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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/rusty0123 on 2025-05-29 11:08:12+00:00.
The moss garden gave me a chuckle, so I decided to share my neighborhood malicious compliance.
I live in a sort of pocket neighborhood. When I first moved here everyone was pretty chill. Mostly lovely older people. No HOA. As neighbors got older and less active, we took care of each other. Mowed others lawns, etc.
As people retired or downsized, a younger group moved in. New couples, children, corporate types. And the code violation complaints start rolling in.
Our town is not too bad. Grass has to be less than 12" tall, no brush, etc. But one weird quirk, if your flowers and plantings are not clearly marked as landscaping (like borders around flowerbeds), they are considered "lawn" and must be cut to under 12".
So suddenly, we had to dig up things like flowers planted along the sidewalk, or bulbs that bloomed seasonally.
Then one of the neighbors discovered that our state has a "wildlife habitat" designation for areas allowed to grow wild.
The only rule to apply for a "wildlife habitat" permit is that half your plants must be native.
That is easy compliance. Say if you have 25 trees, shrubs, and plants in your yard, you can plant 26 native flowering plants and now you're a "wildlife habitat".
Post your little state-approved sign, and the city code compliance can't touch you.
Every other house in my neighborhood is now a wildlife habitat.