Things you should know if you move here

One of my professors said they got ticketed for parking their car on their own lawn. At the house they own, not rent. And the officer said, "In Pullman, we don't park on lawns".

What?

I was looking for something else tonight and came across a "Resident's Guide to Pullman" or some such thing.

I started reading.

At first it's really helpful. Phone numbers of the phone company, garbage people, library, etc. All the things you'd ever want to know. Even the fire chief's direct office line. Wow.

Then there is the "summaries of some state and local regulations". This is where it got funny.

Funny because they have to put it on the freakin' page welcoming you to our town.

Which ones do they summarize? Ones about alcohol consumption, nuisance parties, noise restrictions, and fireworks for starters.

There's even a section which specifies that you MAY NOT place indoor furniture out of doors with the intent to leave it there. No couches on the porch for us! Even in privately owned homes. Clearly it was a problem at some point for them to feel the need to address it in city code.

Then, there it was; the parking regulations. It goes through the specifics on how long, in hours, you can leave a vehicle parked on the side of a city street. It discusses the short (read: NO) notice given for snow removal and de-icing.

Tucked in at the end of the paragraph was this. "Pullman City Code, Chapter 12.10.092, also prohibits parking vehicles on front lawns."

But I was not done. Because neither were they.

Here's a section we all need to know (if we're renting): Helpful tips for renters.

Yes, you should get renter's insurance. Yes, you are required to keep your smoke alarms in working order (including the battery). No, you should NOT try to save money and shut off your heat over Christmas Break while you go home to Mom and Dad.

But the best section was the "Safe Housing Checklist".

Why?

Because it includes informational nuggets like:

• Electrical boxes should have covers over the wires.



• If you use an outdoor electrical outlet or switch it should not spark or shock you.



• The support walls and posts should be plumb and straight.



• A door should separate the kitchen from the toilet room. (I'm serious)

but my personal favorite is:

• All apartments are required to have a door opening into a hallway or the outside.

I don't know what happened to make that be part of the checklist but I'm interested to know how those people got IN that place to find out it was a problem to NOT have a door to a hallway or the outside.