Finding the time to consistently visit one's island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn't always easy. Personal and professional commitments can sometimes lead to players having to log in during anti-social hours, which, in turn, can make regular interactions with villagers or businesses a little tricky to manage. Thankfully, however, as of the game's 2.0 update, that need no longer be the case.
Ordinances are just one of many things that were added as part of the 2.0 update and allow players to implement island-wide rules that are designed to make their lives and schedules a little less hectic. The process of enacting one of these ordinances is all relatively straightforward, though — like almost everything else in Animal Crossing: New Horizons — it will require players to part with some of their precious Bells.
How to Enact an Ordinance
In order to enact an ordinance, players will need to visit the Resident Services building and then select the "Review island features." option after speaking to Isabelle. On the next screen, they should choose the "Discuss ordinances." option, which, assuming players have 20,000 Bells in their pockets, will take them to the ordinances menu. From here, it's a simple case of selecting one of the available ordinances, which, after being selected, will come into effect the following day.
Available Ordinances
At the time of writing, there are only four ordinances available, though each one does have a fairly different focus. If players are unhappy with their selection, a new ordinance can be enacted at any time, though, as with the initial setup, players will need to wait until the following day until it comes into effect.
Beautiful Island Ordinance
The Beautiful Island ordinance is great for players who aren't able to log in regularly or simply lack the time or patience required for gardening work when they do. It encourages other villagers to pull up weeds, water flowers, and even clear away any trash that they find in the water, ensuring that the island stays neat and tidy without players having to get too involved.
Early Bird Ordinance
The Early Bird Ordinance is useful for those who prefer to play the game before school or work, as it encourages villagers to be more active in the morning and businesses to open up a little earlier (Nook's Cranny will open at 7 AM and the Able Sister's store will open at 8 AM). This does, however, mean that villagers will go to bed earlier, so players may want to think twice before enacting this ordinance.
Night Owl Ordinance
The Night Owl ordinance is effectively the opposite of the Early Bird ordinance. As a result, it's great for those who enjoy playing New Horizons at night, as it will make villagers more active and also keep local businesses open for an additional hour (Nook's Cranny will stay open until 11 PM and the Able Sister's store will stay open until 10 PM).
Bell Boom Ordinance
The Bell Boom ordinance increases the value of all commodities on the island (bar Turnips) by 20%. This means, for example, that non-native fruit can now be sold for 600 Bells each, making it a great ordinance for those planning to sell a lot of items in the not-so-distant future. It is something of a double-edged sword, however, as the increase applies to every item that players buy on the island as well as the ones that they sell.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its Happy Home Paradise DLC are available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.