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I’ll never forget the first time a friend of mine ran out of gas on the highway. He had a new motorcycle, miscalculated the tank, and ended up stranded. The way he tells it, a police officer pulled up behind him to ask what the problem was. When he said, “I ran out of gas,” the officer grabbed a can from the back of his cruiser and gave the motorcyclist a gallon. Apparently, having the rider safely off the highway was worth a gallon to him. But the police of Youngstown, Ohio might have ticketed the rider instead.

It’s illegal to run out of gas in Youngstown, Ohio

It’s been long rumored that running out of gasoline is illegal if you’re in Youngstown, Ohio. There are often-reprinted lists of the strangest driving laws in all 50 states. it often includes nuggets such as “In Oklahoma it’s illegal to read a comic book while driving” and “In Utah, birds have the right of way on all highways.” Often the Ohio entry reads like this: “It’s illegal to run out of gas in Youngstown.”

These lists are often shared by companies with high content blogs, such as automotive insurance companies or local radio stations. But Youngstown even made a Snapple cap. It reads, “In Youngstown, Ohio, it is against the law to run out of gas.” Snapple juice bottle caps are known for random trivia facts, and this fact’s reportedly been in Snapple’s rotation for over 20 years.

Snapple cap facts mention Youngstown..
byu/MyMilkShake_Shaken inyoungstown

So is this fact true, or just an urban legend? My colleague Kaanii Powell Cleaver tried to get to the bottom of it back in 2021. They Googled the law and even looked for it on the Snopes fact-checking website but no dice.

Well, search engines get better all the time. And an increasing number of municipalities post bylaws on the internet. On American Legal Publishing’s eCode Code Library I finally found the law. Youngstown, Ohio oridnance:  331.44. “SUFFICIENT FUEL REQUIRED IN CONGESTED DISTRICT.”

331.44. SUFFICIENT FUEL REQUIRED IN CONGESTED DISTRICT.

(a)   No person shall operate or permit to be operated any vehicle within the congested district bounded by Chestnut, Walnut, Boardman and Commerce Streets without sufficient fuel to drive the vehicle from the district.

   (b)   Whoever violates any provision of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on a first offense; on a second offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree; on each subsequent offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
– Youngstown, Ohio Ordinance 331.44