|
Weird American Laws
Alabama
- In jasper, it is illigal for a husband to
beat his wife with a stick larger in diameter than his
thumb.
- It is illigal to play Dominos on Sunday.
- It is illigal top wear a dake moustache
that causes laughter in church.
- Putting salt on a railroad track may be
punishable by death.
Alaska
- In Fairbanks, it
is illigal to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose.
- While it is legal
to shoot bears, waking sleeping bear for the purpose of
taking a photograph is prohibited.
Arizona
- In Tucson, it is
illigal for women to wear pants.
- In Globe, it is
illigal to play cards in the street with a Native
American.
- In Glendale, it is
illigal to drive a car in reverse.
- In Nogales, it is
illigal to wear suspenders.
Arkansas
- A man can legally
beat his wife, but not more than once a month.
- In Fayetteville,
it is illigal 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 two inches wide, or she gives him permission to use
a wider strap.
- It is a misdemeanor to shoot at
any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target
is a whale.
- In Pacific Groove,
"molesting" butterflies can result in a $500
fine.
- In Pasadena, it is illigal for a
secretary to be alone in a room with her boss.
- It is illigal to set a mousetrap
without a hunting license.
- In Long Beach, it is illigal to
curse on a mini-golf course.
- In San Francisco, it is illigal to
wipe one's car with used underwear.
- It is illigal 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 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 unfavorably 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 pajamas.
- 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 Guernee, 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 theater 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 a 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 offense.
- 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 dueling
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 Detroit, it is
illegal to ``ogle'' a woman from a moving car.
- In Port Huron, the
speed limit for ambulances in 20 m.p.h.
- Under state law,
dentists are officially classified as ``mechanics.''
Minnesota
- Women may face up
to 30 days in jail if they impersonate Santa Claus.
- In Minneapolis,
double-parkers can be put on a chain gang.
- Every man in
Brainerd is required by law to grow a beard.
- It's illegal to
tease skunks.
Mississippi
- It is still legal
to kill one's "servant".
- In Truro, a
would-be groom must ``prove himself manly'' prior to
marriage by hunting and killing either six blackbirds or
three crows.
Missouri
- In Saco, women are forbidden from
wearing hats that ``might frighten timid persons,
children or animals.''
- In St. Louis, it is illegal for an
on-duty firefighter 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
misdemeanor 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 behavior.''
- 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 Ashville, it is illegal to
sneeze on city streets.
- Ironically, Hornytown has banned
all massage parlors.
- 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 cornflakes on Sunday.
- In Oxford, it is
illegal for a women 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, and 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
Encyclopedia 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.
Washington
- In Seattle, women
who sit on men's laps on buses or trains without placing
a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail
term.
- In Auburn, men who
deflower virgins, regardless of age or marital status,
may face up to five years in jail.
- Seattle residents
may not carry concealed weapons longer than six feet.
- It is illegal to
pretend that one's parents are rich.
West Virginia
- In Nicholas
County, no clergy members may tell jokes or humorous
stories from the pulpit during church services.
- Doctors and
dentists may not place a woman under anesthesia unless a
third person is present.
- It is illegal to
snooze on a train.
Wisconsin
- In St. Croix, women are not
allowed to wear anything red in public.
- It is illegal to cut a woman's
hair.
- It is illegal to kiss on a train.
- Cheese making requires a cheese
maker's license; Limburger cheese making requires a
master cheese maker's license.
Wyoming
- It is illegal to
wear a hat that obstructs peoples' view in a public
theater or place of amusement.
- It is illegal for
women to stand within five feet of a bar while drinking.
BACK TO TOP
|
Page No. 30
|
|
|