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THUNDER HANDS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:21 AM
Original message
What Weird Laws Does Your State Have?
Sorry to Matcom for stealing his thread, sorta. But here's a list of weird state laws. Go search and find which laws belong to your state...

Alabama
* It is illegal to play dominoes on Sunday.
* It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.
* It is illegal to serve beer and pretzels at the same time in any bar, club, or restaurant.

Alaska
* In Fairbanks, it is illegal to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose.
* While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

Arizona
* In Tucson, it is illegal for women to wear pants.
* In Globe, it is illegal to play cards in the street with a Native American.
* In Glendale, it is illegal to drive a car in reverse.
* In Nogales, it is illegal to wear suspenders.

Arkansas
* A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month.
* In Fayetteville, it is illegal to kill "any living creature."
* Schoolteachers who bob their hair may forfeit their pay raises.
* Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term.

California
* In Los Angeles, a man may legally beat his wife with a leather strap, as long as it is less than 2 inches wide unless you have permission to use a wider one.
* It is a misdemeanour to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.
* In Pacific Grove, "molesting" butterflies can result in a $500 fine.
* In Pasadena, it is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss.
* It is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting license.
* In Long Beach, it is illegal to curse on a mini-golf course.
* In San Francisco, it is illegal to wipe one's car with used underwear.
* It is illegal to cry on the witness stand in Los Angeles courts.

Colorado
* In Durango, it is illegal to go out in public dressed in clothing "unbecoming" one's sex.
* In Logan County, it is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep.
* In Pueblo, it is illegal to let a dandelion grow within city limits.

Connecticut
* In Hartford, it is illegal to educate a dog.
* It is illegal to dispose of used razor blades.
* In New Britain, the speed limit for fire trucks is 25 m.p.h., even when going to a fire.
* In Hartford, it is illegal for a man to kiss his wife on Sunday.

Delaware
* In Lewes, it is illegal to wear pants that are "form-fitting" around the waist.
* Getting married on a dare is grounds for an annulment.
* It is illegal to fly over any body of water, unless one is carrying sufficient supplies of food and drink.

Florida
* In Miami, it is illegal for a man to wear any kind of strapless gown.
* Unmarried women who parachute on Sundays may be jailed.
* In Sarasota, it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit.

Georgia
* All males in the state between the ages of 16 and 50 are required to work on public roads.
* In Columbus, it is illegal to sit on one's porch in an indecent position.
* In Quitman, it is illegal for a chicken to cross a road.
* It is illegal to change the clothes on a storefront mannequin unless the shades are down.

Hawaii
* It is illegal to appear in public wearing only swimming trunks.
* It is illegal to own a mongoose without a permit.

Idaho
* In Pocatello, "the carrying of concealed weapons is forbidden, unless same are exhibited to public view."
* Also in Pocatello, "It is prohibited for pedestrians and motorists to display frowns, grimaces, scowls, threatening and glowering looks, gloomy and depressed facial appearances, generally all of which reflect unfavourably upon the city's reputation."
* Boxes of candy given as romantic gifts must weigh more than 50 pounds.

Illinois
* In Chicago, people who are diseased, maimed, mutilated, or deformed to the point of being "an unsightly or disgusting object" are banned from going out in public.
* In Chicago, it is illegal to fish in one's pyjamas.
* In Chicago, it is illegal to take a French poodle to the opera.
* According to state law, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is "American."
* In Gurnee, it is illegal for women weighing more than 200 pounds to ride horses in shorts.
* In Joliet, it is illegal to mispronounce the name Joliet.

Indiana
* Monkeys are forbidden to smoke cigarettes in South Bend.
* In Gary, it is illegal to attend the theatre within four hours of eating garlic.
* The Stepford Wives is banned in Warsaw.

Iowa
* State law forbids any establishment from charging admission to see a one-armed piano player.
* In Fort Madison, firemen are required to practice for 15 minutes before attending a fire.

Kansas
* It is illegal for restaurants to sell cherry pie ` la mode on Sundays.
* In Wichita, a man's mistreatment of his mother-in-law may not be used as grounds for divorce.
* In Wichita, it is illegal to carry a concealed bean snapper.
* In Lang, it is illegal to ride a mule down Main Street in August, unless the animal is wearing a straw hat.
* In Natoma, it is illegal to throw a knife at anyone wearing a striped shirt.

Kentucky
* It is illegal for a woman to appear in a bathing suit on a highway unless she is: escorted by at least two police officers; armed with a club; or lighter than 90 pounds or heavier than 200 pounds. The ordinance also specifically exempts female horses from such restrictions.
* State law stipulates that a person is considered sober until he or she "cannot hold onto the ground."
* It is illegal to remarry the same man four times.

Louisiana
* In New Orleans, fire trucks are required by law to stop at all red lights.
* It is considered "simple assault" to bite someone in New Orleans; it is "aggravated assault" if the biter has false teeth.
* It is against the law to gargle in public.

Maine
* In Portland, it is illegal for men to tickle women under the chin with feather dusters.
* The most money one can legally win gambling is three dollars.
* In Rumford, it is illegal for a tenant to bite his/her landlord.
* In Waterville, it is illegal to blow one's nose in public.

Maryland
* In Baltimore, it is illegal to wash or scrub sinks, no matter how dirty they get.
* Every person who has bowled since 1833 may be fined $2 for each offence.
* In Halethorpe, it is illegal to kiss for more than one second.
* It's illegal to mistreat oysters.
* It's illegal to play Randy Newman's "Short People" on the radio.

Massachusetts
* In Salem, even married couples are forbidden from sleeping in the nude in rented rooms.
* It is illegal to wear a goatee without a license.
* North Andover prohibits its citizens from carrying "space guns."
* State legislation forbids duelling with water pistols.
* In Boston, it is illegal to take a bath unless one has been ordered by a physician to do so.
* In 1659, the state outlawed Christmas.

Michigan
* In Clawson, it is legal for a farmer to "sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens."
* A state law stipulates that a woman's hair legally belongs to her husband.
* In Detroit, it is illegal to make love in a car unless it is parked on your property.
* In St. Louis, it is illegal for an on-duty fire fighter to rescue a woman wearing a nightgown - in order to be rescued; a woman must be fully dressed.
* While children may purchase shotguns in Kansas City, they are not allowed to buy toy cap guns.
* Missouri considers drunkenness an "inalienable right."

Montana
* It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.
* It is a misdemeanour to show movies that depict acts of felonious crime.
* In Whitehall, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels.

Nebraska
* It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license.
* In Waterloo, barbers are forbidden from eating onions between 7am and 7pm.
* In Omaha, barbers are forbidden from shaving their customers' chests.
* If a child burps during a church service in Omaha, his or her parents may be arrested.
* It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

Nevada
* In Nyala, a man is forbidden from buying drinks for more than three people other than himself at any one period during the day.
* It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.
* In Eureka, men who wear moustaches are forbidden from kissing women.
* Everyone walking on the streets of Elko is required to wear a mask.

New Hampshire
* It is illegal to sell the clothes one is wearing to pay off a gambling debt.
* It is illegal to check into a hotel under an assumed name.

New Jersey
* It is against the law to "frown" at a police officer.
* In Newark, it is illegal to sell ice cream after 6pm, unless the customer has a note from his doctor.
* It is illegal to slurp soup.
* In Trenton, it is illegal to throw a bad pickle in the street.

New Mexico
* In Raton, it is illegal for a woman to ride horseback down a public street with a kimono on.
* The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary is banned in Carlsbad.
* State officials ordered 400 words of "sexually explicit material" to be cut from Romeo and Juliet.

New York
* In New York City, it is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing "body hugging clothing."
* In New York City, it is illegal for a man to turn around and look "at a woman in that way," and violators are forced to wear horse blinders.
* In Staten Island, it is illegal for a father to call his son a "faggot" or "queer" in an effort to curb "girlie behaviour."
* In New York City, "It is disorderly conduct for one man to greet another on the street by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose, at the same time extending and wiggling the fingers of his hand."

North Carolina
* In Charlotte, women must have their bodies covered by at least 16 yards of cloth at all times.
* In Asheville, it is illegal to sneeze on city streets.
* Ironically, Hornytown has banned all massage parlours.
* State law mandates that all couples staying in rooms for one night must be kept in room with double beds, kept a minimum of two feet apart, and making love on the floor between the beds is strictly forbidden.
* It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard.

North Dakota
* In Fargo, one may be jailed for wearing a hat while dancing, or even for wearing a hat to a function where dancing is taking place.
* It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
* It is illegal to serve beer and pretzels at the same time in any bar, club, or restaurant.

Ohio
* In Cleveland, women are forbidden from wearing patent leather shoes, lest men see reflections of their underwear.
* In Columbus, it is illegal for stores to sell corn flakes on Sunday.
* In Oxford, it is illegal for a woman to disrobe in front of a man's picture.
* In Youngstown, it is illegal to run out of gas.
* Catch 22 is banned in Strongville.

Oklahoma
* People who make "ugly faces" at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.
* In Schulter, it is illegal for a woman to gamble in the nude, in lingerie, or while wearing a towel.

Oregon
* One may not bathe without wearing "suitable clothing," i.e., that which covers one's body from neck to knee.
* The town of Hood River prohibits the act of juggling without a license.
* Salem has barred women's wrestling.
* In Marion, ministers are forbidden from eating garlic or onions before delivering a sermon.

Pennsylvania
* "Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes."
* In Morrisville, women need a permit to wear cosmetics.
* Ministers are forbidden from performing marriages when either the bride or groom is drunk.

Rhode Island
* In Providence, it is illegal to sell toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.
* It is illegal to throw pickle juice on a trolley.
* In Newport, it is illegal to smoke a pipe after sunset.

South Carolina
* Every citizen is obliged to carry his gun to church.
* No horses are allowed into Fountain Inn unless they are wearing pants.
* In Charleston, all carriage horses must wear diapers.

South Dakota
* It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.
* Movies that show police officers being struck, beaten, or treated in an offensive manner are forbidden.

Tennessee
* It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
* In Dyersburg, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
* In Memphis restaurants, it is illegal to give any pie to fellow diners. It is also illegal to take unfinished pie home. All pie must be eaten on the premises.
* Also in Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists."

Texas
* The entire Encyclopaedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
* A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
* In El Paso, churches, hotels, halls of assembly, stores, markets, banking rooms, railroad depots, and saloons are required to provide spittoons "of a kind and number to efficiently contain expectorations into them."
* It is illegal to milk another person's cow.
* In Houston, it is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.
* In LeFors, it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer while standing.
* In San Antonio, it is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.
* In Mesquite, it is illegal for children to have unusual haircuts.

Utah
* Birds have the right of way on all highways.
* A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.
* In Monroe, daylight must be visible between partners on a dance floor.

Vermont
* Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
* It is illegal to deny the existence of God.
* It is illegal to whistle underwater.

Virginia
* In Richmond, it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.
* In Norfolk, a man may face 60 days in jail for patting a woman's derriere.
* There is a state law prohibiting "corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates."
* In Lebanon, it is illegal to kick your wife out of bed.
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theivoryqueen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:25 AM
Response to Original message
1. also, in texas it's illegal to own more than 9 dildos.
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Richardo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:25 AM
Response to Original message
2. In Texas, it's apparently illegal for Democrats to hold state office...
Edited on Tue Nov-25-03 10:28 AM by Richardo
And after redistricting, even more so. :grr:
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slackmaster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:28 AM
Response to Original message
3. I guess I am a criminal
I admit it. I have set mousetraps without a hunting license.

Pardon me while I prepare my 50-caliber rifle and SUV for a whale hunt down by the beach.
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jus_the_facts Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:34 AM
Response to Original message
4. Add NO helments required on murdercycles in Louisiana here.....
......BUT you're required to wear seatbelts and it's ENFORCED! :eyes:

...this gem was enacted by our murdercycle lover gov. :puke:
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Mal Donating Member (213 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 11:21 AM
Response to Reply #4
14. Each year, cars kill thousands of pedestrians
and MOTORCYCLES are considered dangerous!
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jus_the_facts Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 11:42 AM
Response to Reply #14
17. My opinion of them stems from losing my Uncle when he was 21....
.....he was a newlywed and his wife was 8mos. pregnant...my Dad's baby brother who was the COOLEST relative I could have ever had the pleasure of having....but he died when I was only 5yrs old...so I'm REALLY biased against them...ya dig? x(
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Robb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:41 AM
Response to Original message
5. In a lot of western states
...They felt it imperative to pass a law requiring that a hunter must exit his/her vehicle before shooting at game animals. :shrug:
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THUNDER HANDS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:43 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. really?
What happened, were there a lot of drive-by shootings of deer and turkeys? Are the Bloods and Crypts into sport hunting now? :D
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Richardo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 11:06 AM
Response to Reply #8
12. Hey homie - it's "Crips"
not "Crypts". Be cool, brother-man. :D
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GOPisEvil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:47 AM
Response to Reply #5
9. Actually, there is a reason for this.
A really crappy way that some "hunters" kill game is called spot-lighting. A guy will drive his vehicle into a field where deer are, either turn on the headlights, or use a high-power spot light to stun the deer; then blast away. Some guys do this from the side of the road as they are driving along at night. Hence the requirement to exit your vehicle. Actually, here in TX, spot-lighting is illegal whether you are in your vehicle or not.
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slackmaster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 11:33 AM
Response to Reply #9
15. Same here in Cali
We can't even put illuminated night-vision scopes on our rifles. Passive ones are OK, but night hunting is generally illegal.
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Kitsune Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 11:36 AM
Response to Reply #5
16. Actually...
that law sort of makes sense. I know that on Vashon Island, some hunters will get in their truck, drive through residential areas, and take potshots at deer. Not very safe at all, as you can imagine.
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Bronco69 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:42 AM
Response to Original message
6. I would like to see some info
on how those laws came about. Any info on that?
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RogueTrooper Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:43 AM
Response to Original message
7. Scotland and England
Scotland...

You may not fish on Sundays for salmon.

It is illegal to be a drunk in possession of a cow.

Trespassing on someone else's land is legal. ( A favorite of children up to no good )

If someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your commode, you must let them enter. ( handy law, this one )

England...
The severest Penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal House (enacted by George I)

It is illegal to be drunk on Licensed Premises (in a pub or bar).

It is legal for a male to urinate in public, as long it is on the rear wheel of his motor vehicle and his right hand is on the vehicle.

Committing suicide is classified as a capital crime.
Interfering with the mail or sleeping with the consort of the Queen is classed as treason, and as such, carries a maximum penalty of death.

From more troubled times...

Chester
You can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.

Hereford
You may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close

York
Excluding Sundays, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.
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phaseolus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:53 AM
Response to Original message
10. Beer and cheese consumption, Green Bay Packer worship compulsory
Well, not really.

But once upon a time, 40 years ago or so when I was a baby, it was illegal to sell yellow-colored margarine here. It was white and unappetizing and came with a small annatto capsule that you had to mix with the margarine yourself. Or, you could trek the 40 miles to the Illinois border and buy your margarine from one of the margarine huts just over the border. When they were finally successful in overturning this law, it turned out that the most rabid anti-yellow-margarine state politician had secretly been fed margarine instead of real butter by his wife for years, and he couldn't tell the difference... (You'd think the magic crown materializing on his head to trumpet fanfares would have been a clue, but wifey must have had a good explanation.)

There are some towns in central Wisconsin settled by the Dutch, Waupun and Randolph to name two, that are infested with the same Christian Reconstructionist-leaning Calvinists that are strewn over western Michigan. You can't buy groceries there on Sunday. Evidently feeding your family on Sunday makes Baby Jesus cry, but getting wasted and screaming at your television during football season is okay. Go figure.
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commander bunnypants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 10:54 AM
Response to Original message
11. In Virginia
we can still burn a witch at the stake


DDQM
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TexasMexican Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 11:17 AM
Response to Reply #11
13. lol
when was the last time anyone used that as a defense?
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mlawson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 06:38 PM
Response to Original message
18. NC: school buses have maximum speed limits of 45!!
And they allow them on busy freeways!! I have seen many near misses with huge trucks who come upon a dragging bus, and almost rear end them.

The official "reason" for this is 'so the bus rides will be safer for the children'. How the hell is it SAFER to make busses travel at 30 mph below the traffic flow?????
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NoPasaran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 07:14 PM
Response to Original message
19. Don't libel Texas veggies
It is illegal to defame our agricultural produce.
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greendog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 07:42 PM
Response to Original message
20. drink and drive in montana
In this large state distance is still measured in 6-packs. We are the only state without an open container law.
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Norbert Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 07:48 PM
Response to Original message
21. In Ohio, when you pass a car on a highway.
you are supposed to honk your horn indicating that you are doing so.

No kidding.
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mlawson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 08:19 PM
Response to Reply #21
24. Oh, hell: total road rage bait!! n/t
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Khephra Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 07:49 PM
Response to Original message
22. E-MC 3 here in Indiana
But don't tell anyone.
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bloom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 09:18 PM
Response to Reply #22
25. OK guys in Indiana - look out
"* A man over the age of 18 may be arrested for statutory rape if the passenger in his car is not wearing her socks and shoes, and is under the age of 17.


* Mustaches are illegal if the bearer has a tendency to habitually kiss other humans."
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SmileyBoy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-25-03 08:18 PM
Response to Original message
23. Excuse me, I gotta go now. I'm going to the club. Can't forget my hat...
(Lives in Fargo, North Dakota)
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