Strange Laws Around The World

[shible]

:sl:


Check out these nutty laws from across the U.S.A. and around the globe!

* In Alabama, prison guards are forbidden from referring to their spouses as "the old ball 'n' chain."

* In Los Angeles, it's illegal for a waiter to tell a customer "I'm really an actor."

* In Indiana, it's against the law to dress "Barbie" in "Ken's" clothes.

* In Sedona, Ariz., it's illegal to lie about your astrological sign.

* In Texas, it's illegal to threaten somebody with an UNLOADED gun.

* In Samoa, it's a crime to forget your wife's birthday.

* In Australia, it's illegal to name any animal you plan to eat.

* In Cannes, France, it's illegal to wear a Jerry Lewis mask.

* In New Jersey, answering a traffic cop who asks "Do you know why I pulled you over?" by saying, "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you" is an automatic $300 fine.

* In Kentucky, it's illegal to paint your lawn red.

* In Connecticut, night watchmen are forbidden from drinking decaf coffee while working.

* In Vermont, it's illegal to pick your nose and stick the pickings under a table.

* In Tennessee, it's illegal to tell someone to quit smoking.

* In Oregon, donut holes must be at least an 1/8th inch in diameter.

* In Italy, anyone considered "obese" is forbidden from wearing polyester.

* It's illegal to tear a phone book in half in Montana.

* Anyone caught selling a "smoothie" that has lumps is breaking the law in California.

* In Arkansas, it's illegal for a woman getting married for the second time to wear a white wedding gown.

* In Pennsylvania, it's against the law to put a dollar on a string on the ground and yank it when someone tries to pick it up.

* In New York City, it's illegal for a restaurant to call it a "corned beef sandwich" if it's made with white bread and mayonnaise.




:w:

[Strzelecki]

* In Australia, it's illegal to name any animal you plan to eat.

Whoa. I had no idea.
Good thing I'm a vegetarian!! :D

[north_malaysian]

* In Samoa, it's a crime to forget your wife's birthday.

I wonder what's the punishment for that...:phew

[Woodrow]

Texas has plenty of them. Mostly because each of the 254 counties has the right to write it's own laws.


Texas Crazy Law
# It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.

# A recently passed anticrime 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.


# It is unlawful for a person to consume an alcoholic beverage while operating a motor vehicle upon a public roadway, if the person is observed doing so by a peace officer.

# The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

# When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.

# It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.

# You can be legally married by publically introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.

# A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit.

# It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.

# It is illegal to milk another person's cow.

Abilene
# It is illegal to idle or loiter anyplace within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of flirting or mashing.

Austin
# Wire cutters can not be carried in your pocket.

Beaumont
# Collegiate football is banned at Lamar University.

Borger
# It is against the law to throw confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or quirts (riding crop), and explosive firecrackers of any kind.

Clarendon
# It is illegal to dust any public building with a feather duster.

El Paso
# Churches, hotels, halls of assembly, stores, markets, banking rooms, railroad depots, and saloons are required to provide spittoons "of a kind and number to efficiently contain expectorations into them."

Houston
# Beer may not be purchased after midnight on a Sunday, but it may be purchased on Monday.

# It is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.

Galveston
# It is illegal to drive a motor car down Broadway before noon on Sundays.

Jasper
# Dogs must be on a leash at ALL times. Fine of 100 dollars.

LeFors
# It is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer while standing.

Lubbock County
# It is illegal to drive within an arm's length of alcohol - including alcohol in someone else's blood stream.

Mesquite
# It is illegal for children to have unusual haircuts.

Port Arthur
# Obnoxious odors may not be emitted while in an elevator.

Richardson
# It is now illegal to place a "for sale" sign on a car if it visible from the street.

# It is illegal to do "U Turns".

San Antonio
# It is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.

# It is illegal to urinate on the Alamo.

Temple
# No one may ride a horse and buggy through the town square.

# You can ride your horse in the saloon.

# Cattle thieves may be hanged on the spot.

Texarkana
# Owners of horses may not ride them at night without tail lights.

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[Woodrow]

Some of the laws actually have logic behind them.

# A recently passed 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.

Texas has a three strike and your out laws. In Texas if a person is convicted of a 3rd felony it is automatic life in prison. With that law unless a criminal has notified a victim in advance. Any crime is already at least 2 felonies.

# The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Alcohol is illegal or highly regulated in many Texas counties

# You can be legally married by publically introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.

In most Texas counties it is illegal to share a hotel room with a member of the opposite gender unless it is your spouse or a blood-relative. This laws discourges lieing about somebody being your spouse cause after the 3rd he/she is legaly your spouse.

# It is illegal to drive within an arm's length of alcohol - including alcohol in someone else's blood stream.

another law to discourage the use of alcohol

# It is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.

a law to discourage lewd public behavior


# Cattle thieves may be hanged on the spot.

That is an old one that has not been enfoced in a long time, but it is still on the books. Goes back to the days when cattle was a Texans livelihood and a cow could make a difference between survival or starvation.

[Qurratul Ayn]

:alamext:

Strange, indeed! But all over the world each country has their own laws and in America the states have their own laws.

:salamext:

[Malaikah]

:sl:

Woodrow, I'm impressed by what appears to be a high moral standard in Texas (at least compared to other places.) Interesting!

[Woodrow]

:sl:

Woodrow, I'm impressed by what appears to be a high moral standard in Texas (at least compared to other places.) Interesting!

Most of the States have very high moral standard laws. Unfortunately the news media and Hollywood tend to direct their attention on a handful of communities and exaggerate what is found. You have to remember we have 300,000,000 People in the US if just 1% are immoral you will have 3,000,000 people making the news for immoral behavior. But, it is overlooked that also means there are 297,000,000 Americans who are not immoral nor support immorality.

People seldom learn much about the truth of other countries and just look to the media and/or Hollywood for information.

In America we also have many misconceptions about people in other nations. Everybody tends to forget it is usually only the criminal who makes the headlines on the news the average person is very seldom seen as being news worthy.

Everytime I see a movie about Texas I cringe. We are always shown as being very rowdy and run around shooting guns in the air, chasing women and drinking whiskey.

Crimes involving guns are rare in Texas. Most of the counties have very tight controls over the sale of alcohol, Drunkenness and public drinking are illegal in every county. Adultery is a crime in Texas and many other states.

The media gives us a bad reputation too.

But. let's get back on the topic of odd and funny laws.

In Connecticut it is illegal to throw away used razor blades.

[shible]

Hawaii

• It is illegal to appear in public wearing only swimming trunks.
• It is illegal to own a mongoose without a permit.

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.

Britain

• In London, Hackney taxis must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats.
  
• It is illegal to be drunk in a pub or club, or any other licensed premises.
  
• Oddly, it is illegal to consume a mince pie on Christmas Day.
  
• In Hereford, you may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close.
  
• However, in Chester you can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.
  
• Also in York, excluding Sundays, it is apparently legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.
  
• In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless in public unless they are a clerk in a tropical fish store.
  
• It is illegal for a Member of Parliament to enter the House of Commons wearing a full coat of armour.
  
• Sleeping with a consort of the queen is classified as treason, and as such carries a maximum penalty of death.
  
• Placing a postage stamp of the queen upside down, is also considered treason.
  
• It is unlawful to impersonate an Chelsea pensioner.

Canada

• In Alberta, there is a city law that states that any person being released from prison must be given a handgun with bullets, and a horse so that they can ride out of town.
  
• In British Colombia, it is illegal to kill a sasquatch.
  
• In New Brunswick, driving on the roads is not permitted.
  
• In Etobicoke, the bylaw states that ‘no more than 3.5 inches of water is allowed in a bathtub’.
  
• In Toronto, it is illegal to drag a dead horse down Yonge Street on a Sunday.

[Woodrow]

These are some of my favorites from around the USA. What is even funnier is each of them has a logical reason behind it.



Vermont:

1. Lawmakers made it obligatory for everybody to take at least one bath each week -- on Saturday night.

Washington:

1. All lollipops are banned.


5. It is illegal to catch a fish by throwing a rock at it. [Thanks to Georgina]
6. In Seattle it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is over 6 feet in length. [Thanks to Georgina]


West Virginia:

1. No children may attend school with their breath smelling of "wild onions".

[Woodrow]

Alabama:

1. It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
2. It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
3. Putting salt on a railway track may be punishable by death. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
4. Boogers may not be flicked into the wind. [Thanks to Tiffany Dozier]
5. You cannot chain your alligator to a fire hydrant. [Thanks to Ben Chastain]
6. Peanuts are not allowed to be sold in Lee County, Alabama after sunset on Wednesdays. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]
7. You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]
8. It is legal to drive the wrong way on a one way street if you have a lantern on the front of your car. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]

[shible]

:sl:

Denmark

• Before starting your car, you are legally required to make an visual check to make sure there are no children underneath your car.
  
• When driving, you must have someone in front of your car with a flag, to warn horse drawn carriages that a car is coming.

Turkey

In Turkey it is an offence to insult the Turkish nation or the national flag, or to deface or tear up the national currency.


Bahrain

It is illegal to make rude gestures or swear in public in Bahrain, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Kenya. You could face a severe fine.


Singapore

In Singapore smoking in public buildings, littering, jaywalking, spitting, feeding birds in public places, chewing gum on the local transport system, and failing to flush public lavatories are civic crimes and attract instant fines.


Yemen

It is illegal to import pork products into Yemen, with a maximum punishment of death.

:w:

[Woodrow]

Alaska:

1. You can't look at a moose from an aeroplane. [Thanks to Dave Knott]
2. Kangaroos are not allowed in barber shops at any time. [Thanks to an anonymous contributor]
3. Even though it is legal to hunt a bear, it is illegal to wake a bear and take a picture for photo opportunities. [Thanks to Kyle Brown]
4. It is an offence to push a live moose out of a moving aeroplane. [Thanks to Susan Goodgine]
5. It is State Policy that all emergencies are held to a minimum. [Thanks to Susan Goodgine]

[Strzelecki]

:sl:

Denmark

• When driving, you must have someone in front of your car with a flag, to warn horse drawn carriages that a car is coming.

Would this someone be travelling by bike?

<3 Denmark!

[NobleMuslimUK]

A lot of silly laws, some might be useful. The double jeopardy law in US is quiet weird.

[shible]

Assalamu alaikkum(warah)

hi guys In case if you knew some strange laws then feel free to share them.

[Strzelecki]

I have a wealth of "Dumb Criminal" stories...Maybe I should make a thread about that!
But, no, I can't find any strange laws.

Oh, except. Where I'm from [Melbourne, Australia]. It is illegal to sleep in a caravan for more than 7 consecutive nights.

[tomtomsmom]

Some random North Carolina Laws!

It's against the law to sing off key.

Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.

While having sex, you must stay in the missionary position and have the shades pulled.

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.

All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart.

It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard.

Oral sex is considered a crime against nature.

Organizations may not hold their meetings while the members present are in costume.

Bingo games may not last over 5 hours unless it is held at a fair.

[Woodrow]

Some New York Laws

You may not smoke within 100 feet of the entrance to a public building.

It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing "body hugging clothing.

Citizens may not greet each other by "putting one's thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers".

A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.

It is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun.

The penalty for jumping off a building is death.

New Yorkers cannot dissolve a marriage for irreconcilable differences, unless they both agree to it.

A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.

While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door.

Needless to say if you watch TV or the movies, you will never see any evidence of any of those. Can't always believe Hollywood

[England]

Some of those laws apply elsewhere. Like for example, not being allowed to wear a white wedding dress on the second marriage. Same applies here. Threatening someone with a gun loaded or unloaded is regarded a crime elsewhere too....

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

Surprisingly, some of these laws sound very Islamic :uuh:

[Woodrow]

Some more Texas laws. Not really weird, but most people outside the US are surprised to learn these things are Illegal.


One must acknowledge a supreme being before being able to hold public office.

Homosexual behavior is a misdemeanor offense.


Abilene
It is illegal to idle or loiter anyplace within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of flirting or mashing.

El Paso
Appearing in public places wearing a "lewd dress" is prohibited.

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

^^Thats what I mean when I say surprisingly Islamic. You must like it where you are Woodrow lol.

[north_malaysian]

Singapore

In Singapore smoking in public buildings, littering, jaywalking, spitting, feeding birds in public places, chewing gum on the local transport system, and failing to flush public lavatories are civic crimes and attract instant fines.

Singapore is a FINE country.... (they love to fine you...):exhausted

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

^^loool ;D have u had experience with that :? lol

[shible]

Singapore is a FINE country.... (they love to fine you...):exhausted

that's why still singapore is one of those nation worth visiting:statisfie

[Woodrow]

Another one of my favorite states. Louisiana. Louisiana law is a bit different then most states it did not base it's laws upon US or British laws. It was a French territory at the time it wrote up its constitution and the laws are based on Napoleonic Law.

Persons could land in jail for up to ten years for stealing an alligator.

It is a $500 fine to instruct a pizza delivery man to deliver a pizza to your friend without them knowing.

Running an abortion advertisement can land you in jail for a year.

Rituals that involve the ingestion of blood, urine, or fecal matter are not allowed.

One could land in jail for up to a year for making a false promise.

Every time a person is seriously burned, he must report the injury to the fire marshal.

Then we have Alabama. Most Americans love to pick on Alabama.

Bear wrestling matches are prohibited.

It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.

It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

Men who deflower virgins, regardless of age or marital status, may face up to five years in jail.

[shible]

In India the whole nation is divided into two kinds.

One is the towns or cities that follow 90% of the constitutional laws

two are the rural villages in each and every state that has it's own law.


in some villages in india roaming out in NEW MOON is stictly Prohibited.

In one part of India Smoking is Prohibited and in other Smoking is Permitted same goes for Wine and Woman.

[Tania]

From 1th january in Romania all cars must have european insurance which is aimed to cover up the possible costs of road accidents in europe. This law applies even to trams :giggling:

[SUMMAYAH]

These laws make an entertained read, if nothing else.....................:)

[Woodrow]

What is funny is that all of the laws have a logical basis behind them. They make sense if you know why they were passed.

The Louisiana one about alligators I know the logic behind. louisiana is the only state that permits alligator hunting and it is a livelihood for some people. The critters are quite valuable and a single 15 foot alligator can bring a successful hunter several thousand dollars. With some of the people who live in the Louisiana Bayou country it is their income. Anything that affects alligators can cost them several months income.

[north_malaysian]

What is funny is that all of the laws have a logical basis behind them. They make sense if you know why they were passed.

The Louisiana one about alligators I know the logic behind. louisiana is the only state that permits alligator hunting and it is a livelihood for some people. The critters are quite valuable and a single 15 foot alligator can bring a successful hunter several thousand dollars. With some of the people who live in the Louisiana Bayou country it is their income. Anything that affects alligators can cost them several months income.

Why hunt them if we could breed them? (at least we can breed Crocodiles)

[Woodrow]

Why hunt them if we could breed them? (at least we can breed Crocodiles)

Has to do with the way our laws work. Alligators are considered an Endangered species and are protected in nearly every State. South Louisiana allows a limited number to be hunted each year. A specific number of permits and tags are issued each year. Complex process, so I wont go into it.

Arkansas does have some Alligator farms now. However, since the gators are protected, they can not kill them. The people who have invested in farms are also pushing to have them taken off the endangered list in Arkansas so the farm raised ones can be killed.

Texas has taken them off the Endangered list in a few of our North Eastern counties. But the number permitted to be hunted is very low and with very strong restrictions.

It still remains a major source of income for some of the people living in Louisiana Bayou country. especially in the Atchafalaya Basin.

[afriend]

And these laws still exist today? :offended:

[Woodrow]

And these laws still exist today? :offended:

Yes, they do. However some of them can no longer be enforced or are almost impossible to break. Very few people have the ability to tie an elephant to a parking meter.

The Connecticut law about it being illegal to throw away razor blades came about as an attempt to prevent the replacement of the old straight razor by the safety razor as Gillette held the patent for Razor blades and people did not want him to become wealthy off of his invention. (He was an egotistical old grouch, and not liked by many people in Ct.) The law stayed on the books to help be used as a tool to keep people from throwing razor blades out into the environment and posing a possible hazard. It now stays as proper disposal is not considered throwing away.

[afriend]

lol right...Crazy law makers!

Thanks for the answer Woodrow :)

:w:

[Woodrow]

What is really funny is these laws came about because people had actually done them things.

Some laws are done simply because the state legislatures had a boring day.

Law in the US does not always have the same meaning as law in many other countries. some times it is a means to raise money for a specific purpose, sometimes it is close loopholes left in other laws and sometimes it is used to prevent misuse of our double jeopardy laws. Like for example a person can only be tried for the same crime once. There fore if a person commits a crime, is tried and there is insufficient evidence for a conviction, he can not be retried for that crime if additional convicting evidence is later found. However, it may be possible that in committing the crime he committed something else that he can be tried and convicted for.

Example a man commits armed robbery. The prosecution has no fire arm to show it was armed robbery. They do not have sufficient evidence to convict him. Later the gun is found, now he can not be tried for the robbery again, but he may be tried for things such as illegal possession of a firearm, threatening with an unloaded firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm etc.

[shible]

so they started on a Mistake and worked out to rectify the mistake.

But in India whether he is a armed personel or not is not the case the laws to arrest him will be a nuisance case but when the FIr is filed it would be a different case. since FIR is wat speaks about the crime so till the FIR is produced the crime is not clear

[north_malaysian]

such as illegal possession of a firearm

he can get death penalty in Malaysia for this