The Weirdest Law In Each US State

There are tons and tons of laws written in stone in the United States. A lot of laws were written over a hundred years ago but are still in place, even if local police forces have no idea and aren't enforcing them. Does your state have the weirdest one?

Alabama

Alabama is pretty adamant about not letting its citizens drive blindfolded. The Yellowhammer State literally has a law that says driving while blindfolded is prohibited. Makes sense!

Most states probably have laws that talk about dangerous or distracted driving that blindfolded driving would fall under. Alabama is not playing around, though.

Alaska

Up in Alaska, it's illegal to put an animal in the back of an open vehicle. Trucks, convertibles, Jeeps without a top... That's a no-go for all pets!

There is a loophole to this, of course. If the dog's tail wag is below 46 inches, it's allowed in the vehicle. This law was put into effect when a pup was reported as a nuisance. 

Arizona

Laws don't have to make sense, and Arizona knows it. In the 1920s, a dam broke and flooded a rancher's home. His donkey was asleep in the bathtub. See where this is headed?

The flood was so bad that the tub was lifted up by the current and whisked away with the donkey inside. The town worked hard to rescue the donkey, but apparently, it was too much of a bother. They declared it illegal for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs so this wouldn't happen again... Not that it ever would.

Arkansas

Be careful in Arkansas! You are not allowed to honk your car horn near a sandwich shop after 9 p.m. It's unclear how this rule came to be, but apparently, it's enforced!

Maybe the sandwich makers get too startled when they hear a car horn and end up messing up the sandwich... But, only at night? This law is still pretty unclear.

California

Keep your canary's in check, please! In California, it's illegal to start whistling for a lost canary before 7 a.m. Citizens of Berkely must keep their canary whistling on mute before the sun is up.

What if you're whistling for some other reason? Well, no one knows. This law came to be when someone bothered the entire town of Berkely while he whistled for his pet canary to come home. They must have been pretty disgruntled.

Colorado

The city of Boulder wants its residents to keep their couches inside of their homes and not out on their porches. This came to be after the city busted the University of Colorado for getting rid of couches by burning them.

Apparently, people were leaving their couches on their porch for someone to pick up and set aflame later. The city didn't like it, so they said "no more porch couches."

Connecticut

In 1948, two men found themselves in quite the pickle. They were arrested when officials declared that the pickles they were selling were not fit for human consumption. In order to keep pickle sales up, the officials detailed a test to be performed on each pickle before selling them.

According to these very wise officials, a pickle is only legitimate if it bounces. The men who were initially arrested had their pickles fail the bounce test, so back into jail they went!

Delaware

Delaware is a weird and small state, and this fact only makes them weirder. In the tiny state of Delaware, residents are not allowed to sell the hair of a dog or a cat.

Now, it's unknown as to why this is prohibited or how it came to be, but it is the law. The residents must have been making bank off of their pet hair for it to become illegal! 

Florida

In Florida, you must pay to park your animal. Naturally, this law went into effect after the Ringling Bros. Circus moved its winter show operations into the state. Floridians wanted to capitalize on the sheer amount of space they needed to store the animals. 

Luckily, most people won't run into this scenario, especially not in Florida. It's unclear how many people take their elephants or horses to the supermarket, but they probably know that they need to pay the fine! 

Georgia

As a coastal state, Georgia wanted to keep an eye on its residents. The state declared that you are not allowed to live on a boat for more than 30 days. 

If you ever wanted to buy a houseboat, Georgia is not the state to do it in! Now, you might be able to find a loophole, such as living on a boat for 30 days and then going somewhere else for one and then going back home for another 30. It could work!

Hawaii

Be wary of your coins, Hawaiians. You aren't allowed to place a coin in your ear in the Rainbow State. This law was enacted to protect the Kingdom of Hawaii coinage. 

Funny enough, the law was put into place after the United States annexed Hawaii in 1900. The country wanted to make sure the ancestral coins weren't put anywhere that they shouldn't be!

Idaho

This law actually makes sense, finally! In Idaho, it's illegal to sweep debris into the streets. If you're sweeping up a sidewalk, driveway, alleyway, etc, you better have trash bags ready! 

This law basically applies to any road used for public travel. This is a way to keep the streets nice looking and the environment healthy. If only other states did this! 

Illinois

Plot twist: this is something you can do! In 2012, the state of Illinois passed a law named "Sip and Spit." This law allows culinary students under the age of 21 to legally state alcohol.

The catch is that you have to "sip and spit" the alcohol. This was enacted because culinary students needed to learn how to taste wine in their early years, and waiting until they're in their second to last semester of college isn't very helpful!

Indiana

Hold your horses! In Indiana, it's illegal to ride your horse above 10 miles per hour. Obviously, horses don't come with speedometers, so you're going to have to use your best judgment. 

This law was enacted years ago when folks were still participating in "high speed" horse races. It's not as common now, but probably still a good law to practice.

Iowa

This should go for most states, but only Iowa has this written in the law: you cannot throw a brick onto a highway. Not only is this extremely dangerous and stupid, but this act has also killed people in the past.

The law also states that any other "dangerous instruments or toys" are also prohibited from behind thrown onto any public ground. It also says that you need to have written permission to do this, which is just a weird thing to add.

Kansas

In Kansas, you're not allowed to screech your tires. That means no donuts, gearheads! Kansas folk love their peace, and you are totally not allowed to disturb it. 

Kentucky

You better pick Mr. Right! In Kentucky, a woman is not allowed to marry the same man four times. Naturally, there's nothing that says a man can't marry the same woman four times. Apparently, only the woman gets in trouble. 

Louisiana

Be careful who you're sending a pizza to! In Louisiana, it's considered harassment to send a "surprise pizza" to an unwilling participant. If you're trying to get back with your partner, maybe a surprise pizza isn't the way.

Maine

One city in Maine made it illegal to park in front of one specific Dunkin' Donuts. South Berwick residents love their Dunkin' Donuts... so much so that they were causing traffic jams around it. So, the city decided to make it illegal to park there, and you can get your car towed in a heartbeat. 

Maryland

For some reason, the small city of Baltimore Maryland has it out for shirtless sleeves. Shirts without sleeves are banned from public parks, meaning tanktops, muscle tanks, tube tops, etc. It's technically a park rule, but still!

Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts doesn't want its people scammed. It's illegal to tell someone's fortune without a certification. In order to get said certification, you must live within the state for one year before even applying for one. 

Michigan

According to Michigan, it's best to hold off on car sales until Monday. It's unlawful to sell, trade, or buy motor vehicles on a Sunday. Sundays are best spent with family, not buying cars!

Minnesota

If you're driving through Minnesota, you best make sure your car is clean! Having dirty car tires is considered a "public nuisance" because they deposit mud and dirt onto the road. You can get fined!

Mississippi

Mississippi is known for its interesting laws and rules, but this one takes the cake. In 2013, lawmakers barred towns from forcing restaurants to include nutrition information or calorie counts on menus. If you're trying to stay healthy, maybe stay out of Mississippi.

Missouri

In the great state of Missouri, bear wrestling is banned. No, not bears wrestling each other... Humans wrestling bears. Apparently, this became such a problem that the government had to step in. They called it animal cruelty, which is true!

Montana

Montana hates rats, apparently. It's unlawful to gift, raise, or sell rats as pets. Rats are totally permitted as prey animals for birds and reptiles, though.

Nebraska

If you're planning on getting married, maybe keep your venereal disease to yourself. In Nebraska, it's unlawful for a person afflicted with a "venereal disease" (AKA an STI) to get married. 

Nevada

Reno, Nevada has a pretty weird policy about sitting along sidewalks. The city has declared sitting or laying down on a sidewalk unlawful. They say that it interferes with the primary purpose of the sidewalk and threatens public safety. 

New Hampshire

In 1973, the state of New Hampshire declared it unlawful to pick up seaweed off of a beach. You're not allowed to disturb to remove the seaweed from the coast. Apparently, this is rooted in the idea that seaweed could be used as fertilizer and was a hot commodity.

New Jersey

In 1999, New Jersey amended a law prohibiting people from wearing a bullet-proof vest while committing a crime. If you were caught committing a crime while wearing a bullet-proof vest, you can just add that to your list of crimes.

New Mexico

There is one law in New Mexico that states that "idiots" cannot vote. This is an obviously dated law that hasn't been updated nor changed since it was enacted. Idiots are also classified as "insane persons convicted of a felonious or infamous crime" in the law.

New York

In the state of New York, slippers are banned in public after 10 p.m. Apparently, you're not allowed to rock comfort in the streets! It's highly doubtful that this law would never be enforced, though. They're just slippers!

North Carolina

If you're trying to go a little crazy at bingo, then North Carolina is not the place for you. It's illegal to sell or consume alcohol in a room where a bingo game is being played. Yikes!

North Dakota

In Devils Lake, North Dakota, setting off fireworks after 11 pm is illegal. But, it is legal to set them off as early as 8 am. Apparently, that isn't too early to "disturb the peace."

Ohio

In Ohio, it's illegal to sell dyed chickens and rabbits. It's not illegal to dye them, but selling them is totally off the table. This is due to animal cruelty violations. 

Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, tripping a horse is prohibited. You cannot engage or be employed at a horse tripping event. In other news, horse tripping events actually existed at one point. 

Oregon

Most people assume that you can only hunt on hunting grounds... Apparently, folks in Oregon have to be told where to hunt! It was made illegal to hunt in the Beaver State after a hunter was found harvesting an animal on cemetery grounds. 

Pennsylvania

Oddly enough, it's technically unlawful for a psychic to receive monetary compensation for a reading. This includes fortune telling, tarot card reading, and palm reading! Since all of these things are pretty popular, this "law" probably doesn't matter too much.

Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, it's illegal to race a horse on a highway. A public road is one thing, but a highway is totally off-limits! That includes racing or even testing the speed of the horse. Failure to comply could result in a $20 fine or 10-day imprisonment.

South Carolina

Sorry, kids! Minors are not allowed to play the ever-popular arcade game of pinball in South Carolina. No one really knows why... Maybe kids are just not to be trusted with a pinball machine? 

South Dakota

If you ever find yourself in a pickle and you need a place to sleep, you should forgo a cheese factory in South Dakota. It's illegal to fall asleep at a cheese factory mainly because of all of the dangerous machinery.

Tennessee

In 2011, Tennessee passed a law directed at hackers who sold log-in information for Netflix. At the same time, lawmakers also made it unlawful to share your password with someone who doesn't live under the same roof as you. Whoops! 

Texas

You are not allowed to sell a human eye in Texas. As a matter of fact, any human body part is forbidden to be sold in the Lone Star state. Even if it's embalmed and totally dead, it's a no-go!

Utah

Boxing is a pretty high-stakes sport, and Utah takes it seriously. They decided to ban biting in boxing due to the high rate of injuries the state was receiving. It's unclear what event spurred this law...

Vermont

It's illegal for women to wear fake teeth without their husband's approval in Vermont. Women have to get written permission if they want to get false teeth for any reason. That's so backward!

Virginia

You're never too old to trick-or-treat! Unless you live in Virginia. Children over the age of 14 are not allowed to trick-or-treat due to mass complaints of teenagers ruining the fun. There is also an ordinance that says no trick-or-treating after 8 pm! 

Washington

It's illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole in Washington state. If someone wishes to do this, they must be granted permission and follow strict guidelines. This is done to keep electrical workers safe!

West Virginia

You must remove your hat if you're going to a cinema in West Virginia! Not only is that the police thing to do, it's also a local law. 

Wisconsin

If you're going to serve someone a butter substitute (such as margarine) you have to let them know! Otherwise, you're breaking a law. This is because of sudden allergic reactions. It's always best to tell people what you're serving them!

Wyoming

If a building costs more than $100,000+ then it must display pricey art. This law was ennacted thanks to NASAA's mission to strengthen the arts in cities! 

Next Post →

The More You Know

  • You're more likely to become President than you are to win the lottery.
  • Warren Buffett has only sent one email in his life. It was sent to Jeff Raikes of Microsoft, and Buffett said it became his first and last email when it ended up in court.
  • The average golf ball has 336 dimples.
  • One area of Canada has a weaker gravitational pull than the rest of Earth.

Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.