No, sleeping on a refrigerator in your Kentucky backyard is not illegal under state law. This notion circulates as an urban legend or joke in lists of “dumb laws,” but no actual statute prohibits it. Local zoning and nuisance ordinances regulate property use instead.​
Zoning Rules
Kentucky residential codes exempt backyard fences under 7 feet but require permits for structures like sheds or additions. Refrigerators outdoors may violate nuisance codes if unsecured, to prevent child hazards—doors must be removed or locked externally. Backyard sleeping falls under general ordinances against unlawful camping or public nuisances, but private property differs.​
Nuisance Concerns
Local codes in places like Covington or Bowling Green ban abandoned appliances attracting vagrants. Operating a fridge as a sleeping spot could prompt complaints for visual blight or safety risks. No specific ban on “sleeping on” one exists.​
Urban Legends
Claims like this mimic Kentucky’s real oddity: no ice cream cones in back pockets to deter horse theft. Similar myths fill online forums, but Kentucky Revised Statutes lack such language. Verify via official codes for accuracy.​
SOURCES
[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/113uc4/in_my_state_it_is_illegal_to_sleep_on_top_of_a/)
[2](https://dhbc.ky.gov/Documents/2018%20Kentucky%20Residential%20Code%20-%20CLEAN_FINAL%207.17.20.pdf)
[3](https://forestgrove.pgusd.org/documents/Computer-Lab/Strange-State-Laws.pdf)
[4](https://www.businessinsider.com/weird-state-laws-across-america-2018-1)
[5](https://www.covingtonky.gov/Portals/covingtonky/Government/Codes%20of%20Ordinances/O-15-20%20AMEND%20CHAPT%2092%20NUISANCES%20(08-11-20).pdf?ver=jn8I_ZH1CkJoJ2uL23gEJw%3D%3D)
