DUMB STATE LAWS
Weird & Outdated
Here are some funny, dumb state laws from Nebraska to Wyoming.
Many of these silly, outdated laws are still on the books.
NEBRASKA
If a child burps during church, his parent may be arrested.
The owner of every hotel in Hastings, Nebraska, is required to provide each guest with a clean and pressed nightshirt. No couple, even if they are married, may sleep together in the nude. Nor may they have sex unless they are wearing one of these clean, white cotton nightshirts. It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license. Persons with gonorrhea may not marry. In Lehigh doughnut holes may not be sold. It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup. NEVADA Dumb State Laws It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.
In Nyala, a man is forbidden from buying drinks for more than three people other than himself at any one period during the day.
It’s still “legal” to hang someone for shooting your dog on your property.
Benches may not be placed in the middle of any street in Reno.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Dumb State Laws
Any cattle that crosses state roads must be fitted with a device to gather its feces.
You cannot sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt.
On Sundays citizens may not relieve themselves while looking up.
If a person is caught raking the beaches, picking up litter, hauling away trash, building a bench for the park, or many other kind things without a permit, he/she may be fined $150 for ”maintaining the national forest without a permit”.
NEW JERSEY Weird Laws
All motorists must honk before passing another car, bicyclist, skater, and even a skateboarder.
It is illegal to wear a bullet-proof vest while committing a murder.
Car dealerships are forbidden from opening on Sunday.
It is against the law to “frown” at a police officer.
In Blairstown no street-side trees may be planted that “obscure the air”.
It is illegal to delay or detain a homing pigeon.
You cannot pump your own gas.
NEW MEXICO Dumb State Laws
Idiots may not vote.
In New Mexico it's legal for couples to have sex in a parked vehicle during their lunch break from work, as long as the car or van has drawn curtains to stop strangers from peeking.
In Las Cruces you may not carry a lunchbox down Main Street.
In Deming, persons may not spit on the steps of the opera house.
It's forbidden for a female to appear unshaven in public.
Hunting is prohibited in Mountain View Cemetery in Deming.
NEW YORK Dumb State Laws
New Yorkers cannot dissolve a marriage for irreconcilable differences, unless they both agree to it.
In Woodstock, NY it is illegal to walk your bear on the street without a leash.
The penalty for jumping off a building is death.
Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.
A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.
It is against the law to throw a ball at someone’s head for fun.
In New York it is illegal to flirt. An old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.
It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing “body hugging clothing”.
In Ocean City eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited.
People may not slurp their soup.
Citizens may not greet each other by “putting one’s thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers”.
NORTH CAROLINA Dumb State Laws
It’s against the law to sing off key.
If a man and a woman who aren’t married go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as married then, according to state law, they are legally married.
Oral sex is considered a crime against nature.
A three dollar tax must be paid on all white goods sold.
The mere possession of a lottery ticket is illegal in North Carolina and may result in a $2,000 fine.
Persons in possession of illegal substances must pay taxes on them.
It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard.
Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.
Organizations may not hold their meetings while the members present are in costume.
In Barber fights between cats and dogs are prohibited.
In Dunn it is illegal to drive cars through city cemeteries for pleasure.
NORTH DAKOTA Dumb State Laws
Beer and pretzels can’t be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
In Devils Lake New Year’s celebrations are somewhat bland as fireworks may not be set off after 11:00 PM!
It is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback, provided you are in a covered wagon.
In Fargo one may be jailed for wearing a hat while dancing, or even for wearing a hat to a function where dancing is taking place.
OHIO Weird State Laws
No one may be arrested on Sunday or on the 4th of July.
It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.
Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public.
It is illegal to mistreat anything of great importance.
It is illegal to get a fish drunk.
Participating or conducting a duel is prohibited.
It's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
It is illegal for more than five women to live in a house.
Anal intercourse is banned.
The Ohio driver’s education manual states that you must honk the horn whenever you pass another car.
Breast feeding is not allowed in public.
In Akron it is illegal to display colored chickens for sale.
No person shall solicit sex from another of the same gender if it offends the second person.
In Canton if one loses their pet tiger, they must notify the authorities within one hour.
In Bexley ordinance number 223, of 09/09/19 prohibits the installation and usage of slot machines in outhouses.
OKLAHOMA
Oral sex is a misdemeanor and is punishable by one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
It is illegal for the owner of a bar to allow anyone inside to pretend to have sex with a buffalo.
It’s statutory rape for a man over 18 to have sex with a female under the age of 18, provided she’s a virgin.
It is illegal to have sex before you are married.
Anyone arrested for soliciting a hooker must have their name and picture shown on television.
It is illegal to wear your boots to bed.
It is against the law to read a comic book while operating a motor vehicle.
People who make “ugly faces” at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.
Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
Fish may not be contained in fishbowls while on a public bus.
It is illegal to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots.
OREGON Dumb State Laws
It is illegal to whisper “dirty” things in your lover’s ear during sex.
It is illegal to place a container filled with human fecal matter on the side of any highway.
A door on a car may not be left open longer than is necessary.
Ice cream may not be eaten on Sundays.
Drivers must yield to pedestrians who are standing on the sidewalk.
Babies may not be carried on the running boards of a car.
Canned corn is not to be used as bait for fishing.
In Klamath River it’s illegal to walk down a sidewalk and knock a snakes head off with your cane.
In Hood River juggling is prohibited without a license.
PENNSYLVANIA Dumb State Laws
You may not sing in the bathtub.
It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.
Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.
You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.
Ministers are forbidden from performing marriages when either the bride or groom is drunk.
In Bensalem operators of bingo games may not advertise the prizes offered.
RHODE ISLAND Stupid State Laws
Ropes may not be strung across a highway.
One must make a loud noise before passing a car on the left.
Riding a horse over any public highway for the purpose of racing, or testing the speed of the horse is illegal.
Any marriage where either of the parties is an idiot or lunatic is null and void.
No one may bite off another's leg.
You may not sell toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday in Providence.
SOUTH CAROLINA Dumb State Laws
Railroad companies may be held liable in some instances for scaring horses.
No work may be done on Sunday.
It is illegal to give or receive oral sex in South Carolina.
It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.
A railroad may not remove itself from a town of more than five hundred people.
Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.
When approaching a four way or blind intersection in a non-horse driven vehicle you must stop 100 ft from the intersection and discharge a firearm into the air to warn horse traffic.
It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Movies that show police officers being struck, beaten, or treated in an offensive manner are forbidden.
No horses are allowed into Fountain Inn unless they are wearing pants.
If there are more than 5 Native Americans on your property you may shoot them.
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.
TENNESSEE Dumb State Laws
Giving and receiving oral sex is still prohibited by law.
You can’t shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.
The age of consent is 16, but 12 if the girl is a virgin.
More than 8 women may not live in the same house because that would constitute a brothel.
Driving is not to be done while asleep.
Giving and receiving oral sex is still prohibited by law.
Interracial marriages are illegal.
It is legal to gather and consume roadkill.
No Christian parent may require their children to pick up trash from the highway on Easter day.
It's illegal for frogs to croak after 11 PM.
It is illegal to dare a child to purchase a beer.
Illegal for a woman to drive a car unless there is a man either running or walking in front of it waving a red flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians.
The definition of “dumb animal” includes every living creature.
It is illegal to carry Skunks into the state.
In Dyersburg it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
TEXAS Dumb State Laws
It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
An 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.
The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
One must acknowledge a supreme being before being able to hold public office.
Up to a felony charge can be levied for promoting the use of, or owning more than six dildos.
It is illegal to milk another person’s cow.
Homosexual behavior is a misdemeanor offense.
In Abilene it is illegal to idle or loiter any place within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of flirting or mashing.
It’s illegal to possess realistic dildos in Dallas.
UTAH
You're not allowed to sell beverages containing more than 3.2% alcohol.
It is against the law to fish from horseback.
It is illegal to cause a catastrophe.
When a person reaches the age of 50, he/she can then marry their cousin.
It is illegal not to drink milk.
A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.
No one may have sex in the back of an ambulance if it is responding to an emergency call.
It is illegal to detonate any nuclear weapon. You can have them, but you just can't detonate them.
Boxing matches that allow biting are not allowed.
In Provo, throwing snowballs will result in a $50 fine.
Women may not swear in Logan.
Individuals may not possess beer in containers larger than two liters unless they are a retailer.
Daylight must be visible between partners on a dance floor.
VERMONT
At one time it was illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole.
In Barre all residents shall bathe every Saturday night.
Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
VIRGINIA Dumb State Laws
It is illegal to tickle women.
In Norfolk, Virginia, it is illegal for a woman to go out without wearing a corset.
You may not have oral or anal sex.
It is illegal to have sex with the lights on and one may not have sex in any position other than missionary.
If one is not married, it is illegal for him to have sexual relations.
Citizens must honk their horn while passing other cars.
No animal may be hunted for on Sunday with the exception of raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 AM.
There is a state law prohibiting “corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates.
In Prince William County, it is illegal to cuss about another.
In Prince William County, no person may keep a skunk as a pet.
In Dayton, a person of color may not be outside or within the city limits after 7 pm.
In Culpeper, no one may wash a mule on the sidewalk.
WASHINGTON Dumb State Laws
Destroying a beer cask or bottle of another is illegal.
X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.
People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
You cannot buy meat of any kind on Sunday.
In Washington, anyone under the age of 18 must have parental permission to throw a tear gas canister.
It is illegal to entice girls away from the Maple Lane School for girls.
It is illegal to pretend that one’s parents are rich.
A law to reduce crime states: “It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.
One may not spit on a bus.
All lollipops are banned.
In Everett, it is illegal to display a hypnotized or allegedly hypnotized person in a store window.
In Seattle, a person may not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.
In Lynden, dancing and drinking may not occur at the same establishment.
WEST VIRGINIA Dumb State Laws
It is illegal to snooze on a train.
It is legal for a male to have sex with an animal as long as it does not exceed 40 lbs.
Unmarried couple who live together and “lewdly associate” with one another may face up to a year in prison.
Whistling underwater is prohibited.
Any person who commits adultery shall be fined at least twenty dollars.
Roadkill may be taken home for supper.
A person may be placed in jail for up to six months for making fun of someone who does not accept a challege.
According to the state constitution, it is unlawful for anyone to own a red or a black flag.
It is legal to beat your wife so long as it is done in public on Sunday, on the courthouse steps
WISCONSIN
It is illegal to kiss on a train.
As people used to smuggle it in from Illinois, all yellow butter substitute is banned.
It is illegal to throw rocks at a railroad car.
Butter substitutes are not allowed to be served in state prisons.
It is a class A misdemeanor to wave a burning torch around in the air.
It is illegal to cut a woman’s hair.
The state definition of rape stated that it was a man having sex with a woman he knows not to be his wife.
State Law made it illegal to serve apple pie in public restaurants without cheese.
Margarine may not be substituted for butter in restaurants unless it is requested by the customer.
In Hudson, you are not allowed to put litter into someone else’s trash receptacle without express permission.
WYOMING Dumb State Laws
Any person who fails to close a fence is subject to a fine of up to seven hundred and fifty dollars.
Junk dealers may not make any business transactions with drunk persons.
You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit.
An ordinance in Newcastle, Wyoming, specifically bans couples from having sex while standing inside a store's walk-in-meat freezer.
Skiing under the influence of alcohol is prohibited.
It is illegal for women to stand within five feet of a bar while drinking.
If one is drunk in a mine, he or she could land in jail for up to a year.
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