Category Archives: Regulation of the Day

Even the humble wooden crate cannot escape the government’ watchful regulatory eye. The rules include provisions for:

-Which types of trees from which countries may be used to make crates.
-Bark removal from the logs used to make the crates.
-Pest inspection.
-Heat treatment.
-Fumigation.
-Treated wood must be marked (the Department of Defense is exempt from this requirement).
-There are other rules for bamboo crates.
-And for loose wood.

In Wisconsin, you need a license to work as a soil scientist. The requirements are listed here, and the paperwork (up to 27 forms!) is here in case you’re interested in applying.

It is a federal offense for telemarketers to charge their customers without permission. In regulatory lingo, this is known as “Causing billing information to be submitted for payment, directly or indirectly, without the express informed consent of the customer or donor.”

In English, this is called stealing. Which was already against the law long before this regulation hit the books.

In Virginia, state law requires audiometers used for prescribing hearing aids to be calibrated at least annually. Records must be kept for three years.

Want to fly a plane? The FAA just published 72 pages worth of changes to its already extensive certification rules. 173 changes in all.

Don’t forget to list your current residential address when applying for a knowledge test.

While cleaning my microwave oven at home the other day, I noticed a little metal badge on the inside with the model number, serial number, and some other information. At the bottom, it declared in capital letters:

“THIS PRODUCT COMPLIES WITH DHHS RULES 21 CFR SUBCHAPTER J.”

So I looked it up. The rule says, among other things, that appliances have to have little badges on them that say they comply with rule requiring the little badges. Perhaps this comes from the Department of Redundancy Department?

It is illegal for children to sell lemonade in New York City without a permit.

Clementine Lee, 10, was recently fined $50 for selling lemonade in Riverside Park. Fortunately, “A spokesperson for the Parks Department says the agents showed poor judgment and that the ticket will be dismissed.”

This translates roughly to “we were getting too much bad publicity.”

(Hat tip: Reason Daily Brickbats)