Check out these nutty laws from across the U.S.A. and around the globe!
* In Alabama, prison guards are forbidden from referring to their spouses as "the old ball 'n' chain."
* In Los Angeles, it's illegal for a waiter to tell a customer "I'm really an actor."
* In Indiana, it's against the law to dress "Barbie" in "Ken's" clothes.
* In Sedona, Ariz., it's illegal to lie about your astrological sign.
* In Texas, it's illegal to threaten somebody with an UNLOADED gun.
* In Samoa, it's a crime to forget your wife's birthday.
* In Australia, it's illegal to name any animal you plan to eat.
* In Cannes, France, it's illegal to wear a Jerry Lewis mask.
* In New Jersey, answering a traffic cop who asks "Do you know why I pulled you over?" by saying, "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you" is an automatic $300 fine.
* In Kentucky, it's illegal to paint your lawn red.
* In Connecticut, night watchmen are forbidden from drinking decaf coffee while working.
* In Vermont, it's illegal to pick your nose and stick the pickings under a table.
* In Tennessee, it's illegal to tell someone to quit smoking.
* In Oregon, donut holes must be at least an 1/8th inch in diameter.
* In Italy, anyone considered "obese" is forbidden from wearing polyester.
* It's illegal to tear a phone book in half in Montana.
* Anyone caught selling a "smoothie" that has lumps is breaking the law in California.
* In Arkansas, it's illegal for a woman getting married for the second time to wear a white wedding gown.
* In Pennsylvania, it's against the law to put a dollar on a string on the ground and yank it when someone tries to pick it up.
* In New York City, it's illegal for a restaurant to call it a "corned beef sandwich" if it's made with white bread and mayonnaise.
Texas has plenty of them. Mostly because each of the 254 counties has the right to write it's own laws.
Texas Crazy Law
# It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
# 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.
# It is unlawful for a person to consume an alcoholic beverage while operating a motor vehicle upon a public roadway, if the person is observed doing so by a peace officer.
# The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
# When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.
# It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.
# You can be legally married by publically introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.
# A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit.
# It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
# It is illegal to milk another person's cow.
Abilene
# It is illegal to idle or loiter anyplace within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of flirting or mashing.
Austin
# Wire cutters can not be carried in your pocket.
Beaumont
# Collegiate football is banned at Lamar University.
Borger
# It is against the law to throw confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or quirts (riding crop), and explosive firecrackers of any kind.
Clarendon
# It is illegal to dust any public building with a feather duster.
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."
Houston
# Beer may not be purchased after midnight on a Sunday, but it may be purchased on Monday.
# It is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.
Galveston
# It is illegal to drive a motor car down Broadway before noon on Sundays.
Jasper
# Dogs must be on a leash at ALL times. Fine of 100 dollars.
LeFors
# It is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer while standing.
Lubbock County # It is illegal to drive within an arm's length of alcohol - including alcohol in someone else's blood stream.
Mesquite
# It is illegal for children to have unusual haircuts.
Port Arthur
# Obnoxious odors may not be emitted while in an elevator.
Richardson
# It is now illegal to place a "for sale" sign on a car if it visible from the street.
# It is illegal to do "U Turns".
San Antonio # It is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.
# It is illegal to urinate on the Alamo.
Temple
# No one may ride a horse and buggy through the town square.
# You can ride your horse in the saloon.
# Cattle thieves may be hanged on the spot.
Texarkana
# Owners of horses may not ride them at night without tail lights.
# A recently passed anti crime 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.
Texas has a three strike and your out laws. In Texas if a person is convicted of a 3rd felony it is automatic life in prison. With that law unless a criminal has notified a victim in advance. Any crime is already at least 2 felonies.
# The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
Alcohol is illegal or highly regulated in many Texas counties
# You can be legally married by publically introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.
In most Texas counties it is illegal to share a hotel room with a member of the opposite gender unless it is your spouse or a blood-relative. This laws discourges lieing about somebody being your spouse cause after the 3rd he/she is legaly your spouse.
# It is illegal to drive within an arm's length of alcohol - including alcohol in someone else's blood stream.
another law to discourage the use of alcohol
# It is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.
a law to discourage lewd public behavior
# Cattle thieves may be hanged on the spot.
That is an old one that has not been enfoced in a long time, but it is still on the books. Goes back to the days when cattle was a Texans livelihood and a cow could make a difference between survival or starvation.
Woodrow, I'm impressed by what appears to be a high moral standard in Texas (at least compared to other places.) Interesting!
Most of the States have very high moral standard laws. Unfortunately the news media and Hollywood tend to direct their attention on a handful of communities and exaggerate what is found. You have to remember we have 300,000,000 People in the US if just 1% are immoral you will have 3,000,000 people making the news for immoral behavior. But, it is overlooked that also means there are 297,000,000 Americans who are not immoral nor support immorality.
People seldom learn much about the truth of other countries and just look to the media and/or Hollywood for information.
In America we also have many misconceptions about people in other nations. Everybody tends to forget it is usually only the criminal who makes the headlines on the news the average person is very seldom seen as being news worthy.
Everytime I see a movie about Texas I cringe. We are always shown as being very rowdy and run around shooting guns in the air, chasing women and drinking whiskey.
Crimes involving guns are rare in Texas. Most of the counties have very tight controls over the sale of alcohol, Drunkenness and public drinking are illegal in every county. Adultery is a crime in Texas and many other states.
The media gives us a bad reputation too.
But. let's get back on the topic of odd and funny laws.
In Connecticut it is illegal to throw away used razor blades.
It is illegal to appear in public wearing only swimming trunks.
It is illegal to own a mongoose without a permit.
Australia
Children may not purchase cigarettes, but can smoke them.
You may never leave your car keys in an unattended vehicle.
It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
It is illegal to read someone's tarot, or give them a psychic reading as these are forms of witchcraft.
Under Australian Communications Authority (ACA) regulations, your modem can't pick up on the first ring. If it does the ACA permit for your modem is invalid and there's a $12000 fine. - Telecommunications Act 1991.
Britain
In London, Hackney taxis must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats.
It is illegal to be drunk in a pub or club, or any other licensed premises.
Oddly, it is illegal to consume a mince pie on Christmas Day.
In Hereford, you may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close.
However, in Chester you can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.
Also in York, excluding Sundays, it is apparently legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.
In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless in public unless they are a clerk in a tropical fish store.
It is illegal for a Member of Parliament to enter the House of Commons wearing a full coat of armour.
Sleeping with a consort of the queen is classified as treason, and as such carries a maximum penalty of death.
Placing a postage stamp of the queen upside down, is also considered treason.
It is unlawful to impersonate an Chelsea pensioner.
Canada
In Alberta, there is a city law that states that any person being released from prison must be given a handgun with bullets, and a horse so that they can ride out of town.
In British Colombia, it is illegal to kill a sasquatch.
In New Brunswick, driving on the roads is not permitted.
In Etobicoke, the bylaw states that ‘no more than 3.5 inches of water is allowed in a bathtub’.
In Toronto, it is illegal to drag a dead horse down Yonge Street on a Sunday.
These are some of my favorites from around the USA. What is even funnier is each of them has a logical reason behind it.
Vermont:
1. Lawmakers made it obligatory for everybody to take at least one bath each week -- on Saturday night.
Washington:
1. All lollipops are banned.
5. It is illegal to catch a fish by throwing a rock at it. [Thanks to Georgina] 6. In Seattle it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is over 6 feet in length. [Thanks to Georgina]
West Virginia:
1. No children may attend school with their breath smelling of "wild onions".
1. It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
2. It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
3. Putting salt on a railway track may be punishable by death. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
4. Boogers may not be flicked into the wind. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier] 5. You cannot chain your alligator to a fire hydrant. [Thanks to Ben Chastain]
6. Peanuts are not allowed to be sold in Lee County, Alabama after sunset on Wednesdays. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor] 7. You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]
8. It is legal to drive the wrong way on a one way street if you have a lantern on the front of your car. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]
Before starting your car, you are legally required to make an visual check to make sure there are no children underneath your car.
When driving, you must have someone in front of your car with a flag, to warn horse drawn carriages that a car is coming.
Turkey
In Turkey it is an offence to insult the Turkish nation or the national flag, or to deface or tear up the national currency.
Bahrain
It is illegal to make rude gestures or swear in public in Bahrain, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Kenya. You could face a severe fine.
Singapore
In Singapore smoking in public buildings, littering, jaywalking, spitting, feeding birds in public places, chewing gum on the local transport system, and failing to flush public lavatories are civic crimes and attract instant fines.
Yemen
It is illegal to import pork products into Yemen, with a maximum punishment of death.
1. You can't look at a moose from an aeroplane. [Thanks to Dave Knott] 2. Kangaroos are not allowed in barber shops at any time. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]
3. Even though it is legal to hunt a bear, it is illegal to wake a bear and take a picture for photo opportunities. [Thanks to Kyle Brown]
4. It is an offence to push a live moose out of a moving aeroplane. [Thanks to Susan Goodgine]
5. It is State Policy that all emergencies are held to a minimum. [Thanks to Susan Goodgine]
Some of those laws apply elsewhere. Like for example, not being allowed to wear a white wedding dress on the second marriage. Same applies here. Threatening someone with a gun loaded or unloaded is regarded a crime elsewhere too....
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