Most weird laws were put on the books years ago and no one has bothered to repeal them. They make us wonder what the legislature was thinking when they enacted them. We've grouped these stupid laws into Categories by state so you can see which one has the nuttiest laws.
We're always on the hunt for more dumb laws to add to our collection so if you have one, leave us the info in the Comments.
And check back with us on a regular basis as our compilation of funny laws grows. We're hoping the local, state and national politicians don't gets wise and decide to delete them because then what would we have to laugh at?
Stupid Laws
Weird Maine Cemetary Laws
Who knew the fine people of Wells, Maine were so particular about their graveyards? OK so it's in Wayne Maine, not Wells, Maine Wells has a law that states “Advertisements May not be placed in Cemeteries” 100-4 PROHIBITED ACTS (amended 11-2-93). Here is the full ext of the law: A. The following acts are violations of this chapter: (1) [Amended 4-7-2001] The willful disfigurement, marking,... [Read more]
Full Mooning From My Window
Just so everyone knows, mooning is the practice of showing your butt or bottom by pulling down your pants and giving onlookers a nice view of said bottom. Now we know. While this is certainly not my type of humor, many people find this is a very laughter inducing situation and it seems the college crowd is even more on board with this exposure of one’s buttocks. But, mooning does have its dangers,... [Read more]
Halloween-Associated Laws
Some laws are just laws. Don’t kill people. Don’t steal cars. Or police cars. Don’t deface property. Don’t not pay your taxes. But, with the Halloween season fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to find some laws that are specifically related to Halloween. Some are kind of boring, like in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware it’s against the law to trick or treat... [Read more]
Utah Law – Don’t Go Causing Catastrophes
Just in case you were planning one, it is illegal to cause a catastrophe in Utah. Just in case you don’t believe me, here is the full text of the law, courtesy of dumblaws.com. 76-6-105 Causing a catastrophe. (1) Any person who by explosion, fire, flood, avalanche, collapse of a building, release of a poison gas, radioactive material, or other harmful or destructive force or substance, or... [Read more]
Maple Lane School for Girls
Washington State Legislature has this whole chapter (Chapter 72.20) about Maple Lane School. The law that brought me to research this Washington piece of legislature and the Maple Lane School for Girls, is section 72.20.065, which states: “Any person who shall go upon the school grounds except on lawful business, or by consent of the superintendent, or who shall entice any girl away from the... [Read more]
No Drunk Junk in Wyoming
Thanks to Dumb Laws, here is the full text of the law: “33-18-105. Purchase from intoxicated persons. No person, firm or corporation engaged in the buying or selling of junk metals, rubber, rags or paper, shall purchase any articles from any person appearing to be intoxicated, nor from any person known to be a thief, or to have been convicted of larceny, and when any person is found to be the... [Read more]
Vagrancy, Loitering, and Just Standing Around
Minnesota is pretty strict on its vagrancy laws. The full text of law 609.725 states: “Any of the following are vagrants and are guilty of a misdemeanor: 1) A person, with ability to work, who is without lawful means of support, does not seek employment, and is not under 18 years of age; or 2) A person found in or loitering near any structure, vehicle, or private grounds who is there without... [Read more]
Roadkill Laws – Because Times Is Tough
One time my husband told me that our friend Jefferson was going to bring over some venison that he’d marinated. They were going to grill it, and it was going to be delicious. I’d never eaten venison, and I’d been watching a lot of Food Network, so I said, “Why not?” It's what's for dinner As it turns out, the meat was delicious. It wasn’t gamey –... [Read more]
In Sweden, Buying Sex Is Illegal. However, Selling It Is Not.
Selling sex is legal in Sweden. However, Sweden has a generally low rate of prostitution as opposed to other European nations. But before all you prospective new prostitutes pack your bags and book your one-way ticket to Stockholm, I should inform you that it is still illegal to purchase sexual services in Sweden. This strange approach to the prostitution problem has endured continuous ridicule... [Read more]
Pretending to Abuse Animals in the Presence of a Minor – A No-No in Montana
OK. I know I’ve said it before. But I love weird laws. I love stupid laws even more. Check this one out – here’s the full text of the law: “45-5-627. Ritual abuse of minor – exceptions – penalty. 1) A person commits the offense of ritual abuse of a minor if the person purposely or knowingly and as part of any ceremony, rite, or ritual or of any training... [Read more]
Marriage By Proxy
Wedded bliss. Some achieve it, some don’t. We hear a lot about what you should do when you’re planning a wedding – from centerpiece ideas to prenuptial agreements – but we don’t hear much about the weird marriage-related laws that nobody bothered to repeal. In this case, there is a reason nobody repealed it – people still use it! [Read more] Read More →
Rhode Island – Make a Loud Noise
Rhode Island Law 31-15-4 states: “The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall give a timely, audible signal and shall pass to the left at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of the front vehicle... [Read more]
Match.Com Isn’t A Perfect Match – A Love-Struck Lawsuit
While there are many, many stories of romances that begin online ending in happily-ever-after, sometime the method doesn’t quite work. In fact, sometimes the method is so far from working that lawyers are involved. Take, for instance, the example of Matthew Evans. Evans was *this* close to canceling his subscription to the dating website in 2005 when he was contacted by a potential match... [Read more]
Dumb Animals – A Sensitive Tennessee Law
Check this out – Tennessee law 39-3-101 states: “In this part, and in every law relating to or affecting animals, the words animal or dumb animal shall be held to include every living creature; the words torture, torment, or cruelty shall be held to include every act, omission, or neglect whereby unjustifiable physical pain, suffering, or death is caused or permitted; but nothing herein... [Read more]
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