We Can’t Believe These Weird Laws
Some of these laws make sense, and others left us scratching our heads, but they’re all delightfully bizarre!
Alabama: No Bear Wrestling
For most of us, the reaction to seeing a bear is usually to turn and run in the opposite direction. Apparently, that wasn’t always the case for Alabamans. For many years, bear wrestling was seen as an entertaining way to prove one’s strength. Alabama lawmakers outlawed the practice in 1996.
Alaska: No Carrying A Bow And Arrow
While bow hunting is legal in the state of Alaska, there’s one town where you can’t get away with it: Nome, Alaska. According to their municipal laws, it’s illegal to carry a bow and arrow in the town.
Arizona: You Can’t Hunt Camels
It may surprise you to learn that southern Arizona is home to wild camels. They US army brought them to the state in 1855, to experiment with using them in combat. The army eventually gave up on the project and set the camels free. The animals are still protected by law today.
Arkansas: No Horn Honking In Front Of Sandwich Shops
After 9pm in Little Rock, Arkansas, it’s illegal to honk your car horn in front of any place that serves “cold drinks and sandwiches”. No one’s ever been prosecuted for this offence, but it’s still in the city’s lawbooks.
Krakenimages.com, Shutterstock
California: No Wearing A Mask Or Disguise
If you live in Walnut City, California, you may have to go somewhere else to get your trick-or-treat on. Any Halloween costumes that involve a mask or other disguise have to be approved by the sheriff.
Colorado: You Can’t Throw Missiles At Cars
This one makes sense and is so obvious we’re surprised there’s a specific law for it. But the city of Alamosa, Colorado takes throwing missiles at cars very seriously, going so far to articulate a specific rule against the act.
Connecticut: No Kissing On Sundays
If you’re ever in Hartford, Connecticut with your spouse on a Sunday you might want to refrain from giving them a kiss. No one knows why the law was enacted, but it’s against the law for a man to kiss his wife on a Sunday. Luckily, this bizarre law isn’t really enforced.
Roman Samborskyi, Shutterstock
Delaware: No Trick-or-Treating On Sundays
In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, if Halloween falls on a Sunday, you’ll have to wait until the next day to go out and trick-or-treat.
Krakenimages.com, Shutterstock
Florida: No Internet Cafés
In 2013, Governor Rick Scott approved House Bill 155 to crack down on the illicit gambling that was occurring in internet cafés. The law ended up effectively banning internet cafés in general, with 1,000 of the establishments closing down right after it was passed.
Erdem Civelek, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Georgia: You Can’t Buy Adult Toys
In Sandy Springs, Georgia, the sale and use of “any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs is obscene material” and lawfully prohibited. This weird law does get enforced, but its constitutionality is hotly contested.
Hawaii: No Texting While Walking
If you’re in Honolulu and happen to look at your phone while you cross the street, be prepared to pay for it—literally. Fines for looking at phones or texting while crossing the street start at $15 and go as high as $99 for repeat offenders. And while it may seem like a bit of an overkill, texting and walking accounts for 11,000 injuries each year.
Idaho: You Can’t Be In The Same House A Weed Smoker
While marijuana is still against the law in many states, Idaho takes their restrictions on the substances one step further. You can’t even be on the same premises as someone using cannabis—and it’s punishable by a $300 fine and/or a 90-day jail sentence.
Illinois: No Saggy Pants
Since 2011, wearing saggy pants has been banned in Collinsville, Illinois. According to the lawbooks, pants cannot fall “more than 3 inches below the hips” or expose the person or their undergarments. A first offense is punishable by community service and $100 fine. If a person offends again, the fine increases to $300 and they get even more community service.
Tamanoeconomico, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons
Indiana: No Shooting Fish In A Barrel
We’ve all heard the saying “like shooting fish in a barrel”, but if you actual try to shoot fish in Indiana, you’ll be in big trouble. Shooting fish, as well as catching them with your bare hands, is illegal in the state.
Walt Disney, Finding Nemo (2003)
Iowa: No Flashing Or Streaking
If someone exposes themselves with the intention of the act arousing them or the viewer, they’ve committed a serious misdemeanor. The only time flashing someone is acceptable, is if the “victim” is the person’s spouse.
Kansas: Minors Can’t Have Toy Guns
In Kansas City, minors aren’t allowed to buy cap pistols. Seems pretty rational…until you learn that they’re allowed to buy real shotguns.
Kentucky: You Can’t Sell Easter Bunnies
Remember when selling cute baby bunnies with dyed fur was all the rage? Well, if you try that one in Kentucky, you’ll be slapped with a $500 fine. Dying and selling bunnies, chicks, ducklings, and other birds is banned across the state.
Louisiana: No Vampires Allowed
To preserve “public peace, health, morals, safety, and welfare”, the ingestion of human or animal blood is banned in Louisiana. The law also applies to human and animal waste matter and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Richardmouser, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Maine: No Roller-Skating On Sidewalks
In the town of Biddeford, Maine, you’ll find yourself in trouble with the law if you ride your bike or roller-skate on the sidewalk.
Maryland: No Swearing At The Playground
Going to the playground with your kids can be equal parts excitement and drama, but no matter what happens, you’d better keep the language clean. Uttering any swear at the playground or on the sidewalk near the playground is against the law.
Massachusetts: Don’t Buy A Christmas Tree That Won’t Fit In Your Car
We can see how this one would be a safety concern. So could the lawmakers in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and now traveling with a tree that blocks your visibility or sticks out too far from your car could see you charged with negligence or reckless conduct.
Michigan: You Can’t Pee In Public
It might seem childish, but the state of Michigan takes public urination very seriously. If caught, you could be slapped with a $500 fine, face 90 days in lockup, or even have to register as a sex offender.
Thomas Andre Fure, Shutterstock
Minnesota: No Hats In Movie Theaters
It doesn’t matter how cold it may be—if you go see a movie in Minneapolis, Minnesota, you have to take your hat off. According to law, “no person, during the performance of the program in a theater, auditorium, or place of amusement, shall wear any headgear”.
Mississippi: Don’t Teach People About Polygamy
In Mississippi, there’s a state-wide ban on teaching “the doctrines, principles, or tenets, or any of them, of polygamy”. Anyone convicted of this could be imprisoned for up to six months.
Joshua Edward Quillo, Shutterstock
Missouri: Don’t Hitch Onto A Moving Vehicle
In Columbia, Missouri, you’ll face legal action if you’re roller-skating or riding a bike and decide to hook yourself up to a moving vehicle on a roadway.
Skitterphoto Skitterphoto, Pixabay
Montana: You Can Give A Rat As A Gift
In the city of Billings, Montana, it’s against the law to buy, sell, or give away rats. The only exception is if the rats are going to be used as food for birds of prey or snakes.
Nebraska: Don’t Get Married If You Have An STI
According to Nebraska state law, “no person who is afflicted with a venereal disease” is allowed to get married. While the law can make a marriage where one party if afflicted voidable, the union is not automatically void.
Nevada: No Lying Down On Sidewalks
You’ll catch a charge in Reno, Nevada if you lie down on the sidewalk. Only in the case of a real emergency are people exempt from this ban.
New Hampshire: Don’t Take Any Seaweed
If you’re in New Hampshire, you’d better leave the seaweed where you find it. Carrying seaweed away from the shore is against the law.
New Jersey: Don’t Text And Walk
The municipality of Fort Lee took notes from Hawaii and banned texting while walking. Offenders will be hit with an $85 ticket.
New Mexico: Idiots Can’t Vote
New Mexico has few restrictions on who is eligible to vote, but the state constitution made sure to mention that “idiots” are ineligible. That also goes for “insane persons and persons convicted of a felonious or infamous crime”.
Quinn Dombrowski , CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
New York: No Drinking Before Brunch
In New York City, restaurants can’t serve alcohol before the 10am brunch hour on Sunday. The ban used to extend till noon but was recently changed.
North Carolina: No Crimes Against Nature
All “crimes against nature” are prohibited in North Carolina. But rather than showing an appreciation for Mother Earth, the crimes in question refer to any sexual acts that have historically been considered “crimes against nature”.
North Dakota: Don’t Sleep With Birds
This one goes without saying, but North Dakota had to make it a written law that people can’t perform “deviate sexual acts”. The law applies to birds, animals, and deceased people, and is punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a $2,000 fine.
Ohio: You Can’t Be Arrested On Sunday
No can get arrested on a Sunday in Ohio. This state-wide ban also applies to the Fourth of July or is the State Congress is in session.
Oklahoma: No Horse-Tipping
Throughout the state of Oklahoma, anyone engaging in horse-tipping will face a year in prison and paying a $2,000 fine. As well they should, considering the cruel act involves roping a horses feet and forcing them to fall to the ground.
Oregon: You Can’t Pee In A Bottle
If you’re ever taking a long toad trip through Oregon, make sure you map out your pit stops. The state has specific regulations about how people dispose of their personal waste, and peeing in a bottle does not meet those guidelines.
Pennsylvania: No Cell Phones In Courtrooms
Several courthouses in Lancaster County have banned cell phones and audio-recording devices. Members of the press are also included in that ban.
Rhode Island: You Can’t Bite Off Fingers
The law in Rhode Island specifically prohibits people from biting off “the limb or member” of another person. The punishment for this deranged act is 20 years in prison.
South Carolina: No Work On Sunday
According to state law, it’s illegal to engage in any kind of work, business, or labor “on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday”. The only exception is those who observe Sabbath on Saturdays. Luckily, this law from the 1800s is rarely enforced nowadays.
South Dakota: You Can’t Cause Static
In the municipality of Huron, South Dakota, you’ll be in trouble with the law if you cause static. Luckily, they’re not talking about the kind of static that makes your hair stick out—they mean the crackling static on your television.
Tennessee: You Can’t Share Streaming Passwords
While Netflix’s password crackdown may be recent, sharing a password for a subscription streaming service has been banned in Tennessee since 2011. It’s punishable by up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
Texas: No Gay Intercourse
Thankfully, this one is no longer enforceable due to a 2003 Supreme Court Decision, but the Texas penal code bans what it calls “deviate sexual intercourse” between people of the same gender.
Aitana fotografia, Shutterstock
Utah: Immigrants Can’t Have Booze
Any recent immigrants to Utah—meaning they’ve been in the state less than two years—will face a world of legal trouble of they’re caught with even one drop of alcohol in their blood.
Naruedom Yaempongsa, Shutterstock
Vermont: No Apple Pie Without Ice Cream
This one’s not an official ban, but it’s been a practice since 1999. When serving Vermont’s official state pie, apple pie, “a good faith effort” should be made to also give people a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, a glass of cold milk, or a 1/2-ounce slice of cheddar cheese.
Virginia: No Trick-Or-Treating If You’re 12+
In Chesapeake, Virginia, people over the age of 12 can’t go trick-or-treating on Halloween. If they do, they risk a $100 fine or even up to six months imprisonment.
Krakenimages.com, Shutterstock
Washington: No Going Out With A Cold
If you’ve got a cold or another contagious illness, you’d better stay home. In Washington state, walking around in public with a cold and exposing other people is a misdemeanor.
West Virginia: You Can’t Duel If You’re Running For Office
Dueling is against the law in many place, but in West Virginia, anybody who engages in a duel is banned forever from “holding any office of honor, trust or profit”.
Wisconsin: Don’t Spit On The Sidewalk
This one makes sense, but in the town of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, it’s against the law to spit on sidewalks.
Wyoming: No Going Into A Mine While Inebriated
Entering a mine while intoxicated is a misdemeanor offense in Wyoming, but it could see you slapped with a fine of up to $500 and a one-year sentence in country lockup.
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