Animal Crossing New Horizons: What Are Island Ordinances and How to Use Them


The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Town Hall, where a player can enact Island Ordinances.

Island Ordinances were recently announced in a Nintendo Direct Presentation, allowing players of Animal Crossing: New Horizons to have more control over their islands. The November update, Version 2.0.0, will be introducing a wealth of new features to the game that we're all excited about. So, what are the four Island Ordinances and how do you enact them?

Read More: Isabelle Finally Gets to Take a Well-Earned Break in Animal Crossing New Horizons Version 2.0

What Are The Island Ordinances?

Firstly, an ordinance is an authoritative order, therefore Island Ordinances will act as an order across your island that will change a little bit about how things function. There are four different Island Ordinances to choose from, which you'll be able to change for a small fee of Bells. They function as follows:

  • Beautiful Island Ordinance: This ordinance will generally improve the beauty and upkeep of your island. It will banish cockroaches and trash, so you don't need to worry about taking a holiday from Animal Crossing or fishing for tyres.
  • Early Bird Ordinance: This ordinance will have villagers wake up much earlier, and cause shops to open earlier too. This means that if you typically play during morning hours, you'll be able to enjoy all the fun without time travelling.
  • Night Owl Ordinance: This ordinance is the opposite of the Early Bird Ordinance, meaning shops will be open later and villagers will be hanging out much later too. This is perfect for the Night Owls among us!
  • Bell Boom Ordinance: This ordinance will vastly improve the economy of your island, meaning that items will sell for a higher amount of bells. With this in order, you'll be saving up bells for those much needed island or home upgrades in no time.

How to Enact Island Ordinances

The Resident Representative in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can enact Island Ordinances when speaking with Isabelle.
click to enlarge

Enacting an Island Ordinance is easy! All you need to do is enter the Town Hall as the Resident Representative on your island and speak with Isabelle. From here, you will be able to select Island Ordinances, then choose and enact whichever one suits you.

The Island Ordinances will make a great change to everyone's island depending on when they typically play Animal Crossing: New Horizons or the aspirations they have for their island. We're certainly excited about the Beautiful Island Ordinance! To learn more about making your island beautiful with the Version 2.0.0 update, check out our guide on new fence patterns and new villagers to be on the lookout for.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Animal Crossing New Horizons and Guides page.