Dumb American Laws That Exist In Every State

Dumb American Laws That Exist In Every State


May 29, 2024 | Eul Basa

Dumb American Laws That Exist In Every State


These laws are just ridiculous

America has a fair share of dumb laws—and by dumb, I don't mean laws we simply don't agree with. No, the laws in this list are genuinely, mind-bogglingly, dumb. Some may be outdated and rarely enforced, but they are technically still in the books.

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Alabama

In Alabama, wearing a fake mustache in church that leads to laughter is against the law.

fake mustacheLaura Dahl, Flickr

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Alaska

In Alaska, taking a photo of a bear that is sleeping is illegal if you wake it up.

bear sleepingBarbara Eckstein, Flickr

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Arizona

In Arizona, it's illegal for donkeys to sleep in tubs.

petting a donkeyYan Krukau, Pexels

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Arkansas

In Arkansas, a husband can harm his spouse if necessary, but only once per month.

Shocked womanAndrea Piacquadio, Pexels

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California

In California, eating a frog that dies during a frog-jumping contest is against the law.

Frog Jumping ContestFrank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons

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Colorado

In Colorado, having a sofa on your porch is unlawful.

sofa on porchUnknown Author, PxHere

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Connecticut

In Connecticut, for a pickle to be legally classified as a pickle, it needs to bounce.

pickleRon Lach, Pexels

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Delaware

In Delaware, it's illegal to whisper in church.

woman whisperingcottonbro studio, Pexels

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Florida

In Florida, single, unwed females who engage in parachuting on Sundays may face imprisonment.

Woman parachutingElber Silva, Pexels

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Georgia

In Georgia, keeping an ice cream cone in your back pocket on Sundays is against the law.

ice cream coneJean Balzan, Pexels

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Hawaii

In Hawaii, putting a coin in your ear could land you a fine.

Person throwing a coinCocaKolaLips, Pexels

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Idaho

In Idaho, giving a box of candy exceeding 50 pounds in weight to someone is illegal.

box of candyDenny Müller, Unsplash

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Illinois

In Illinois, you are not allowed, by law, to sleep in a cheese shop.

cheese shopKhairil Yusof, Flickr

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Indiana

In Indiana, it's illegal to catch a fish using only your hands.

FishImage Catalog, Flickr

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Iowa

In Iowa, one-handed pianists are legally required to give performances without payment.

pianists in suitcottonbro studio, Pexels

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Kansas

In Kansas, shooting rabbits from a motorboat is against the law.

BunniesJames Johnstone, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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Kentucky

In Kentucky, women are not allowed, by law, to wed the same man on four separate occasions.

groom next to brideNathan Dumlao, Unsplash

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Louisiana

In Louisiana, gargling in public places is not legally allowed.

boy  garglingMikhail Nilov, Pexels

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Maine

In Maine, you cannot, by law, park in front of Dunkin' Donuts.

Dunkin' DonutsChris Waits, Flickr

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Maryland

In Maryland, it's illegal to take a lion to the movies.

LionPixabay, Pexels

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Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, explosive golf balls are prohibited by law.

golf ballsMick Haupt, Pexels

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Michigan

In Michigan, painting sparrows to sell as parakeets is illegal.

sparrow standing on fenceSreenivas, Unsplash

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Minnesota

In Minnesota, sleeping naked is against the law.

person sleepingPixabay, Pexels

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Mississippi

In Mississippi, teaching others about polygama is prohibited.

 polygamyMincemeat, Shutterstock

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Missouri

In Missouri, you cannot drive with an uncaged bear.

Black bear cubsNational Parks Gallery, Picryl

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Montana

In Montana, it's illegal to give a rat as a present.

white ratChoco Virat, Pexels

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Nebraska

In Nebraska, a mother cannot, by law, give her daughter a perm without a state license.

Perm womenpudgeefeet, Flickr

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Nevada

In Nevada, sitting on sidewalks is against the law.

Sitting on SidewalkUnknown Author, Peakpx

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New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, you cannot legally collect seaweed at night.

seaweed at nightUnknown Author, PxHere

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New Jersey

In New Jersey, it's illegal for men to knit during fishing season.

man knittingZina Zabudkina, Pexels

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New Mexico

In New Mexico, idiots are not legally allowed to vote.

vote-pinSora Shimazaki, Pexels

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New York

In New York, taking a selfie with a tiger is unlawful.

TigerRrc99, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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North Carolina

In North Carolina, you cannot legally use elephants to plow cotton fields.

Cotton fieldsLawrence G. Miller, Flickr

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North Dakota

In North Dakota, it's illegal to physically lie down then fall asleep with your shoes on.

fell asleep with her shoes onTim Samuel, Pexels

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Ohio

In Ohio, getting a fish drunk is against the law.

blue and red fishHey Fritters, Flickr

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Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, wrestling with bears is prohibited.

BearGeschenkpanda, Pixabay

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Oregon

In Oregon, you cannot, by law, hunt in a cemetary.

Cemetery OregonRick Obst, Flickr

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Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, it's illegal to sleep outdoors on top of a fridge.

Confused manMaurício Mascaro, Pexels

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Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, biting someone's leg off is against the law.

Woman bitingLukas Beer, Unsplash

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South Carolina

In South Carolina, working on Sundays is illegal, unless you're a barber or a shoe shiner.

Closed signMasaaki Komori, Unsplash

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South Dakota

In South Dakota, all hotels must have two twin beds that are alwas two feet apart.

twin beds in hotelEngin Akyurt, Pexels

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Tennessee

In Tennessee, it's illegal to share your Netflix password.

Netflix phone and laptop conceptRuggiero Scardigno, Shutterstock

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Texas

In Texas, selling your eye is against the law.

blue eyeAmanda Dalbjörn, Unsplash

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Utah

In Utah, you cannot legally cause a catastrophe.

Shocked older mankrakenimages, unsplash

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Vermont

In Vermont, a woman cannot wear fake teeth unless she has her husband's approval.

fake teethbebeplace, Needpix

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Virginia

In Virginia, hunting on Sundays is not legally allowed, unless you're hunting raccoons.

Raccooncuatrok77, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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Washington

In Washington, it's illegal to attach a vending machine to a pole.

Vending MachineN i c o l a, Flickr

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West Virginia

In West Virginia, whistling underwater is prohibited.

cannes underwater diverMike Workman, Shutterstock

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Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, butter substitutes are banned in prisson.

MargarinePaul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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Wyoming

In Wyoming, it's against the law to take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without a permit.

Woman with cameraUnknown Author, PickPik

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