If you live in Texas, as well as a number of other states, you have certainly seen a fence post or tree painted purple. And you probably already know not to go anywhere near it. But do you understand why?

Texas and other states with the purple paint law allow residents and land owners to mark the outskirts of their territory with bright purple spray paint. Instead of building a wall or fence around the property, Texans and residents of other states with a similar law understand that purple paint means no trespassing…

Why do states do this? Well because of the unpredictable weather patterns, especially considering the disastrous effect climate change is having on America’s southern states, “No Trespassing” signs can easily be blown away in a wind storm. Landowners need another way to mark the borders of their land.

And as any Texan understands, if someone has a sprawling patch of land, how are they supposed to monitor their property’s boarders if they have to do so much on a daily basis? It’s just too much work for anyone to do on top of farming their land or managing their cattle.

Because the landowners in Texas and other states with the purple paint law have so much land to watch over, they probably wouldn’t notice a single “No Trespassing” sign missing in the first place. It’s not like they go around checking on that every day.

The purple paint law allows landowners to spray it and forget it.

Besides telling any passerby that the land beyond belongs to someone, the purple mark is also known as “No Hunting Purple.” It signifies to hunters that this property belongs to an individual and to stay clear. It can help keep people out of their properties and keep people safe from stray bullets.

The Purple paint law is not new. Arkansas, where Bill Clinton was born, first created this law back in 1987. So if you’ve accidentally wandered beyond a purple painted fence or gate, you’ve broken the law. At least now you know what it really means.

A number of states utilize the Purple Paint Law in order to signify “No Trespassing.” Here is the list:

-Texas
-Illinois
-Missouri
-North Carolina
-Maine
-Florida
-Idaho
-Arkansas
-Montana
-Arizona
-Kansas

Does your state have the Purple Paint Law? Do you think it is a good law to institute in every state?

According to Central Texas Geocachers, Purple paint markings in Texas “must be: vertical, at least 8 inches long, at least 1 inch wide. [The] bottom of the mark should be between 3-5 feet above the ground. Markings can be no more than 100 feet apart in timberland. Markings can be no more than 1,000 feet apart on open land, [and] they must be in a place visible by those approaching the property.”