Strange State or local Laws

[Lady Cluck]

Inspried by strange Children's names thread:

In Texas, it's illegal to put graffiti on someone else's cow. (Guess it's OK to graffiti your own cow??)

In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

It's against the law to catch fish with your bare hands in Kansas. (but you can go across the state line into Oklahoma and do this - It's called
"Noodling".

 

[BrerLizzie]

in the city where I live it's illegal to ice skate on Riverside Pond in the months of July and August.

 

[Nite0wl71]

In Chicago it is illegal to take your French poodle to the opera, it is also illegal to fish in pajamas.

 

[Tjaleks]

In Chicago you can't drive a truck on Lake Shore Dr.

 

[CamColt]

Up until just a few years ago, here in Woburn Ma, you could not stand and drink an alcoholic drink in a restaurant. So if you were waiting for a table in the restuarant, and you wanted a drink in the lounge, you couldnt get one if there were no seats. Even if you got a seat, began a drink and your table was ready, you could not carry your drink to your table. A waiter had to do it.

Even now, I believe the restaurants have to get special permit to allow standing and drinking and they have a limited number of people and a limited area as to where it can happen.

 

[Lars624]

In Michigan, it is illegal to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant.

 

[binny]

well we arent allowed to fish from a giraffes back here in Boise.
dang!


Here are a few other choice ones from Idaho ( and no none of them have to do with Potatoes!)....



It is Illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds.

You may not fish on a camel's back.

Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime.

Residents may not fish from a giraffe's back. (Boise)




My personal favourite:

If a police officer approaches a vehicle and suspects that the occupants are engaging in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for three minutes before approaching the car. (Coeur d Alene)






A law passed in 1912 provided that "The carrying of concealed weapons is forbidden, unless some are exhibited to public view." (Pocatello)

A person may not be seen in public without a smile on their face. (Pocatello)

 

[CrazedDisFan]

Ok I don't live in Wisconsin, but I found this law and it is one of those things that make you wonder....

Wisconsin
You must manually flush all urinals in a building.

Here's a link to some weird laws...
http://www.lawguru.com/weird/part01.html

 

[binny]

Of course there is always the famous Montana law....

"It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone."

 

[Geoff_M]

One that's often cited from my hometown: In Muncie, IN it's illegal to carry a fishing pole in a cemetery.

However, if you know the town the old law isn't a crazy as it sounds. The White River runs beside the city's main cemetery. My guess is that years ago the town fathers didn't like people fishing from within the cemetery and made it illegal to be in possession of fishing tackle on the grounds.


binny, that reminds me of the T-shirt I once saw that read "Montana... Where men are men, women are few, and the sheep are nervous!"

 

[hugsquared]

In Georgia" No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday. " Can't imagine when this could have ever been a problem...and why

 

[Twinkles6892]

Texas: 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.

This kind of makes sense to me, if the criminal is within the law, than the said person can have the police stake out their house. If they don't give notice, they break one more law, increasing punishment

 

[tiggersmom2]

Here are some crazy Ga laws....and specific counties.

Georgia Crazy Law

Members of the state assembly cannot be ticketed for speeding while the state assembly is in session.


Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs.

Signs are required to be written in English.


You have the right to commit simple battery if provoked by "fighting" words.


No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday.


It is illegal to use profanity in front of a dead body which lies in a funeral home or in a coroners office.


Acworth All citizens must own a rake.


Atlanta Against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.


One man may not be on another man's back.


Columbus Can't cut off a chicken's head on Sunday.
It is illegal to carry a chicken by it's feet down Broadway on Sunday.


Gainesville
Chicken must be eaten with the hands.


Jonesboro
It is illegal to say "Oh, Boy"


Kennesaw Every head of household must possess a firearm of some kind.


Marietta Though it is illegal to spit from a car or bus, citizens may spit from a truck.


St. Mary's
No spitting on the sidewalk is permitted after dark.


Quitman Cars are not to drive on sidewalks.


It is illegal for a chicken to cross the road

 

[MouseEars4us]

Well, in Ohio...

It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.

It is illegal to get a fish drunk.

So, Monday night I'm gonna haul me a big whale out of the local cow pond and I'm gonna have a few beers, but he'll hafta stick to milk? Just me and the dog will get drunk!

 

[DisneyCP2002]

Texas
--The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

--It is illegal to milk another person's cow.

--Texas law forbids anyone to have a pair of pliers in his possession.

--In Lefors, it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer at any time while standing...

--Corpus Christi makes it illegal to raise alligators in your home.

--In Kingsville, there is a law against two pigs having sex on airport property.

--A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit.

--In Clarendon, TX., it is illegal to dust any public building with a feather duster.

--In Borger, TX., it is against the law to throw confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or quirts (riding crop), and explosive firecrackers of any kind. (Real party poopers)

--It is Texas law that 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.

Illinois:

--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 Joliet, it is illegal to mispronounce the name Joliet

--In Oblong, Illinois, it's punishable by law to make love while hunting or fishing on your wedding day.

--A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master, not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts.

Oklahoma:

--Whale hunting is strictly forbidden.

--People who make "ugly faces" at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.

Montana:

--In Whitehall, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels.

--It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.


Minnesota:

--It is illegal to tease skunks.

--Every man in Brainerd is required by law to grow a beard.


Michigan:

--A state law stipulates that a woman's hair legally belongs to her husband.

--Under state law, dentists are officially classified as "mechanics."

--In Clawson, it is legal for a man to "sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens."

New York:

--In NYC, "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 and wiggling the extended fingers of that hand."

Ohio:

--In Columbus, it is illegal for stores to sell corn flakes on Sunday.

--In Oxford, it is illegal for a woman to disrobe in front of a man's picture.

--In Youngstown, it is illegal to run out of gas.

Nebraska:

--If a child burps during a church service in Omaha, his or her parents may be arrested.

--It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license.

Florida:

--Unmarried women who parachute on Sunday's will be jailed.

Georgia:

--In Quitman, it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.


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."

Rhode Island:

--Its illegal to throw pickle juice on a trolley.

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, 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."

Utah:

--A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife in his presence.

Virginia:

--In Richmond, it's illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.

--In Lebanon, it is illegal to kick your wife out of bed.

Vermont:

--It is illegal to deny the existence of God.

--It is illegal to whistle underwater.

--Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

California:

--It is a misdemeanor to shoot any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.

Massachesetts:

--It is illegal to wear a goatee without a license.

--North Andover prohibits its citizens from carrying "space guns."

--In 1659, the state outlawed Christmas.

Indiana:

--Monkey's are forbidden to smoke cigarettes in South Bend.

 

[N.Bailey]

Pennsylvania laws:

It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. (whew, I'm glad I didn't get busted for that!)

Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.

A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.

You may not sing in the bathtub.

Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish. (how can that be? )

Allentown:
There is a ban on men becoming aroused in public.

Bensalem:
Operators of bingo games may not advertise the prizes offered.

Persons convicted of felonies may not operate Bingo games.

Danville:
All fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires. (I hope they don't forget to check these!)

 

[Lady Cluck]

... In Clawson, it is legal for a man to "sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens."
...

Boy, they sure couldn't get away with THAT in Montana!! (That's my daaaaad.)

Found a couple more:
In Arkansas it is illegal to beat your wife more then 5 times a week.
And it only counts as beating if the stick is over a half inch in diameter.

On Staten Island You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand

 

[TigerCheer2009]

In Cleveland, girls weren't allowed to wear patent leather shoes and skirts because the shoes were really shiny and you could see what their underwear looked like from the tops of their shoes.

In Arizona, it's illegal to hang a vending machine from a utility pole!

 

[DisneyCP2002]

I know this was mostly state and local but I found some interesting international laws.

Thailand...
It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear.
You must wear a shirt while driving a car.
You must pay a fine of $600 in Thailand if you're caught throwing away chewed bubble gum on the sidewalk. If you do not pay the fine, you are jailed.

Turkey...
All married women must get their husband's permission if they wish to have a job, they must live wherever the husband wishes to reside, and they must forfeit all jointly held assets upon divorce from her husband.

Philippines...
Cars whose license plates end with a 1 or 2 are not allowed on the roads on Monday, 3 or 4 on Tuesday, 5 or 6 on Wednesday, 7 or 8 on Thursday, and 9 or 0 on Friday from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Switzerland...
Clothes may not be hung to dry on Sunday.
You may not wash your car on a Sunday.
It is considered an offense to mow your lawn on a Sunday, because it causes too much noise.
It is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 P.M. if you live in an apartment.
If you forget you car-keys inside the car and you leave the car open, you will be punished.

United Kingdom...
It is illegal to be a drunk in possession of a cow.
It is illegal for a lady to eat chocolates on a public conveyance.
Damaging the grass is illegal.

Canada...
It is illegal for clear or non-dark sodas to contain caffeine.

Nova Scotia...
When raining, a person may not water his/her lawn.