12 Things Californians Do That Out-of-Staters Always Get Wrong

A native Californian does a dozen ordinary things a day that make a visitor from Ohio do a double take.

None of it is showing off.

These are the things Californians do without thinking twice that out-of-staters get wrong nearly every time.

1. Splitting Lanes on a Motorcycle

California is the only state that spells out lane-splitting as legal, letting motorcycles ride between slow or stopped cars on the freeway.

State law recognized the practice through a 2016 bill, after decades of the California Highway Patrol simply tolerating it.

Out-of-staters see a motorcycle weaving through stopped traffic and assume a ticket is coming. It isn’t.

Nowhere else works this way.

2. Calling the Freeway “The 5”

Californians say “the 5” or “the 405,” never just the route number, and out-of-staters spend their first week confused about which word belongs where.

The habit traces back to Southern California radio traffic reports decades ago, and it never spread much past state lines.

Drop the word “the” around a Los Angeles local and they’ll still understand you, but it won’t sound native.

Grammar, not geography.

3. Grabbing a Reusable Bag on the Way Out the Door

California banned single-use plastic bags at large retail checkouts in 2014, the first statewide ban in the country.

Stores now charge a small fee for a paper or thicker reusable bag, so Californians keep a stash in the trunk out of habit more than environmentalism.

Visitors from states without the law forget every time and end up paying dimes at checkout.

The trunk stash is standard.

4. Reading Past the Prop 65 Sign

A 1986 California ballot measure, known as Proposition 65, requires a posted warning wherever a product or building may expose visitors to a listed chemical.

The sign shows up on coffee cups, parking garages, and grocery store entrances alike, so locals read past it without slowing their walk.

Out-of-staters see the sign and think they’ve wandered into a hazard zone.

Locals never blink.

5. Saving Cans for CRV Money

California charges a deposit on most bottles and cans, called California Redemption Value (CRV), and shoppers redeem it for cash at recycling centers.

A five-cent deposit applies to containers under 24 ounces, and a dime to anything larger, so a full bag of cans adds up fast.

Out-of-staters toss the cans in a regular bin and leave money in the trash.

Recycling pays here.

6. Checking the Sales Tax by City

California sets a statewide sales tax floor, but cities and counties stack a district tax on top, so the total changes block to block.

Some Los Angeles County cities charge over 10 percent at checkout, while a neighboring county sits several points lower.

Californians check the receipt out of habit, and out-of-staters assume one number applies everywhere in the state.

One state, dozens of rates.

7. Letting the Lawn Go Brown

Years of drought rules trained Californians to let a lawn go brown on purpose, rather than water it against local restrictions.

Several regional water agencies still pay homeowners to tear out grass and replace it with drought-tolerant landscaping.

Out-of-staters see a brown yard and assume neglect. Locals see a water bill kept in check.

Brown is a choice.

8. Packing a Go-Bag for Power Shutoffs

Utilities now shut off power on purpose during high winds and extreme fire risk, a practice known as a Public Safety Power Shutoff.

The shutoffs started in 2019 and can last for days in areas most exposed to wildfire, so Californians keep a battery pack and flashlight ready out of habit.

Out-of-staters find out the grid can go dark on purpose, and it rattles them every time.

The blackout is intentional.

9. Running Earthquake Drills Without Being Asked

California schools and offices run earthquake drills every year, and many people can recite “drop, cover, hold on” without thinking about it.

A statewide phone alert system, ShakeAlert, launched in 2019 and can give several seconds of warning before shaking arrives.

Out-of-staters find the calm reaction stranger than the quake that caused it.

Practice makes it routine.

10. Never Smoking With Kids in the Car

California law bans smoking in a vehicle whenever a minor is present, with a fine attached for breaking it.

The law has stood since 2008, long enough that many Californians never think about it as a rule at all.

Out-of-staters from a state without the law get caught off guard by the ticket, not the smoke.

That surprises visitors most.

11. Walking Below the Tideline on a “Private” Beach

The state follows the public trust doctrine, so the sand below the mean high tide line stays open to anyone, no matter who owns the property above it.

Homeowners along the coast can’t legally block that strip of sand, even when the house behind it costs eight figures.

Out-of-staters see a mansion and assume the whole beach is off-limits.

The tideline settles it.

12. Ordering In-N-Out off the Secret Menu

In-N-Out Burger, a California chain since 1948, has always let customers order off an unwritten menu the company itself acknowledges.

Animal style, protein style, and Flying Dutchman orders never appear on the posted board, but the cashier expects to hear them anyway.

Out-of-staters read the four-item board and never learn to order at all.

Ask, and it exists.