Those Crazy State Laws will be a new feature when we have a 5th Thursday in a month.
Lately, I’ve been really interested in laws that were put on the books 50 to 100 years ago and are somehow still around today. Some of them are so ridiculous it’s hard to see why they were made in the first place, but apparently, something happened that made some lawyer official think a law was needed.
So, here we go with 15 crazy laws:
- In Arkansas, you can be arrested if you tie your dog to the roof of your car – even if it’s in a cage.
- In Montana, it’s illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck unless a chaperone is present.
- House Bill 110 in Texas was introduced on the House floor, which would require criminals to give their victims 24 hours’ notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed. Not sure if it ever passed…
- In North Dakota, you may be jailed for wearing a hat while dancing, or even for wearing a hat to a party where dancing occurs.
- In one city in Oklahoma, there is an ordinance that says it shall be unlawful to put any hypnotized person in a display window.
- In Pennsylvania, all fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires. Exactly how anyone would know when a fire is going to happen is a mystery to me.
- At one time in Memphis, Tennessee, it was illegal for a woman to drive a car unless there was a man either running or walking in front of it, waving a red flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians.
- In Georgia, it’s against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.
- Here’s another one about a giraffe—residents may not fish from a giraffe’s back in Idaho.
- In Indiana, citizens are not allowed to attend a movie nor ride in a public streetcar for at least four hours after eating garlic.
- In Arizona, donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.
- If you’re in Connecticut and walking on your hands, you aren’t allowed to cross a street.
- In Louisiana, biting someone with your natural teeth is “simple assault”, while biting someone with your false teeth is “aggravated assault”.
- In Chicago, Illinois, it is illegal to take a French poodle to the opera.
- In Colorado, it is not legal to keep a mule on the second floor of a building not in a city, unless there are 2 exits.
So there you have fifteen really dumb laws. Have you heard iof any of these? Or others? If so, leave them in the comments.
Well, I believe it is still on the books in Montgomery, Alabama, that you cannot drive a motorboat up Dexter Avenue.
That’s a good one, George
Found this one for Colorado: It is technically unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor in Denver.
That’s a good one, Terry!
Pat, these are real coffee snorters!
In Montana, it’s illegal to ride a horse or pack mule into a bar or saloon. Nor sure about a c-store, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLy1l79unGo
I live in Missouri, A blood red state where you could get a dead house plant elected if you could teach it to say, “Guns, Bible, No Gays.” At last count we had 14 laws concerning trans youth. Last year we had 8 trans youth athletes.
The classic is that Jack Daniels is in a dry county. But now you can have a sample at the distillery.
Political power in Missouri used to be in taverns. Missouri has some strange liquor laws. to control the Democrat machines in St. Louis and Kansas City. One is that bars/taverns had to be closed on election day. Worked well for a long time. Until… The St. Louis Cardinals home opener falls on election day. A 45,000 bar can’t serve beer until about the 3rd inning. The legislators fixed that.
That one I knew about, Alan…
In Montana, it’s still illegal to open your spouse’s mail. And you could get in trouble if you lasso a fish.
Those are good ones, Michelle!
WA State:
It is illegal to pretend to have a wealthy spouse.
And…it’s illegal to kill a Sasquatch.
There you have it! 💁♀️
Good early legislation on the Bigfeet. The moment they are proven to exist, if they exist, is to ban hunting or harassing them.
It’s always good to be a step ahead of the bad guys, Marilynn!
Those are good ones, Deb!
Hilarious, Pat!
In New Hampshire, it is illegal to collect or carry away seaweed off the beach at night. Evidently, it’s fine during the day. Also, it’s illegal to check into a hotel under an assumed name. I wonder how many people broke that law. 😉
Those are great ones, Sue!
More from my home state of Missouri. It is illegal to drive with an uncaged bear in your vehicle. And in the state capital of Jefferson City, a mustached man cannot kiss a woman. I’m pretty sure that last law is often broken.
My question is, what happened that this needed to be a law, Elaine!
It’s not the law but the why of the law that I find interesting. Ones like the donkey in the bathtub sound like a stupid drunk prank that happened way too many times. The pre-approval of unlawful behavior allows the police to step in before the crime becomes serious or dangerous, and they have a great deal of leverage on what that behavior is. Having animals where they shouldn’t be is smart when humans aren’t, and I’m completely behind the no garlic rule. Vampires deserve to ride the bus, too.
I agree, Marilynn!