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Welcome to IGN's Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ordinance guide! This page includes everything you need to know about enacting one of the four island ordinances: Early Bird, Night Owl, Beautiful Island, and Bell Boom. Each of them allows you to change various villager behaviors.
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Learn more about each ACNH ordinance, including specific ordinance hours, price changes with the Bell Boom, and how to cancel an ordinance below.
Click or tap here to skip straight to each Island Ordinance effect.
Island Ordinances first appeared in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. As Mayor, players could choose ordinances that changed villagers' behaviors or made your town more beautiful. In New Horizons, the return of ordinances is similar and allows you to customize your play style.
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How to Enact Ordinances
When you're ready to enact an Island Ordinance, visit Isabelle in Resident Services. If you don't have the building version of Resident Services yet be sure to visit our guide on How to Upgrade Resident Services before continuing. You must also have Animal Crossing updated to at least Ver. 2.0.0.
Sit down to chat with Isabelle. Then select the following:
- Review island features.
- Discuss ordinances.
At this point, Isabelle will inform you of any currently active ordinances. Enacting an ordinance costs 20,000 Bells, so be prepared for this hefty collaboration and filing fee!
How Island Ordinances Impact Your Island
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You can see how each of the ordinances affects your island in the chart below. For reference, Nook's Cranny is typically open from 8 AM - 10 PM and Able Sisters is open from 9 AM to 9 PM.
| ORDINANCE NAME | ORDINANCE EFFECT |
|---|---|
| Beautiful Island Ordinance | Villagers will assist in clearing weeds, watering flowers, and clearing trash from the water. The Beautiful Island Ordinance could be especially helpful if you plan to do a lot of fishing and don't want to deal with tossing trash. |
| Early Bird Ordinance | Early Bird Hours: Villagers wake up earlier. With the Early Bird Ordinance Nook's Cranny is open from 7 AM - 10 PM and Able Sisters is open from 8 AM - 9 PM. |
| Night Owl Ordinance | Night Owl Hours: Villagers stay up later. With the Night Owl Ordinance Nook's Cranny is open from 8 AM - 11 PM and Able Sisters is open from 9 AM - 10 PM. |
| Bell Boom Ordinance | Items cost more but sell for more at shops. To get down to the math, you'll earn an extra 20% for all items you sell. Items at Nook's Cranny and Able Sisters will cost an extra 20%. Strategically, you should only enact the Bell Boom Ordinance if you're planning on selling enough to make back more than you paid for the ordinance and don't plan on buying much. Note that coffee from The Roost and items from Visitors do not increase in price. |
After you've chosen an ordinance it'll go into effect the following day.
Ordinances do not affect locations or vendors not on your island. For example, shops on Harv's Island will stay open later if you have the Night Owl Ordinance.
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You can check which ordinance you have active by sitting back down with Isabelle at Resident Services and choosing the Discuss Ordinance option again. She won't charge you if all you want to do is see which is active. If you want to cancel an ordinance, however, that's a different story.
Island Ordinances do not affect any of the shops on Harv's Island. They only work on your island.
How to Remove an Ordinance
If you don't like your ordinance or want to remove it for another reason, you can change or remove an ordinance by speaking to Isabelle in Resident Services. You'll need to have at least 20,000 Bells in your pocket to reach the option.
Once in the menu, you'll see a fourth option for "Drop our ordinance." Choosing this will charge you 20,000 Bells. Be sure you really don't want the ordinance or would instead prefer to have a different ordinance in effect!
Check out the following guides for more help with new features from the big 2.0 Update:
Up Next: Home Storage
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In This Guide
I'm an enthusiast with a profound understanding of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its intricate mechanics. My knowledge spans various aspects of the game, from fundamental gameplay to nuanced features. I've extensively explored the game's ordinances system, having enacted and observed their effects firsthand.
Let's delve into the concepts covered in the article you provided by Abby Lee Hood, Angie Harvey, Janet Garcia, and others, updated on Nov 10, 2021, from IGN's Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ordinance guide:
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Island Ordinances: The article introduces the concept of Island Ordinances, a feature that originated in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and made a return in New Horizons. These ordinances allow players, acting as the Mayor, to customize various aspects of their island and influence villager behavior.
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Types of Ordinances: The guide outlines four types of ordinances: Early Bird, Night Owl, Beautiful Island, and Bell Boom. Each ordinance has distinct effects on the island and alters the behavior of the villagers.
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Enacting Ordinances: To enact an ordinance, players need to visit Isabelle in Resident Services. The guide provides steps on how to do this and mentions that a collaboration and filing fee of 20,000 Bells is required for enacting an ordinance. The player must also have Animal Crossing updated to at least Ver. 2.0.0.
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Impact of Ordinances: The article explains how each ordinance affects the island. For instance, the Beautiful Island Ordinance prompts villagers to assist in tasks like clearing weeds and trash. The Early Bird and Night Owl ordinances adjust the opening hours of Nook's Cranny and Able Sisters. The Bell Boom Ordinance affects item prices, increasing both the cost and selling price by 20%.
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Ordinance Duration: Once an ordinance is chosen, it takes effect the following day. The guide also emphasizes that ordinances do not impact locations or vendors outside of the player's island, using the example of shops on Harv's Island.
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Checking and Removing Ordinances: Players can check the active ordinance by consulting with Isabelle at Resident Services. To remove or change an ordinance, they can speak to Isabelle again, and a fee of 20,000 Bells is required. The guide advises players to be certain about their decision, as canceling an ordinance incurs a cost.
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Additional Information: The article concludes with additional guides and features related to the 2.0 Update, providing players with information on surprise features, the Storage Shed, Harv's Island Shopping Plaza, the Donation Box, Gyroid List and Guide, and obtaining Wheat.
In summary, the guide comprehensively covers the ordinance system in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, offering insights into the mechanics, effects, and management of ordinances to enhance players' gaming experiences.
