If you’ve ever wandered through the woods and come across purple paint, chances are you didn’t think anything of it. You may be surprised, however, to learn that there is a very specific meaning to this odd symbol. Purple paint has been adopted as a legal form of marking one’s private property in certain states.
In states such as Texas and Arkansas, many people have large patches of property that extend far beyond what one can see with just the eyes. With so much land to keep track of, property owners have found it useful to be able to clearly mark where their property boundaries are. This protects the homeowners from encountering trespassers, and it prevents hikers from wandering into private property.
The problem is that signs can be easily destroyed. According to American Web Media, “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 windstorm. Landowners need another way to mark the borders of their land.”
The most effective measure is to identify the border with patches of purple paint, which can be marked onto wooden posts or even trees. As a non-common color in nature, purple is one of the most easily identified colors. It is also among the few colors that color-blind people are able to readily recognize. Therefore, when it comes to selecting a color to mark this type of distinction, purple was the best choice for the job.
Once an outsider reaches the boundary marked by this purple paint, he is staring at private property. The purple paint also signifies a “No Hunting” zone. People who own vast amounts of land often have livestock to look out for, so it makes sense that they would not want stray hunters honing in on their animals.
The purple marker law has specific regulations. The Central Texas Geocachers report that purple paint markers 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 on open land, [and] they must be in a place visible by those approaching the property.”
If you see purple paint, the best thing to do is simply to turn your direction away from the private property. Not all states have adopted this law; the ones that have are: Texas, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Maine, Florida, Idaho, Arkansas, Montana, Arizona, and Kansas.
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