You can't skateboard in most public places in Salt Lake City, except for a few designated skateparks. Now it turns out you can't do it in your own backyard.

A provision buried in a Salt Lake Valley Health District noise-pollution ordinance passed in August expressly forbids backyard skate ramps:

4.5.21. Sporting Ramps. No person shall build or use nor shall any person cause, allow, or permit anyone to build or allow anyone to use any skateboard, roller blade, bicycle, or snowboard ramp or half-pipe or similar configuration within 800 feet of a dwelling, except within facilities that have been designated for such use by a government entity.

Utah skateboarders are incensed enough that some have started an online petition to overturn this ban.

As the site's creator (who explains his own plight of installing a $3,000 backyard ramp, only to be told it was illegal) points out, "anyone who has ever used a backyard skate ramp knows that it that it would be an impossible argument to say that a Mini-ramp produces any more noise than a backyard swing set, trampoline, swimming pool, basket ball hoop, or a family backyard gathering for a nice summer evening barbeque."

News of the backyard skatepark ban has reached the national action-sports network, which led to an item on ESPN's web site.

UPDATE: That didn't take long. According to this story in Wednesday's Tribune by Derek P. Jensen, the SLVHD is considering a suspension of the skate-ramp ban, after receiving hundreds of complaining e-mails. Fight the power, 'boarders!

Labels: government, skateboarding