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CatOfTheDecade t1_it29cdj wrote

Reply to comment by HelpfulManufacturer0 in What's with the ATV crowd in PA and what should I do about it? by Griff82

I just want to stress this: blocking access with trees or other "normal", visible obstructions is 100% fine. Also do the purple paint thing and follow up with "no trespassing" signs.

There are a lot of SGL near me and in the off seasons I do a lot of hiking through there. There are several property owners, both private and industrial, that abut the SGLs and they are slathered with purple paint and signage. It is impossible to stumble onto their property accidentally.

Whenever posts like this come up, idiots will chime in with "hurr durr, hang a cable or piano wire across the trail, it's private property so legally you can do whatever you want". Do not listen to them. This is illegal. Regardless of whether or not it actually kills anyone, you'll wind up with criminal charges and a SUBSTANTIAL civil lawsuit, which you will unconditionally lose. Your homeowners insurance will not defend you.

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Canopenerdude t1_it29pnv wrote

> Whenever posts like this come up, idiots will chime in with "hurr durr, hang a cable or piano wire across the trail, it's private property so legally you can do whatever you want". Do not listen to them. This is illegal. Regardless of whether or not it actually kills anyone, you'll wind up with criminal charges and a SUBSTANTIAL civil lawsuit, which you will unconditionally lose. Your homeowners insurance will not defend you.

For context, something that can be commonly assumed to be a 'booby trap' is illegal, no matter if you own the land or not.

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AteumKnocks t1_it2it0c wrote

When I was a kid my helmet got caught by wire stretched between two trees. If I was standing two inches taller it would've hit my neck and not my helmet/goggles. Scariest thing that's ever happened to me on a bike

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tehmlem t1_it2bi0y wrote

What about titty snares?

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saxmaster98 t1_it3we4s wrote

When I was a toddler, I would tape cd’s to a string and string them across doorways. My thought being that the holes were nipple sized and they’d catch some boobies. I was convinced booby traps were for actual boobies

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PM_ME_MURPHY_HATE t1_it6vpi5 wrote

I've been caught in those more than once. Funny thing is you don't really try to get out too fast.

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JR-Dubs t1_it2dfgh wrote

One of the few things that has stuck with me from law school and preparing for the bar lo these many years ago, is that there is a very low duty of care to trespassers upon your land, but there is a duty to warn of "known, man-made deathtraps", even to people on your land illegally. So, yeah, no booby-traps.

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wagsman t1_it2ikpo wrote

What if you put up adequate signage saying there are man-made deathtraps all over this property?

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JR-Dubs t1_it2kco1 wrote

Setting up booby traps is illegal. No matter what. When I say "known man made death traps", I mean something like the following (which is a case I actually had): A deep, but narrow trench cut on someone's land is covered by high grass that is cut at the end of the season and then the property got covered in snow, making the trench completely invisible. Man walks dog on the property (trespassing), dog got loose, while the guy was chasing the dog he fell into the trench and suffers serious injuries.

If you set up a bunch of punji traps on your property, not only are you going to get sued if someone gets injured, you're probably also going to get arrested, regardless of signage.

This all comes with the admonishment that this is not legal advice and you should not rely on it for anything except, maybe, entertainment purposes.

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wagsman t1_it2tfds wrote

I figured booby traps would be illegal, but I was curious about the legality of signage a duty of care.

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PoiLethe t1_it50swx wrote

Was it intended to be some kind of booby trap or was it just like a drainage ditch?

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BeatsMeByDre t1_it41gxb wrote

So...you can't dig a hole on your own property?

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the_real_xuth t1_it4hklp wrote

Nobody said that. But you do need to make it so that a reasonable person (even one who was trespassing) wouldn't fall in it accidentally. Because lots of trespass is legal and sometimes even required.

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BeatsMeByDre t1_it4i968 wrote

Fair enough, I wasn't trying to be snarky, just don't understand sometimes😅

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SendAstronomy t1_it5re1u wrote

That is what the district attorney will call "Exhibit A".

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bandanajack t1_it37rr5 wrote

Purple paint?

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vicodin_ice_cream t1_it3fkes wrote

Yes. As an alternative to posting the traditional no hunting signs, you can use purple blazes on the trees to indicate it’s no hunting.

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nickisaboss t1_it3zhsg wrote

Wait so purple just means no hunting, not no tresspassing?

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vicodin_ice_cream t1_it42ryc wrote

Well no hunting/trespassing. I know it from the hunting part but it can be used for both.

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ChuanFa_Tiger_Style t1_it42i8j wrote

> I just want to stress this: blocking access with trees or other "normal", visible obstructions is 100% fine. Also do the purple paint thing and follow up with "no trespassing" signs.

Also, take pictures of this when you do it. Later, if you put up the obstructions (trees, fences) and some idiot gets hurt, you can say that you marked the trails ahead of putting up the blockades.

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Finrodsrod t1_it31aq9 wrote

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to booby trap your yard, lol.

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