Is It Legal To Be Naked On Your Own Property In New York?

This may be a sensitive subject for some. For others, they can't wait to rip off their clothes when home. Where are we allowed to be naked in New York State anyway? Is there rules and laws when it comes to your own property?

According to the New York Times, New York State decency laws do apply to some behavior inside a private residence.

You could cross a line if you were to, say, intentionally flash your neighbors for an extended period of time"

So let's say you wanted to just walk around your home. When it comes to walking in your own home, you’re not breaking any sort of New York law. This includes if your neighbors happens to spot you:

“Nudity is, for better or worse, something that pretty much has to be tolerated when you live in a city as densely populated as New York,” said Eric D. Sherman, a real estate lawyer and a partner at the Manhattan law firm Pryor Cashman.

The Times goes on to mention that if you do want to walk around free as a bird, you may not want someone watching you. They suggest hanging up a sheer curtain in the window, one that will not reduce light, but will provide you some privacy.

Keep in mind, there is no laws when it deals with private property. However, New York criminalizes exposure of a person, one of several offenses "against public sensibilities," where a person appears in a public place and exposes (or does not clothe) the private or intimate parts of his or her body. So don't just plan on heading to the grocery store with no clothing.