks - the Asian tiger mosquito is now endemic across most of France and carries several potentially fatal diseases.
Local authorities, especially in the south, are increasingly carrying out commune-wide anti-mosquito treatments at the start of the summer in an attempt to protect locals.
The legislation in Briollay appears to have had little impact, however - probably because mosquitoes cannot read.
. . . but trousers are not illegal in Paris
There's a persistent historical myth that it was technically illegal for women to wear trousers in France until 2013, because of a never-repealed law.
In fact, this was a local decree that only ever affected Paris, and rather than an outright ban required women to get permission from local authorities if they wanted to 'dress as men'.
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French mayors have a very important role to play, whether they are in charge of big cities and control a multi-million euro budget or they are village mayors responsible for just a few hundred souls.
EXPLAINED: What powers do French mayors have?
They have wide ranging powers and can, and do, bring in laws that have far-reaching effects on the lives of local people - from traffic restrictions to rules on drinking and even, in extreme cases, imposing a night-time curfew. Some national rules - such as water restrictions during a drought - are also implemented on a local basis, allowing authorities to decide the level of restrictions.
Most of the rules they make are entirely sensible and allow local variations to national laws in order to try and improve the lives of citizens.
Some places, however, have laws that at first glance seem a little bizarre.
Illegal to sit down
The south-west town of Angoulême - famous for its annual comic book festival - has recently introduced a decree allowing the town to issue fines to people who "block the public space by sitting or lying down".
The rather vaguely-worded law gives local police the power to issue €35 fines to people who are sitting or lying in any public space - including pavements and in front of the train station - if they are deemed to be obstructing a public space.
It's not the town's first foray into sitting-based rules - it also wrapped its public benches in wire to prevent homeless people sleeping on them (or anyone else sitting on them).
Illegal to be rude
The Mayor of Lhéraule, a village of some 200 people in northern France, introduced a rule in 2012 whereby visitors to the town hall have to use polite phrases like bonjour and merci during their visit.
Should they fail to do so, they can be asked to leave. The rule is not applicable during weddings or election days.
When the town first introduced the rule, it was considered a strange curiosity, but more recently 'incivility' to public officials has become a major problem, ranging from verbal abuse and online attacks to physical assaults.
The mayor of a town in northern France became a target for the far-right over a new centre for asylum seekers, and eventually resigned after an arson attack at his home. The home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L'Hay-les-roses was also targeted during the recent riots.
Illegal to insult a donkey
Donkeys get a bad reputation - with most phrases (in both English and French) relating to them being stupid, stubborn or both.
In 1991 the mayor of Saint-Léger-des-Prés in Brittany - who owned three donkeys - decided that this was unfair and banned in his town donkey-related insults such as bête comme un âne (stupid as a donkey) dire des âneries (talking rubbish) un bonnet d'âne (a dunce's cap) and faire l'âne (acting dumb).
The decree remains in place although it's unclear whether anyone has actually been punished for hurting the feelings of a local donkey.
Illegal to fly a UFO
We're not sure whether aliens (if they exist, of course) speak French or read municipal decrees - but in one town in south-west France it is illegal to land a UFO
The 1954 law states that you cannot fly a UFO over Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or land one in the town.
It is thought that this rule was initially passed as part of a marketing campaign and has remained in place ever since. If you're not an alien, we highly recommend a trip to Châteauneuf-du-Pape - the town is very pretty and the world-famous wine is excellent.
Illegal to walk a dog without a DNA test
To be clear - it's the dog that needs the test, rather than its owner. This is the result of a new law in the town of Béziers in southern France, aimed at people who do not pick up after their dogs.
The town mayor, fed up with dog mess on the streets, has decreed that all local dogs must take a DNA test and get a 'health pass' in order to legally be walked in the town centre. Dog mess found on the streets will be collected and DNA tested, with the culprit identified via the local register of pet owners.
Walking your dog without a health pass can net you a €35 fine (although there will apparently be toleration for tourists and visitors) while fouling will cost you €122.
Shirtless men are banned
A national law banning being topless (for both genders) in public was scrapped in 1994, but several towns have opted to replace it with their own local laws, especially targeting men who wander around shirtless as the temperatures rise.
For example those who decide to go shirtless in the town of Trouville-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast, face fines of up to €17 while at La Grande Motte, a popular seaside resort in the southern French region of Occitanie this penalty jumps to €60. Bandol on the French Riviera has a fine of €38.
Even in places where it is not illegal, it's considered impolite or scruffy for men to be topless in a town centre, so if you're on the beach you would be well advised to put a top on before going to a restaurant or bar.
READ ALSO The rules on going topless in French towns
Mosquitoes are barred from town
The town hall of Briollay, a small town in western France, banned mosquitoes with a municipal decree in 2018.
As well as being highly annoying to those who get bitten, mosquitoes are increasingly presenting health risks - the Asian tiger mosquito is now endemic across most of France and carries several potentially fatal diseases.
Local authorities, especially in the south, are increasingly carrying out commune-wide anti-mosquito treatments at the start of the summer in an attempt to protect locals.
The legislation in Briollay appears to have had little impact, however - probably because mosquitoes cannot read.
. . . but trousers are not illegal in Paris
There's a persistent historical myth that it was technically illegal for women to wear trousers in France until 2013, because of a never-repealed law.
In fact, this was a local decree that only ever affected Paris, and rather than an outright ban required women to get permission from local authorities if they wanted to 'dress as men'.
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