Laws keep people from doing things to harm others. They keep people safe and help to keep order in the United States. However there are some laws that make absolutely no sense. They were created many years ago and maybe were needed at one time or another. Some of these crazy laws are outdated, some are highly questionable and some are just completely hilarious.
ALABAMA
Bathing in the courthouse square fountain is against the law in Montgomery, Alabama. That sure does spoil the fun of those courthouse bathers.
ARZONA
While driving in Glendale, Arizona motorists must be careful and never bark where they need to back up since it is illegal to do so there.
ARKANSAS
Some states take the pronunciation of their state very seriously. A person better not mispronounce Arkansas while in that state, it is illegal to do so.
CALIFORNIA
Poor women are the object of some very strange laws in California; they cannot drive a car while wearing a house-coat. California is not into recycling when it comes to confetti. An ordinance in San Francisco prohibits picking up confetti that has been used to throw it again.
COLORADO
In Pueblo Colorado they do not like Dandelions. It is illegal to allow them to grow in the city limits.
FLORIDA
School busses in Florida stay free of livestock because it is against the law to transport livestock on school buses.
GEORGIA
Gun owners will love this one. There is a law that requires anyone who attends church on Sunday to have a loaded rifle.
HAWAII
In Hawaii a person is not allowed to put pennies in his or her ears.
IDAHO
Be sure to buy chicken before it gets dark in Idaho unless you get a permit. It is against the law to purchase a chicken in Idaho after dark unless you have a permit from the sheriff.
ILLINOIS
The dogs in Illinois must be sensitive. There’s a law that prohibits people making faces at dogs in Normal, Illinois.
INDIANA
Thankfully they protect kids in Elkhart, Indiana. A barber can not threaten to cut off the ears of a child. That must make all parents feel more comfortable taking their kids to the barber.
IOWA
Beware the rotten eggs in Iowa. It is a state law that a person has even one rotten egg in his or her possession.
KANSAS
In Topeka Kansas a household can only have five cats on the premises.
KENTUCKY
There is a state law that requires everyone to take a bath at least one time a year.
MAINE
Landlords are protected in Rumford, Maine. There it is against the law to bite your landlord.
MASSACHUETTES
In Boston Massachusetts it is illegal to kiss an actor during a stage performance. That kind of blows the romantic scenes. They also take the fun out of going to a bakery in Massachusetts. It is prohibited to lounge on bakery shelves. Sure does put a damper in bakery shelf napping. Bathing also has its laws. An old law in Boston says that a person is not allowed to take more than one bath per week.
MICHIGAN
A husband owns his wife’s clothes in Michigan. He can follow her if she leaves him and legally take every piece of clothing off of her.
NEBRASKA
The people in Omaha are protected from germs by the law that prohibits the same bow to be used by different people.
NEW MEXICO
Teachers have to be able to speak English in New Mexico.
NEW JERSEY
The birds in New Jersey are taken care of, it is the law that cats wear three bells so that birds will know where they are at all times. Tweety would have loved that law.
OHIO
It is against the law to stick your feet out of your car in Ohio, so keep them inside.
OREGON
Women are taken care of in Oregon. In Baker, Oregon it is illegal to speak to a woman against her will.
PENNYSLVANIA
The town of Altoona Pennsylvania must think that babysitters are overworked. They have a law that prohibits a babysitter from cleaning out his or her employer’s refrigerator. If a person is sleepy it is best not to go to the barber in Eerie, Pennsylvania because it is against the law to fall to sleep in the barber’s chair. Noise pollution is thought of in Pennsylvania too, singing in the bathtub is forbidden.
TEXAS
Alligators are safe in Corpus Christi, Texas sometimes. It is illegal for a person to molest an alligator in his or her own home. Alligators must be in fear out in the wild.
TENNESSEE
In Memphis, Tennessee a man must run or walk in front of a car waving a red flag warning the other motorists that a woman is driving before she can drive in that city.
One law that is really outrageous is that it is illegal in Tennessee to drive a car while sleeping. Darn, that sure does mess up a lot of people’s plans to catch a nap while on a road trip.
VERMONT
On Sunday it is against the law for a woman to walk down the street unless her husband is walking behind her at least twenty paces with a musket on his shoulder.
VIRGINIA
In Virginia bathtubs must be installed in the yard because it is illegal to put a tub in the house. That must conflict with some kind of public nudity law. Politicians are above the law in Virginia. A statue in Virginia prohibits bribery or corrupt practices by anyone except for candidates.
WISCONSON
In Wisconsin they do not promote group bathing. It is against the law for more than one person to be in a tub at a time.
Many of these laws have been on the books for years and no one has taken the time to change them however no one enforces them either. It will be a hilarious day when someone is arrested for putting a tub in his or her house in the state of Virginia.
Laws are what keep people from doing things to harm themselves or others. They are good to have in place. There are some laws however that is outdated, questionable and very hilarious.
References:
Hyman, D (1976). Crazy Laws