Weird State Laws

A friend sent me this e-mail and I wanted to know of other weird laws out there...

Oklahoma
·Whale hunting is strictly forbidden throughout the entire state.
·Females are forbidden from doing their own hair without being licensed by the state.
·Dogs need a mayor-signed permit to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.

Missouri
·Hard objects may not be thrown by hand.
·Worrying squirrels is not tolerated.
·Minors can buy rolling paper and tobacco but not lighters.
·It shall be unlawful to provide beer or other intoxicants to elephants.
·A milkman may not run while on duty.

...so, I looked up on yahoo, and this is what I found: [url]http://www.md.lp.org/weird_laws.html[/url] and
[url]http://www.asij.ac.jp/highschool/journalism/May2003/pdf/online15.pdf[/url]

Any in your states that aren't on these lists?

Comments

  • 28 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • I have some great ones for Georgia that aren't included!

    1. It is illegal to use profanity in front of a dead body which lies in a
    funeral home or in a coroners office.
    2. Members of the state assembly cannot be ticketed for speeding while the
    state assembly is in session.
    3. Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs.
    4. Signs are required to be written in English.
    5. No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday.
    6. All sex toys are banned.

    And my favorite ones from Alabama:

    1. It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.
    2. Children of incestuous couples are deemed legitimate.
    3. Women are able to retain all property they owned prior to marriage in the
    case of divorce. However, this provision does not apply to men.
    4. Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death

    And last but not least:

    Boogers may not be flicked into the wind.

    Happy Friday!

    Amanda
  • I don't know if its weird but I am sometimes annoyed that I can't even buy a bottle of wine (or any alcohol) on Sundays. I'm not a big drinker so I don't keep it in the house but every once in a while I want to sit on my roof with a nice cold beer and if its Sunday I'm out of luck. x:-(
  • Funny, all the weird laws for NY were from the Big Apple. Must be us upstaters are normal.

    I heard on NPR about a year ago that hunting for whales on Sunday in Ohio is illegal. I warned my son in Columbus not to break that law.
  • In AZ it is illegal to hunt camels. I didn't realize it was a problem.
  • Camels were brought over in the late 1800's for cargo or whatever in the desert. Not that I remember, of course. If there were any descendents they could carry gasoline maybe.
  • Mississippi has 'that sodomy law' but I reckon it's moot now. Or is it? It is also illegal here to serve a tethered horse peppermint in front of a saloon on payday. A well known law is that it's illegal for a man over 70, living in MS or Alabama, to be buried in any place 100 miles west of the Mississippi River. And here's one I am sure of: It is illegal in every state to discipline a child in the public school system.
  • ray a - I wanted to let this one get by, however, even though it is beneath my dignity as a resident of the Big Apple, the majority of our State Legislators and the governor are from upstate and they are fairly strange group (however, not as bad as Texas or California). So why do such "normal?" people vote for such unusual people?
  • [url]http://www.dumblaws.com/states/index.html[/url]

    FLORIDA:
    -Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner.
    -If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
    -Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
    (makes you wonder when this was ever a problem)
    -It is illegal to skateboard without a license.
    -When having sex, only the missionary position is legal.
    -You may not fart in a public place after 6 P.M. on Thursdays.
    -It is considered an offense to shower naked.
    -You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers.
    -Oral sex is illegal.
    -You may not kiss your wife's breasts.
    -Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging.
    -It is illegal to sell your children.
    (sad that they have to tell people this)
    -The state constitution allows for freedom of speech, a trial by jury, and pregnant pigs to not be confined in cages.

  • In Taunton, Mass., Taunton residents can shoot Rhode Islanders on Sundays.
  • Some of these must be outdated or "urban myths"... for example, in Missouri minors can't buy any tobacco-related products, including rolling papers. (I once received a customer complaint because one of my clerks wouldn't sell a package of pipe cleaners to a minor... it was a 10-year-old trying to finish a craft project for school!)

    Also, no one with any brains would try to sell their children. Any tax professional will tell you it is much better to lease them.
  • In Utah bar tenders are only allowed to serve one drink to one customer at a time. You are also not allowed to buy pitchers of alcoholic beverages.
  • Utah has a lot of weird ones. It's also illegal to throw snowballs.
  • Is it illegal there to throw snowballs at both your wives, or just one? ;)


  • I think my cat has some sort of illness, so I was looking up symptoms on the net for different feline diseases and was kind of bewildered when I came across the Better Business Bureau of NY and found out that NY has a lemon law for dogs and cats....
  • Really? Can you post the link you found because this I've got to see.

    I love the one posted earlier about shooting people from Rhode Island...that's got to be an urban myth!
  • No, really, that one is true, I'm sure, I remember a teacher telling us about it in High School. Mass has some weird ones such as this - taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of their cab during their shift. I guess the back seat is ok? Here are some others:

    Massachusetts State Laws
    Mourners at a wake may not eat more than three sandwiches.
    Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked.
    An old ordinance declares goatees illegal unless you first pay a special license fee for the privilege of wearing one in public.
    Hunting on Sundays is prohibited.
    It is illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.
    No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.
    Tomatoes may not be used in the production of clam chowder.
    Quakers and witches are banned.
    Bullets may not be used as currency.
    City Laws

    Boston

    It is illegal to play the fiddle.
    Two people may not kiss in front of a church.
    No more than two baths may be taken within the confines of the city.
    Anyone may let their sheep and cows graze in the public gardens/commons at any time except Sundays.
    It is illegal to eat peanuts in church.
    An old law prohibits the taking of baths on Sunday.
    Duels to the death permitted on the common on Sundays provided that the Governor is present.
    Women may not wear heels over 3 inches in length while on the common.
    No one may take a bath without a prescription.

    Hingham - You may not have colored lights on your house if it can be seen from Main Street. Only white lights may be visible.

    Longmeadow -It is illegal for two men to carry a bathtub across the town green.
    Marlboro -It is illegal to buy, sell or possess a squirt gun.
    One may not detonate a nuclear device in the city.

    Milford-Peeping in the windows of automobiles is forbidden.

    Newton -All families must be given a hog from the town's mayor.

    North Andover-An ordinance prohibits the use of space guns.



  • >It is illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.
    >No more than two baths may be taken within the confines of the city.
    >An old law prohibits the taking of baths on Sunday.
    >No one may take a bath without a prescription.
    >Longmeadow -It is illegal for two men to carry a bathtub across the
    >town green.

    I'd love to see them prove some of the others you've mentioned, but what's the fascination with bathing? Is this some sort of MA thing?

    (ps, thx mwild for the link!)
  • Many of the old MA laws were written by Puritans. Think Salem witch trials and cutting the ears off Quakers...they were fanatics in their own way if you ask me. But I think that much of that reserved attitude still shows in many Bostonians, and New Englanders for that matter. A co worker of mine from New York calls me a Yankee which I think is hysterical since my family came to the US in 1952.
  • The Texas laws seem to involve drinking and sexual activity...gotta love the bible belt.

    It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
    (of course up until a few years ago it was ok to drink while driving)
    Up to a felony charge can be levied for promoting the use of, or owning more than six dildos
    It is illegal to sell one’s eye in Dallas
    It is illegal to milk another person's cow. (I'm certain there was sexual implication here)
    It's illegal to possess realistic dildos.
    One needs permission from the director of parks and recreation before getting drunk in any city park
  • It is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket in Lexington, KY.
  • x:-/

    Okay, I bite (no pun intended). Why would this be against the law and the better question is why would you carry an ice cream cone in your pocket in the first place?
  • That is a real good question. One I never figured out either.
  • Is the whale population in trouble in Oklahoma?
  • Could be if they don't take the same steps as Ohio. How many whales do you see in Ohio? If they outlawed hunting for whales every day of the week, you'd be overrun with them.
  • It's not "hunting", you commie pinko tree hugger - it's a "harvest".
  • How's the whale harvesting going in MO?
  • Whew, the whale population is definitly crazy here in Ohio! Just can't get the darn things to stay in the ocean.
Sign In or Register to comment.