DONT SPEAK: Is It Illegal to Have a Conversation While in a NY Elevator?

Have you ever been in a situation where you see someone doing something, but it gets on your last nerve and you utter to yourself "That should be against the law?"

Annoyed in an Elevator

Well, it happened to me yesterday and I was so annoyed that I looked up if the annoyance in question was actually illegal, and to my surprise... it is! Kind of.

The other day I was at a doctor's office and needed to get to the 3rd floor so I hopped on the elevator. Someone else jumped on too an immediately took a call and started flapping their gums in an animated conversation.

I'm not sure if it was the doctor's office nerves or just that the person's conversation was super loud in such a small space but I was annoyed. So once I was settled at the doctor's office I did a quick Google search: Is it illegal to talk loud on an elevator in New York?

And to my surprise, it is!

Elevator Etiquette in New York

Grunge.com reports that there is a law on the books somewhere that states:

"While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door"

I wish I had this tidbit of information the other day during my elevator journey. I'm guessing you can't get ticketed for it in 2023, but maybe lets keep our elevator conversations to a soft whisper?

In 2011 CBS NY reporter Nina Pajak was researching "bizarre laws and ordinances" that exist in New York and came across the elevator law and some other strange rules. For example, Nina writes:

It's illegal for a stranger to throw a ball at your head for their own amusement, which is good because a person who would bean a random citizen in the head for fun is most likely a dangerous psychopath. Also, the next time you are forced into a game of dodgeball, just know that the law is on your side.

So, stop talking in elevators and don't throw a ball at someone's head. Got it!

If you think that the New York alleged elevator law is weird, take a look at some of the weird things around the Hudson Valley that we just accept as normal below, LOL: