Ever been on a float trip or camping and crossed the path of a tree or fence that had a purple painted square on it? You probably didn’t pay any attention to it. Many floaters and campers don’t acknowledge the purple square at all without realizing by ignoring it, they’re breaking the law.

The purple square painted on trees or on fences means ‘No Trespassing.’ Missouri is one of the few states that have this law, although there are some property owners in other states that enjoy this law and are hoping that their state passes it too. The law was passed in 2012 and took immediate effect in 2013. The reason behind it is to help private property owners keep away from unwanted guests. The legal owner of the property can paint these squares anywhere they’d like to keep people away, such as rowdy crowds, floaters who want to stop to eat or swim, or campers.

There are a few rules that go with the purple painted square. The first rule is that the purple squares have to be either on trees or fence posts. The purple squares can’t be more than 100ft apart from each other. The square itself must be, at the least, 8 inches in height and 8 inches in width. The law requires those measurements of the square that way so it is big enough for any passerby to see and notice it. Lastly, the square has to be painted 3 to 5 feet off the ground of the tree.

Most private property owners use the purple paint instead of the signs because people can go and tear down the signs. Trespassing on any private property is illegal but trespassing on property that have no trespassing signs/painted trees is a serious offense, and can lead to more trouble for the trespasser. The fee for trespassing on no trespassing property can be a $500 fine and up to 6 months in jail. Tearing down the signs and disposing of them has caused private property owners not able to prove that they had those signs up if they caught the trespassers. The purple paint is something trespassers can’t exactly tear down and throw away. The purple paint law gives an advantage to property owners because now if they catch someone trespassing, they will have the proof painted on one, if not multiple, trees.

Some private property owners paint these squares on their trees to keep floaters out who want to jump off the cliffs or rope swing. Some owners may have property close to the river where floating happens and have cliffs where they think floaters might want to stop and jump off of. If there is a painted purple square it might be because the owner of that land knows that the cliff is not safe to jump off of. There could be rocks that the floaters can’t see and someone could get hurt. The owners also use this law to keep the floaters who want to pull over and set up their picnic to eat or go for a swim. Make sure if you’re pulling over to stop floating for a while, you’re not doing it on private property.

Campers can come across these signs too. If you’re choosing to camp in the woods and not at a campsite, make sure to keep a look out for the purple square on trees around you. If there is one on one tree, there is probably more painted on the other trees around you. It is more likely safer to camp out at a campsite than to wonder in the woods. Campers go out to have a great experience with their friends or family, and don’t want to end up with a fine for trespassing.

Whether you’re a floater or a camper, make sure that you pay attention to your surroundings. Look at the trees and fences when trying to find a place to pull over or camp. You don’t want a floating and camping adventure to end up with a frustrated group of friends or family and a big ticket to pay off