19 Weirdest Laws

Description of 'Women Must Obtain Their Husband's Permission To Wear Fake Teeth' in the list '19 Weirdest Laws'Vermont.

A story behind the law: In 1856, dentist Leonard Gilman successfully sued Vermont resident Willard Andrus because his wife had used Gilman's services to get false teeth, and Andrus refused to pay. The law was enacted to prevent future payment disputes by requiring spousal permission for such services.In 1856,Dentist Leonard Gilman successfully sued.Vermont resident Willard Andrus sued. His wife apparently used Gilman's services for fake teeth, and Andrus refused to pay her bill. The trial resulted in the law. The idea was to stop future payment arguments if women could get services their husbands paid for.

Why It’s So Weird:Laws like this come from before women could vote.It wasn't until 1974.The Equal Credit Opportunity Act meant women no longer needed their husbands' permission for a credit card. Still, the denture part makes this law odd.

State:New York.

A story behind the law: New York is both the city that never sleeps and America's fashion capital. So it makes sense that New York is a city that never sleeps and America's fashion center. So, it makes sense thatslipper-wearing is bannedafter 10 p.m. in public places. This kills the vibe.

Why It’s So Weird:People out after 10 p.m. likely skip slippers in public. This law doesn't clearly target anyone or state its goal. It gets weirder becausethere is no similar ban on pajamasor robes. Public places allow PJs—just not slippers.

State:Alabama.

Is There A Story Behind This?A popular internet myth claims Alabama bans playing dominoes on Sundays. The law does not say that. Instead, it stops certain games in specific spots, and dominoes are one of them.

Alabama has a history of game regulation. During the Jim Crow era, the state ruled thatBlack and white people could not playdominoes or checkers together.

Why It’s So Weird:The law states that “games of chance” cannot happen in pool halls or cigar shops. However, there is an exception. Cities and towns with populations between 56,500 and 59,000do not have to follow the rule.. If a community has 59,001 people or fewer than 56,499, residents must follow the rule.

State: Arkansas.

A story behind the law: The law is a city ordinance that applies specifically to Little Rock, the state's capital. But what inspired its adoption? The theory is that it came from a desire This law is a city ordinance for Little Rock, the state capital. What caused it? The theory is it came from a wishto cut down on street noiseat night. The law fits under rules that set “public peace and order” in the city.

Why It’s So Weird:The law is very specific. Itclearly statesthat drivers cannot honk their horns “at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9:00 p.m.” What about places selling hot food? And what about spots open past 9 p.m., like bars or movie theaters?

State:North Carolina

A story behind the law?Entrepreneur PT Barnum devised a strange promotion: his elephants would plow the field near his Connecticut home.The publicity stunt appeared in newspapers across the country.This stunt might have inspired North Carolina's law, but the exact details of how and why the state passed it remain unclear.Why It’s So Weird: Elephants are noted for their empathy and emotional intelligence.This happened for North Carolina's law, but the specifics of how and why the state passed it remain unclear.

State: WashingtonIs There A Story Behind This? Many Bigfoot sightings occur in the Pacific Northwest. One happened in Skamania County, Washington, in 1969.This sighting caused excitement. It led to a law protecting the giant primate. Scholar Joshua Blu Bluhs suggests the law was more about publicity than real legal action.Elephants can do many things. Plowing a field is not among them. Elephants are not native to North Carolina, nor are they practical. Farmers likely would not want to use these huge, majestic animals for farm work.

Concerns about hunting Bigfoot legality continue. As recently as March 2024, hunters asked if they could hunt Bigfoot in Washington.Washington

Is There A Story Behind This? A popular online myth claims Connecticut has a strange pickle law: pickles must bounce when dropped. The internet got this wrong. Connecticut law does not state a pickle must bounce, but a food quality law used to test pickles by bouncing them.Many Bigfoot sightings occur in the Pacific Northwest. One sighting happened in Washington's Skamania County in 1969.Why It’s So Weird: The defendants in the 1948 pickle case violated the Uniform Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which ensures products are fit for human consumption. Since the pickles failed the bounce test, Sparer and Dexler faced arrest and jail until they each posted $2,000 bail—a hefty sum in 2024 dollars!People believe in the giant primate's existence. This led to the law, intended to protect the creature. Scholar Joshua Blu Bluhs suggests the law was more about publicity than serious legal action.

State: LouisianaBigfoot avoids cameras, and it has never been proven to exist. Still, Skamania County protected the legendary cryptid ahead of time. Killing it could mean...$10,000 in fines and up to five years in prisonConcerns about hunting Bigfoot legality continue. As recently as March 2024, hunters asked...hunters inquiredabout hunting Bigfoot in Washington.

State:Connecticut

Is There A Story Behind This? An online myth claims Connecticut has a strange pickle law: pickles must bounce when dropped. The internet was only partly correct. Connecticut law does not state a pickle must bounce, but a food quality law once tested this by bouncing a pickle.

The Connecticut State Library says:Sidney Sparer and Moses Dexler faced accusations for selling bad gherkins in 1948. How did officials check if the pickles were good or bad? They tried bouncing them!

Why It’s So Weird: The defendants in the 1948 pickle issue faced charges.They were accused of violating the Uniform Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which ensures products are fit for human consumption. The pickles failed the bounce test. Sparer and Dexler were arrested and jailed until they each paid $2,000 bail—a sum equal tomore than $26,200 in 2024 dollars, a big amount!The UFDC Act itself is not strange. However, the method used to judge pickle quality was certainly surprising.

State: Louisiana

Is There A Story Behind This?Many people visit Louisiana for its lively food scene. Beignets, andouille, hot sauce—what is not to like? The culinary culture is so popular that jambalaya—one of Louisiana'smost celebrated dishes—has a special status. People prepare it traditionally and it does not have to follow the state's food safety code.It has a special status. It is prepared in traditional ways and does not have to abide by the state's food safety code.

Why It’s So Weird: This law limits certain things, but it doesn't control others.The 2006 law specifically statesJambalaya Is Not Subject To State Sanitary Code.

[I]t allows preparing jambalaya traditionally for public eating. This includes using iron pots, wood fires, and open preparation for public gatherings.

Just because the law permits it doesn't mean problems stop. In 2017, a Louisiana fundraiser served jambalaya under this law, and the food causeda salmonella outbreak.The best jambalaya recipe avoids salmonella.

State: Idaho.Idaho.

Is There A Story Behind This? Idaho does something.No other state does.: It bans cannibalism. But the law has one exception. People can eat another person's flesh or blood in life-or-death situations without facing charges, as long as they did not kill that person. Idaho lawyer Grant LoebsIdaho lawyer Grant Loebs.told the Associated Press:

That's your Donner Party defense. "I was trapped out in the woods, and my hunting companion died of natural causes and froze to death and I was gonna die too, so I ate him."

Idaho adopted the law in 1990 on the heels of theso-called Satanic panic.up to 14 years in prison.

.State: up to 14 years of imprisonment.Is There A Story Behind This?

Wisconsin takes its cheese seriously. The state's tourism board claims Wisconsin has over 1 million cows.Wisconsin.

The law applies specifically to cheddar and muenster, two of the state's main cheeses.Wisconsin takes its cheese seriously - and for good reason: The state's tourism board boasts that Wisconsin's more than 1 million cowsannually produce some 2.8 billion poundsprovides a list of characteristics to judge the cheese, but offers no specific rules for using them.cheddar and muenster.Oklahoma

Is There A Story Behind This? In some ways, Wisconsin would outlaw funky cheese. The law brings up questions: What cheese tastes pleasing? Who decides? How is it judged? The statehas protections against people being recorded without consent.Why It’s So Weird:

Eavesdropping is a misdemeanor.Oklahoma.

State:Gossip thrives in small communities where everyone knows one another's business. Oklahoma takes its privacy laws seriously. It evenIs There A Story Behind This? prohibits being recorded without consent.

Why It’s So Weird:The law is oddly specific, especially regarding intent.Eavesdropping is a misdemeanor.The law targets intent: the guilty person must have an "intent to overhear discourse therein, and to repeat or publish the same to vex, annoy, or injure others." The law aims to cut down on gossip as a social weapon.

State: Utah.Utah.

Is There A Story Behind This?Many states forbid cousin marriage. Utah stands out because its marriage rules have historically been broad.isunique. Mormon leaders in this state actively promoted polygamy for decades.actively encouraged polygamy for decades.Cousins wanting to marry under 65 face trouble. Some even traveled to neighboring states.traveled to neighboring stateswith laxer marriage laws to tie the knot.

Why It’s So Weird: The law bans marriage within a first-cousin relationship. This includes siblings, uncles, and aunts. The age rule exists to stop cousins from having children and prevent genetic problems. However, cousins aged 55 and older can marry if they prove they cannot reproduce.they're not capable of reproducing.

State:Kansas

Is There A Story Behind This? Hunters and fishers must get proper licenses to hunt. This protects wildlife and ensures hunters get their game ethically.hunters obtain their game ethically. Some places, like Kansas, have laws against what they call“illegal pursuit” - methods that go against official regulations.

Why It’s So Weird:Violating the law against hunting by motorboat includeshundreds of dollars in finesand at least a week in jail. The law does not only cover rabbits. Apparently, it applies to any animal with fur.applies to any animal with fur. Hunters cannot shoot foxes, beavers, or bears from motorized boats either. This raises a question: What is wrong with these boats? Do they give hunters an unfair edge?

State: Maryland

Is There A Story Behind This? Laws against fortune-tellingare centuries old in some places. Modern statutes target consumer fraud. This was the reasoning for an anti-fortune-telling law.reasoning behind an anti-fortune-telling lawMontgomery County, MD, enacted this in 1951. However, the law was overturned in 2010.was overturned in 2010on the grounds that it violated free speech.

Why It’s So Weird: Laws against fortune-telling and the occult feel old. The world has changed much since the 16th century, and so has human understanding. Is chasing strip-mall tarot card readers the best use of public money?

State: Texas

Is There A Story Behind This? Proxy marriages are not new. People marry by proxy when they are not in the same place. Royals have done this for centuries. Texas outlawed such marriages in 2013.targeted a specific group: incarcerated people. Proxy marriages let them marry, even if they could not visit a courthouse for a license.

Outlawing proxy marriage, Texas wanted to stop people from getting benefits without the other person knowing.

Why It’s So Weird:Texas has claimed that incarcerated people can still get married during their prison terms, but the law makes it harder to do so. The proxy marriage ban has one big exception: people actively serving in the militaryMilitary service allows proxy marriages.Active military service lets you marry by proxy legally.

State:Iowa

Is There A Story Behind This?France has wine, Belgium has chocolate, and Iowa has butter. Iowa takes butter seriously. A state celebrity is acow made entirely from butterThis cow appears every year at the state fair.

Indeed,the Iowa dairy industry grew fast in the early 1900s. Its butter reached New York and Louisiana kitchens. Iowa fans fiercely protect its butter products.The Iowa dairy industry exploded in the early 20th century. Its butter reached kitchens as far away as New York and Louisiana. Iowa fans try hard to keep its butter products pure.

Why It’s So Weird: The law demands imitation butter use a specific name.It uses a specific name.: oleomargarine. The name oleomargarine is hard to say. The law also limits how margarine can be sold. Makers cannot use words like “dairy” or “creamery.” This rule stops margarine from looking like butter.

State: Nebraska

Is There A Story Behind This? The law's reason seems to be stopping people from marrying and unknowingly catching a sexually transmitted infection. In 1944, John Christensen of Nebraskapetitioned to void his marriageto his wife Elsie, citing his syphilis diagnosis.

Why It’s So Weird: A 2021 study found thatmarital status mattered in predicting if an emergency room patient had an STI.If the goal is to stop infections, banning marriage does not work. STIs are very common. In the US alone, about 20 million cases are diagnosed yearly.20 million cases are diagnosedIf Nebraska's law applied nationwide, those people could not legally marry.

State: New Mexico

Is There A Story Behind This?Horse tripping is not random. It is actuallyan event incharreadas, a form of Mexican rodeos. It is also calledcharrería, participants lasso horses to trip them. This can bevery dangerous for the animals.. Veterinarians and animal welfare groups see the sport as cruel. New Mexico banned horse tripping in 1995; other states have similar laws.

Why It’s So Weird: Though official rodeos follow laws, people whoinformally participate are the main targets for charges. Anyone who trips a horse on purpose faces misdemeanor charges. If the horse gets hurt or dies, the person can facea fourth-degree felony.a fourth-degree felony..

State: New Jersey

Is There A Story Behind This?People convicted of violent crimes should not get certain items, like weapons. Some laws treat bulletproof vests, which count as body armor, asa kind of weaponWhy would an everyday person wear a bulletproof vest if they don't expect danger or violence?

Why It’s So Weird:New Jersey law increases criminal charges. It applies even if the accused onlyattempts to commit a crime.But the law applies only to specific crimes.These crimes include murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, criminal escape, or assault.New Jersey views wearing body armor during a crime as admitting guilt.