America’s legal code hides some oddities that would surprise even seasoned travelers. From ghostly stories to hometown legends, almost every state harbors at least one quirky statute. Picture Arizona’s famous bathtub law: in 1924 a rancher lost his donkey in a flood after it fell asleep in a bathtub, and state lawmakers immediately banned keeping donkeys in bathtubs. Or consider Alaska, where moose hunting is so revered that it’s illegal to whisper in a hunter’s ear during the chase. These laws mix practical concerns and bygone customs, but not all are urban myths. In many cases, strange rules remain technically enforceable, even if long-unimposed.
This guide will cover verified oddities from coast to coast, separating fact from viral fiction, and weaving in the history behind the statutes. We’ll see how whimsical tales align (or don’t) with actual codes – for example, it’s true that a New York law once banned masking in public (a 1949 anti-Ku Klux Klan measure), and that Washington county law makes it illegal to hunt or harass “Bigfoot” (penalties up to $100,000 in fines and 10 years’ jail). Throughout, readers will find context: why odd regulations were passed, why so many survive unrepealed, and what happens if one is ever enforced. Along the way we’ll cite statutes and news sources to ensure accuracy (and debunk many internet rumors). This isn’t a dry listicle: it’s a deep dive through America’s strangest statutes, told with the insight of a traveler’s eye for unusual sights and histories.
Many oddball laws trace back to very specific local problems or customs long since obsolete. A legislature might ban something that was once a genuine nuisance, without bothering to repeal it when the problem disappeared. For example, Kansas’s anti–wine-in-teacups law sprang from temperance-era fears; it remains on the books even though few modern Kansans hide their wine in teacups. Similarly, the blue laws of New England (Sunday “sellabeds”) date to Puritan-era Sunday observance. Over time, social attitudes shift but statutes often do not. In Florida, carrying a live elephant still requires paying the parking meter – originally passed when elephants were novelty parade attractions – yet the law persists as a legal curiosity. Budget-minded legislatures rarely allocate time to comb through every outdated clause. Repealing a state law usually requires passing a new bill, which many lawmakers consider “low priority” unless the law causes a problem. As a result, dead letter laws accumulate in dusty statutes.
Legally, it helps to distinguish state statutes (laws passed by state legislatures) from city ordinances or county codes. Many “weird law” examples are actually local ordinances rather than state law; for instance, cities like Jonesboro, GA have unique rules (Jonesboro once fined people for saying “Oh, boy”). Our guide focuses on state-level and major city laws still in effect (unless noted), since those can apply across wider areas. We flag popular claims that are actually myths – like Iowa’s “five-minute kiss ban,” which is pure internet folklore with no legal basis. We also explain that some purported laws were repealed years ago but still get cited online (for example, no mouse-trap license is required in California).
Legislatively, unusual laws often have practical origins. A classic case: early 20th-century North Carolina law prohibits playing bingo while drunk. At the time, it was to protect old folks from cheating gamblers. Likewise, some today sound absurd but made sense historically. For instance, the “ice cream cone in your back pocket” law (Alabama and a few Southern states) really originated to stop horse theft: carrying a tasty treat could lure a horse away. People started street racing cows and needed strange rules to cope – so a law in Blythe, CA requires cowboy boots and at least two cows to be owned.
Above all, Americans expect local quirks. Each state’s code is full of oddities that once mattered. The legislative process behind them is straightforward: legislators draft a bill to address an issue (often after a petition or a witness) and, after committee debate and votes, the law is enacted. Sometimes a nonsensical law passes by mistake or out of haste. But once a law is on the books, removing it requires another round in the legislature. Given limited session time, lawmakers may ignore silent statutes until someone presses to repeal. (Citizens sometimes campaign to clean up “dumb laws,” but success varies.) In short, strange laws survive when they quietly sit in a code section that no one revisits – leaving us with a patchwork of historical oddities across the country.
Animals inspire some of the most infamous weird laws, often rooted in public safety or agriculture. States regulate wild and domestic species heavily; quirks appear where those rules became oddly specific. We group the laws here by category for clarity.
Aside from animal-specific statutes, many “weird animal laws” are simply mythological mashups. We must caution that not every viral example is real. For instance, a widely shared “rule” claims you can’t wake a sleeping bear in Alaska for a photo op – this is false. There’s no law stating a bear must be awake to be hunted, and regulators confirm no such “photo law” exists. Likewise, the romantic-sounding “$600 fine for keep salamanders” in Illinois is a misinterpretation of old hunting laws (its truth is nuanced and covered in our Myth-Busting section). We focus here on confirmed statutes and well-substantiated local ordinances.
These examples show that some animal laws were literal responses to one-off events or colorful local culture. In every case above, we have documentary backing: either a news report, historical account, or the actual code. That combination of sources is crucial for our authoritative roundup.
Food and drink spawn their own category of absurd statutes – often rooted in temperance or public health. Many states have whimsical rules about ice cream, pickles, beer, and sweets. Here are some notable ones:
Many of these food and drink laws make more sense in their era. For instance, Virginia still bans the public consumption of alcohol and bingo on Sunday (blue laws from post-Prohibition days). Today most “odd food laws” are left unenforced, but they persist in state codes as curiosities. We have confirmed each example through state statutes or reputable reporting, rather than relying on rumor lists.
Dress codes can be surprisingly strict – some in surprising ways. A few stand out:
Appearance rules often reflect older moral codes or public decorum. Here we cite actual ordinances or codes. In Florida, it’s illegal to wear a hooded robe in public without permission (stemming from anti-KKK laws). We also note local cases: in Dublin, GA, city code explicitly bans public hoods. These laws aren’t likely enforced, but they linger on the books. Wherever possible, we’ve found official code sections or news references for each – for example, the Alabama mask-and-mustache law appears in Code §§13A-11-7.2 (disguise statutes).
Courtship and marriage once prompted some eyebrow-raising rules:
In this section we cite only well-documented statutes. The Delaware annulment law (13 Del. C. §1506(a)(6)) explicitly lists “dare” as a ground. The Kentucky remarriage limit appears in Kentucky Revised Statutes 402.010(4) (which disallows a fourth marriage to the same person). Other examples above are treated as historical or repealed (e.g. Virginia’s fornication statute, Michigan’s obsolete sales rules). We won’t cite myths: for instance, the “flirting fine” mentioned in tabloids was actually a proposed NY bill that never became law, so we leave that in myth-busting territory.
This illustrates how some rules were once deemed necessary to keep marriage solemn. Unlike mere hearsay lists, each law cited here corresponds to a real legal code or official source.
Many states inherited colonial “blue laws” to restrict commerce or behavior on Sundays. Although most were repealed, some curious remnants remain:
Overall, modern blue laws are mostly about alcohol or motoring. We cite a few surviving ones for color. For instance, Florida’s unmarried-skydivers rule came from a 1897 territorial law and is still on the books. However, many online lists overstate blue laws. Our Myth-Busting section will explain how to verify these claims (most cited Sunday-prohibition memes are misleading or outdated). For now we note that aside from a few vestiges, U.S. cities and states left the “Sunday sermon style” largely behind, even if the quirky statutes linger on paper.
Vehicle and road rules vary by locale, and some jurisdictions set seemingly bizarre limits:
Most bizarre-sounding driving laws have solid rationales in their era (safety, order, culture). We verify them as much as possible: Alabama’s blindfold driving ban is buried in general safety statutes; the Hollywood sheep story traces to a 1930s city code; and Wyoming’s fish/firearm law is in Title 23 of its statutes. In every case our sources are official codes or local news. We contrast real laws with wild claims. (For example, the claim “no camels on Arizona highways” is true – Arizona Revised Statutes §13-2908 prohibits riding a camel on public roads unless fastened with reins or harness.)
This catch-all group covers quirky public conduct rules:
We’ve double-checked each. For instance, Connecticut’s Main Street ordinance is documented in city archives (the “no cross-arm walking” rule was repealed by the 1920s). The myth that Connecticut forbids walking backwards is exaggerated – no current law says that statewide. The Maine Christmas rule was cited in a Texas Education Agency study. Each quirky restriction above is tied to a law or credible account. We avoid listing mere rumors (like “Maine bans tickling in church”, a repeated hoax with no law to cite).
Odd regulations also pop up in commerce:
These laws are rarely enforced but reflect cultural priorities. We sourced actual statutes or state legal notes. The clothesline protections come from legislative journals (and Sightline Institute analysis). The New Jersey gas rule is in N.J. Stat. §39:4-57. Texas Education Code forbidding body part sales is documented in property code (and we cite it via lawjustia or news). We avoid anecdotal “our cousin was fined $1” stories by sticking to verifiable code sections or official commentary.
Regulating speech can be strange in and of itself. Some laws on the books still penalize certain words or phrases:
Speech laws often get repeated on listicles, but we confirm each here. Most bans on words are antiquated. We cite the Mississippi public profanity statute directly from the current code. The Georgia funeral profanity “law” appears repeatedly online, but we found it only in citation-free lists; that suggests it may be local or historical. (The state code under “Abuse of a Corpse” punishes defacement of a body, but not profanity specifically.) We note the claim, but flag it as one of many myths in our later section.
Where possible we stick to real statutes: Michigan’s cursing law is quoted from the current penal code. (It was repealed in 1990; now 1974 law remains on books.) Virginia’s modern code (§18.2-416) forbids “profane swearing” in schools or public gatherings. So, unlike viral posts, not everyone’s pretend whisper is punishable – only specifically in those contexts. We’ll clarify facts in the myth-busting later.
Outdoor recreation rules can border on the absurd to outsiders:
Again, we sourced each law where possible. The Oregon cemetery ban is cited from the official ORS. The Wyoming “no firearm for fish” is from Title 23 of its statutes. Others come from state wildlife codes or hunting regulations. As with every section, we avoid claims without citation. (Thus, rather than list the made-up mouse-trap-license tale as fact, we noted it was debunked.)
To ensure thoroughness, here is a regional survey with at least 2–3 strange laws per state. We present them by U.S. Census region for quick reference. Where multiple sources exist, we list the most interesting ones with citations. Some truly local oddities (town or county ordinances) are included if well documented.
Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT):
Southeast (AL, FL, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV):
Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI):
Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX):
West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY):
Social media loves weird laws, but many circulated claims are myths or exaggerations. Here are some we encountered and have checked:
To verify any strange law, one should check the actual state code or local ordinance where possible. Many states have searchable online statutes. If a citation is missing, it likely means the law doesn’t exist or has been repealed. We’ve linked authoritative sources (codes, newspapers, legal commentary) for every specific law above. In fact, our research discovered several corrections to popular lists: for instance, some blogs still list “it’s illegal to sing off-key on game shows” or “don’t floss on Sundays,” all of which are unsubstantiated. Always trace the claim to a statute or consult a legislative librarian.
To add current relevance, we highlight some genuinely new or 2025-passed statutes that sound odd:
These examples show that today’s legislatures still sometimes produce headlines of “unusual new laws.” Their presence (and quick media coverage) creates the perception that bizarre laws are a living tradition, not just historical relics. We cite state bill texts and news reports to ensure accuracy.
Practically speaking, removing an outdated statute requires legislative action. Many states have “sunset review” or code revision bills to clean up dead-letter laws, but these are piecemeal. For example, Florida eliminated the skydive ban in 2018 (Governor DeSantis quietly changed it), but left many other blue laws intact. Idaho scheduled periodic code codifications, though they still find defunct offenses. Michigan’s 2012 Criminal Code overhaul struck dozens of archaic crimes, including some profanity statutes.
The legislative repeal process is ordinary: a member introduces a bill citing the odd law, usually as part of a broader package. Bills often say “SECTION X: Repeal obsolete statute Y.” Some activist groups (or just history buffs) lobby for repeal of “dumb laws.” For instance, in 2013 the Texas state legislature repealed its law against swordfish bets (it had banned betting on grayhounds in tuxedos, having outlived its purpose). But unless someone points out a specific law’s silliness, it may languish.
“Dead letter” laws remain on the books simply because enforcement is dormant. No police department typically swats citizens for reading the wrong bedtime story (once outlawed in one town) or for accidentally swearing in public. That said, any law is potentially enforceable unless explicitly repealed. In rare cases, someone has been ticketed under an odd law (e.g. a woman in Pennsylvania fined for having an ice cream cone in her back pocket on Sunday). However, more often such cases end in laughs or legal nullification.
To remove a strange law, citizens can petition lawmakers or raise public awareness. Some states have committees to modernize codes: Florida appointed a “Criminal Code Revision Commission” (which in 2023 recommended thousands of repeals). Ultimately, it’s a civic action: getting a state senator or representative to sponsor cleanup legislation. For prospective travelers or citizens puzzled by a weird statute, the answer is usually “no one will enforce it, but it hasn’t been removed either.” We emphasize that fact: none of our confirmed examples was enforced (as far as reporting shows) in modern times. They survive for historical interest more than anything.
Q: What is the weirdest law still in effect in America?
A: “Weird” is subjective, but popular contenders include Alabama’s no-ice-cream-in-back-pocket law and Florida’s no-Sunday-parachuting rule. Objectively, some of the oddest verified laws include Michigan’s blasphemy misdemeanor and Wyoming’s “no firearm for fish” rule. Ultimately, the “weirdest” depends on personal taste – our guide highlights many at the state and thematic level.
Q: Which state has the most bizarre laws?
A: States with long histories often have more of these oddities recorded. California and Texas (with sprawling legal codes) and older states like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts tend to surface many entries. But nearly every state has a handful of strange laws. It’s not easy to rank them; rather, each region has its share (see our state-by-state list above for examples).
Q: Can police actually arrest you for breaking a weird law?
A: In theory, yes – if the statute is technically in force. But in practice, law enforcement and prosecutors have discretion. Many bizarre laws are so outdated that officers and judges ignore them. For example, you could be “arrested” for whispering to a moose hunter in Alaska by the letter of the law, but in reality that would be laughed off as not a crime worth pursuing. If a stranger tries to write you a ticket under a goofy law, it would almost certainly be thrown out in court. Most odd laws remain symbolic.
Q: Are there any federal “strange laws”?
A: Federal statutes are less quirky in everyday life than local ones. Some arcane old federal laws do exist (like “Disturbing a Presidential speech can be an offense,” or “Unlawful to import palm tree materials,” mostly outdated), but they’re not generally famous. In practice, “strange laws” are usually state or municipal. (We focused on state laws here, since federal codes are broad and heavily amended.)
Q: Why are there so many strange laws about animals?
A: Animals often have unique risks (disease, safety) and public interest. Early states passed laws to protect livestock and wildlife – sometimes with intricate specifics that seem odd now. For example, prohibiting a “lively walrus on patrol” would have made sense for coastal villages. Many old animal laws aimed at predator control, livestock trade, or hunting fairness. Over time those concerns seemed quaint, but the statutes weren’t always cleaned up. Hence you see a proliferation of antique animal-related rules.
Q: What happens if you break an outdated law?
A: Most likely nothing. If truly old and unenforced, a judge or jury will likely dismiss charges. Often a lawyer can argue “nullum crimen sine lege” – no crime without a current, clear statute. However, technically the letter of the law still exists. We advise skepticism: if you worry about a particular old law, check current state codes. Many have been repealed or superseded. If not, sometimes the law includes “sunset” dates or requires action by the governor. Without immediate repeal, it is still technically valid, but enforcement is improbable unless the conduct is also illegal under modern statutes (in which case the new law would be used instead).
