Around the world there are weird laws that are buried in the archives. Most of these are obviously not in effect, but they just haven’t been taken off the legal books. A short search of the web turns up all kinds of oddities. We have a few strange ones in Canada….. and obviously if push came to shove they would be stricken from the halls of the legal system..at least I assume they would.
Many of these laws are probably no longer in effect. Please note that this information is purely for entertainment.
In Canada…did you know:
You may not pay for a fifty-cent item with only pennies. The maximum number of pennies you may tender at one time legally is 25.
Citizens may not publicly remove bandages.
It is illegal for clear or non-dark sodas to contain caffeine.
It is illegal to set fire to the wooden leg of a wooden legged man in Alberta
It is illegal to kill a sasquatch in BC
In Nova Scotia, when it is raining, a person may not water his/her lawn.
An Etobicoke bylaw states that no more than 3.5 inches of water is allowed in a bathtub.
Guelph is classified as a no-pee zone.
In Kanata the colour of house and garage doors is regulated by city bylaws (a purple door get you a fine). It is also illegal to have a clothes line in your backyard and you are not allowed to work on your car in the street.
In Oshawa it’s illegal to climb trees and homeowners are responsible for clearing snow off of municipal sidewalks. If sidewalks is not cleaned within 24 hours after a snowfall, city workers will clean it and the cost will be placed on the homeowners tax bill.
It is illegal to eat ice-cream on Bank Street (Ottawa) on a Sunday.
You can’t drag a dead horse down Yonge St. on a Sunday.
In Beaconsfield it is considered an offence to have more than two colours of paint on your house and you may not own a log cabin.
In Montreal, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel must feed your horse freely when you rent a room, you may not wash your car in the street, you may not park a car in such a way that it is blocking your own driveway and “For Sale†signs are not permitted in the windows of moving vehicles. Additionally, cars parked in public places must be locked, and their windows must be down to less than the width of a hand.
What about the US?
In Alabama it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. And in the City of Brewerton the use of motor boats is forbidden on city streets.
It is illegal in Alaska to push a moose out of a plane in motion.
In California a woman cannot drive a car while she is dressed in a house-coat.
In Denver Colorado it is illegal to mistreat rats. In Peublo it is illegal to raise or permit a dandelion to grow within the city limits.
In Hartford Connecticut crossing the street on your hands is not allowed.
In the District of Colombia it is unlawful for small boys to throw stones, at any time, at any place .
In Florida it is illegal for single, divorced, or widowed women to parachute on Sunday afternoons.
In Georgia it’s unlawful for a barber to advertise his prices.
In Coeur d’Alene Idaho police officers suspect a couple is having sex inside a vehicle they must honk their horn three times, and wait two minutes before being allowed to approach the scene.
In Indiana bathing is prohibited during the winter.
In Wichita, Kansas, a father cannot frighten his daughter’s boyfriend with a gun.
In Louisiana, biting someone with your natural teeth is considered “simple assault” while biting someone with your false teeth is “aggravated assault”.
In Maryland it is illegal to mistreat oysters while in Baltimore it is illegal to throw bales of hay from a second-story window within the city limits.
In Nevada it is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.
In Cresskill, New Jersey cats must wear three bells to warn birds of their whereabouts.
In Albany, New York you may not play golf in the streets.
In North Carolina no airplanes are allowed to fly over the town of Thomasville on Sundays during the hours between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
In Oregon a dead person cannot be required to serve on a jury, the use of canned corn in fishing is illegal.
In Tennessee it is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish
In Utah, birds have the right of way on all highways.
And Internationally?
Australia
Children may not purchase cigarettes, but can smoke them.
You may never leave your car keys in an unattended vehicle. It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
It is illegal to read someone’s tarot, or give them a psychic reading as these are forms of witchcraft.
Under Australian Communications Authority (ACA) regulations, your modem can’t pick up on the first ring. If it does the ACA permit for your modem is invalid and there’s a $12000 fine. – Telecommunications Act 1991.
England
Those wishing to use a television must apply for a license.
It is illegal to leave baggage unattended.
Picking up abandoned baggage is as act of terrorism.
France
Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of the music in the radio must be by French composers.
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 bubblegum on the sidewalk. If you do not pay the fine, you are jailed.
No one may step on any of the nation’s currency.
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.
Switzerland
Clothes may not be hung to dry on Sunday.
You may not wash your car on a Sunday.
It is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 PM.
A man may not relieve himself while standing up, after 10 PM.
Though it is illegal to produce, store, sell and trade absinthe, it is legal to consume it.
It is required that every car with snow tires has to have a sticker on its dashboard which tells that the driver should not drive faster than 160 km/h with these tires.
Sweden
It is illegal to repaint a house without a painting license and the government’s permission.
Finland
Taxi drivers must pay royalties if they play music in their cars for paying customers.
Germany
Every office must have a view of the sky, however small.
A pillow can be considered a “passive” weapon.
It is illegal to wear a mask.
It is illegal for ones car to run out of gas on the Autobahn.
Cambodia
Water guns may not be used in New Year’s celebrations.
Interested in more odd laws? Check out dumblaws.com