Dated and Frivolous Laws in the U.S.

Here is a list of some of the little-known laws on the nation's books that by today's thinking are friviolous, or worse! Most of them had significance when enacted, but have not been overruled or repealed due to legal inertia.

It is against the law in Georgia to slap an old friend on the back.

In Berea, Kentucky, a law still stands that requires a horse to have a bright red taillight securely attached to its rump during the night on the streets and highways.

A fourteen-year-old in Michigan can sue his parents for the right to wear his hair long.

Graffiti has become so prevalent in New York City that it is now unlawful to even cary an open can of spray-paint there.

Carrying a concealed weapon more than six feet long is illegal in Seattle, Washington.

In Salem, West Virginia, it is against the law to eat candy any time during the hour and a half before attending a church service. During this same period, it is illegal to sell candy to a minor.

Dancing - even at a high school prom - is banned in the schools in Purdy, Missouri.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, it is against the law for undertakers to advertise their services by giving away pencils carrying the name of the funeral home.

The law in Cicero, Illinois, forbids humming on the streets on the Sabbath.

It is against the law to do acrobatics that might frighten horses on the sidewalks of Denver, Colorado.

In Abilene, Texas, law makes it illegal to whistle at girls.

You cannot own more than five cats at a time and live within the city limits of Topeka, Kansas.

In Homer, Georgia, only the men on the police force are permitted to carry guns.

In the 1980s, laws were passed in Midwestern towns prohibiting the sale of ice cream sodas on SUnday. In Illinois, fountain owners skirted the law by omitting the carbonated water and serving just the scoop of ice cream and the syrup. They called it the "Sunday Soda." Later, "Sunday" was changed to "Sundae."

In Geneva, New York, it is aginst the law to tell an attendant after dark to "fill her up."

It is unlawful in Florida to doze off under a hair dryer.

Storing snowballs in a refrigerator is illegal in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

In Oxford, Ohio, it is against the law for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man's picture.

A law in Franklin, Massachusetts, doesn't permit anyone to wear a turkey feather in a cap or hat.

In Boston, Massachusetts, an ordinance states that any pickle for sale must bounce four inches when dropped from waist height.

School teachers are not permitted to "bob" their hair in Arkansas, and the law specifies that "no pay raises will be authorized to teachers who violate this code."

Cats are not allowed on a bus in Seattle, Washington, if a dog is already on board. And, any dog weighing twenty-five pounds or more is charged a full adult fare.

Georgia barbers cannot legally advertise their prices in any manner.

It is against the law to open an umbrella in front of a horse in New York City.

In Hartford, Connecticut, it is against the law to cross the street while walking on your hands.

Although watches, diamonds, and silver flatware cannot be auctioned after 7 p.m. in Houston, Texas, the law permits the auction to start again at 4 a.m.

It is against the law to throw snowballs in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In Pontiac, Michigan, taxi cab drivers are not permitted to give a ride to anyone engaged in an illegal undertaking.

You cannot walk down the street with your shoelaces untied in Maine.

A minimum fine of $25 is levied on anyone scaring wild ducks during Michigan's official hunting season.

It is unlawful in Louisville, Kentucky, for businesses to install air-conditioning systems that blow air through sidewalk gratings and lift up ladies' skirts.

In Duluth, Minnesota, it is illegal to let animals sleep in a bakery.

Using the name of a dead United States president to advertise liquor is against Michigan law.

A law prohibits bringing a mule into town and hitching it to a fire-alarm box in Washington, D.C.

It is illegal to read while walking in the street in New York City.

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, it is against the law for a car to drip on the pavement. The fine for this offense is one dollar for each drop.

New regulations in Detroit permit mail carriers to wear Bermuda shorts, but they are required to wear black socks.

If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter in Orlando, Florida, the parking fee must be paid exactly as if it were for a motor vehicle.

In the United States, only the male head of a household is allowed to make wine.

Cab drivers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are forbidden to reach out and pull prospective customers into their cabs.

A recent California law prohibits offering a "dead or alive" reward.

In New Orleans, Louisiana, biting someone with your natural teeth brings a simple assault charge; however, if you do so with false teeth, it is an aggravated assault.

Car drivers in Detroit, Micigan, are prohibited from carelesly, willfully, wantonly, or recklessly splashing water by driving though puddles.

In Eureka, Nevada, the law reads: "A mustache is a known carrier of germs, and a man cannot wear one if he habitually kisses human beings."

Car wash attendants in San Francisco, California, are barred from using cast-off underwear as wiping rags when cleaning or drying cars.

In Logan County, Colorado, a man is forbidden to kiss a woman "while she is asleep without first waking her."

In Memphis, Tennessee, you cannot give any pie you order in a restaurant to a friend; nor can you wrap the pie in a napkin to tak home and eat later. You must, by law, eat every bit of the pie before leaving the restaurant.

Each month, according to a New York state law, theater owners must scape the chewing gum from under the seats.

It is against the law in California to shoot any kind of game, bird, or mammal, except a whale, from an automobile or airplane.

Barbers in Illinois cannot use their fingers to apply shaving cream to a customer's face.

It is against the law in Utah to fish from horseback.

In Miriam, South Dakota, it is illegal to smoke candy cigarettes in any school.

A Wisconsin law prohibits feeding margarine, rather than real butter, to prisoners.

In Alabama, it is illegal to play dominoes on Sunday.

Peanuts must be eaten where sold in Houston, Texas.

Jazz dancing at any public place is against the law in Savannah, Georgia.

It is unlawful in Kentucky to appear in the streets dressed in a bathing suit without police protection.

Gargling in public is against the law in Louisiana.

It is unlawful in Maine to participate or aid in the fighting between rats.

Dragging a rope through any street is prohibited by law in Cumberland, Maryland.

It is against the law for roosters to crow before sunriese in Greenville and Beaufort, South Carolina.

In the city of Mobile, Alabana, it is illegal to fly a kite on any street or public place.

Sleeping in a kitchen is prohibited by law in California, but it is legal to cook in a bedroom.

It is unlawful to use profane language in a telephone conversation in Georgia.

A Kentucky law states that only a female horse can be ridden near a church while services are in progress.

Displaying the American flag in a public park is unlawful in Flint, Michigan.

In Columbus, Montana, an ordinance states that "any person who shall not lift his hat to the Mayor as he passes him on the street will be guilty of a misdemeanor."

It is illegal to drink or make love in a rural churchyard in North Carolina.

Women's wrestling is not allowed in the city of Gloversville, New York.

It is against the law to blow your nose in public in Waterville, Maine.

In Ironton, Ohio, it is illegal to dress up like the opposite sex and appear on the streets.

Wife beaters are not allowed to vote in South Carolina.

It is not considered burglary to steal goods hanging from the outside of a house in Texas.

Sneezing on a train is against the law in West Virginia.

It is illegal to sell lollipops in Spokane, Washington.

Disturbing a grizzly bear to photographi it is prohibited by law in Alaska unless you are accompanied by a registered guide.

Any person washing his hands, vace, or feet in a public fountain in the city limits of Mobile, Alabama, is breaking the law.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, no person over the age of fourteen can legally wear a bathing suit on any street or highway unless covered by an outer garment reaching at least down to the knees.

It is unlawful for any female to appear in a bathing suit on a highway in Kentucky unless hse is escorted by at east to officers or armed with a club.

In Payette, Idaho, any person without an occupation or business is subject to a fine.

Ice fishing is unlawful in Kansas.

Cab drivers are prohibited from smoking while driving a cab in Columbus, Ohio.

It is against the law to rob a bird's nest in a public cemetery in Oklahoma.

To adopt someone in Oklahoma, you must be at least ten years older than the person being adopted.

Throwing or placing a banana peel on the sidewalks within the city limits of Sherman, Texas, is unlawful.

It is against hte law to put any hypnotized person in a display window in Harthshorne, Oklahoma.

In Oklahoma, it is the sheriff's duty to destroy prairie dogs in his county if the respective landowner refuses.

Any dog caught roaming around unleashed in Tuntutuliak Village, Alaska, will be shot after the second offense.

A California law makes it illegal to set up a mousetrap without a hunting license.

Accepting a gratuitity or tip in Iowa is prohibited by law.

In Winchester, Kentucky, it is against the law to carry water from any of the public fountains.

It is illegal to fall asleep in a bathtub in Detroit, Michigan.

In New York, it is unlawful for a man to greet another man on the street by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose and wiggling his fingers at the same time.

No girl under the age of sixteen is allowed to sell newspapers or magazines on any street in any city of Oklahoma.

Bathing in any river or lake without wearing attire that covers from the neck to the knees is illegal in Portland, Oregon.

In Tuntutuliak Village, Alaska, any unmarried girl who gets pregnant is sent to the Bethel City jail with the man who got her pregnant until the baby is born.

Two people of the opposite sex cannot legally share a hotel room in Detroit unless they are husband and wife or parent and child.

The noise ordinances of Little Rock, Arkansas, prhibit dogs from barking after 6 p.m.

It is illegal in Little Rock, Arkansas, to try to pick up anyone of the opposite sex by whistling, coughing, winking, or staring at them along any of the streets or sidewalks.

If someone is convicted in Detroit of violating any state or federal law, the mayor can refuse a license to that person to serve soft drinks in his or her business.

It is prohibited by law to throw rice at weddings in Chillicothe, Ohio.

In Missouri, it is a misdemeanor to wear a hat or bonnet inside any licensed theater in the city during a performance.

It is illegal in Montana to wear a mask, false whiskers, or any other personal disguise for the puurpose of evading discovery or identification if convicted of any public offense.

A woman may not legally take a bath in a business office in Carmel, California.

In Utah, a husband is responsbile for every criminal act, except capital offenses, commited by his wife while he is in her presence.

A third party must be present for a physician or dentist to put a female patient to sleep with an anesthetic in West Virginia.

It is legal to pawn the clothes off your back in New Hampshire.

Anyone guilty of using profanity in Oklahoma can be punished a dollar for each offense.

It is against the law to make an election bet of more than $5 in Virginia.

Driving a car while sleeping is against the law in Memphis, Tennessee.

In Nashville, Tennessee, it is considered a misdemeanor for any woman to work as a shoe shiner or barber in any establishment patronized by men.

Selling or giving away a toy pistol is a misdemanor in Utah.

It is against the law in Roanoke, Virginia, for any woman to go to a saloon for the purpose of buying an intoxicating beverage or loitering.

In Virginia, a $100 fine is required if you are caught swearing at someone over the phone.

Throwing watermelon seeds on the sidewalk in Hammond, Indiana, is illegal.

It is against the law in Springfield, Illinois, for a boy to walk on a fence railing.

In Missouri, it is illegal to have a horse race, a cock fight, or games of any kind on Sunday.

It is just as illegal to pretend to be intoxicated as it is to actually be intoxicated in Iowa.

In Detroit, it is against the law to "display, expose for sale, or advertise for sale" any contraceptive or article for the prevention of venereal disease.

Eating or pretending to eat any snake, lizard, scorpion, etc., in public is illegal in Kansas.

It is against the law in Kansas to catch fish with your bare hands.

A male cannot legally wink at a femal with whom he is acquainted in the City of Ottumwa, Iowa.

In Georgia, a wife can legally divorce her husband if he is in the military service of the United States.

It is illegal to ride on a streetcar in Atlanta, Georgia, if a person has an offensive odor and the conductor request him or her to leave.

In Sacramento, California, it is against the law for a buildings doors to open inward instead of outward.

In California, it is unlawful for a goggle-fisherman to spearfish unless he is completely submerged underwater.

In Hartford, Connecticut, every theater owner in the city must bring good drinking water and sanitary cups for the free use of its customers at least once an hour.

Roosters are banned by law in Key West, Florida.

It is against the law for a man to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, onioins, or sardines on his breath in Alexandria, Minnesota. If a man's wife requests him to brush his teath, the law mandates he must obey.

A law in Bozeman, Montana, bans all sexual activity between members of the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown if the couple is nude.

In Hastings, Nebraska, hotel owners are requried to provide guests with clean and pressed nightshirts. The law was written to prevent couples, including those who are married, from sleeping together in the nude. The law requires them to wear the nightshirts even during sex.

In Norfolk, Virginia, a woman must wear a corset while in public. (Back in the days when the law was enforced, town corset inspector was a coveted civil-service job - for men only.)

The women of Merryville, Missouri, were prohibited from wearing coursets. WHy? Because "the privilege of admiring the curvaceous, unencumbered body of a young woman should not be denied to the normal, red-blooded American male."

In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, police officers are not permitted to walk up and knock on the window of a parked car. If an officer is suspicious that an act of sex is being performed, he or she must drive up from behind, honk his or her horn three times, and wait approximately two minutes before getting out to conduct an investigation.

In Carlsbad, New Mexico, couples are legally permitted to engage in sex while in a parked vehicle during their lunch break from work. They may do so as long as the car or van has drawn curtains to stop strangers from peeking in.

Helena, Montana, has a law that prohibits a woman from dancing on a table in a salooon or bar unless she has on at least three pounds, two ounces of clothing.

Women are not allowed to wear patent-leather shoes in Cleveland, Ohio. This law was passed to prevent a man from seeing a reflection of her underwear, that is, if she is wearing any.

It is not permitted for a woman to have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance within the boundaries of Tremonton, Utah. If arrested, she can be charged with a sexual misdemeanor and "her name is to b published in the local newspaper." The man, however, will not be charged nor will his name be revealed.

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