Pollness: Funny Laws...

[Dark Dragonite]

Has anyone here heard any funny laws that exsist, I know there are plenty in the USA.

~Have you heard any funny laws??
~If so, what are they??



I know so many stupid laws, such as:

1.
LAW: It is illegal to transport a skunk across state lines.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Tennessee
CITATION: 70-4-208. Unlawful importation of skunks - Penalty.
ACTUAL: (a) It is unlawful for any person to import, possess, or cause to be imported into this state any type of live skunk, or to sell, barter, exchange or otherwise transfer any live skunk, except that the prohibitions of this section shall not apply to bona fide zoological parks and research institutions.
2.
LAW: It is illegal to taunt someone for refusing to participate in a duel.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: West Virginia
CITATION: §61-2-24. Taunting for nonparticipation in duel; penalty.
ACTUAL: If any person post another, or in writing or in print use any reproachful or contemptuous language to or concerning another, for not fighting a duel, or for not sending or accepting a challenge, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction, shall be confined in jail not more than six months, or fined not exceeding one hundred dollars.
3.
LAW: There is a one-dollar fine for every instance of public drunkenness and/or swearing.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: West Virginia
CITATION: §61-8-15. Profane swearing and drunkenness; penalty.
ACTUAL: If any person arrived at the age of discretion profanely curse or swear or get drunk in public, he shall be fined by a justice one dollar for each offense.
4.
LAW: It is illegal to require someone to purchase a horror comic book.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: California
CITATION: Cal Bus & Prof Code §16603 Requiring purchase of horror comic book as condition to sale or consignment of magazine or other publication.
ACTUAL: Every person who, as a condition to a sale or consignment of any magazine, book, or other publication requires that the purchaser or consignee purchase or receive for sale any horror comic book, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($ 1,000), or by both.

As used in this section "horror comic book" means any book or booklet in which an account of the commission or attempted commission of the crime of arson, assault with caustic chemicals, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, kidnapping, mayhem, murder, rape, robbery, theft, or voluntary manslaughter is set forth by means of a series of five or more drawings or photographs in sequence, which are accompanied by either narrative writing or words represented as spoken by a pictured character, whether such narrative words appear in balloons, captions or on or immediately adjacent to the photograph or drawing.

5.
LAW: It is required by law that you make a loud noise when passing a car on the left.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Rhode Island
CITATION: §31-15-4 Overtaking on left.
ACTUAL: The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions, and special rules stated in this section:
(1) 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.
(2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of the front vehicle on the audible signal of the overtaking vehicle shall give way to the right, and shall not increase speed until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.
6.
LAW: It is illegal for a bingo game to last longer than five hours, unless the bingo is being played at a fair.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: North Carolina
CITATION: §14-309.8. Limit on sessions.
ACTUAL: The number of sessions of bingo conducted or sponsored by an exempt organization shall be limited to two sessions per week and such sessions must not exceed a period of five hours each per session. No two sessions of bingo shall be held within a 48-hour period of time. No more than two sessions of bingo shall be operated or conducted in any one building, hall or structure during any one calendar week and if two sessions are held, they must be held by the same exempt organization. This section shall not apply to bingo games conducted at a fair or other exhibition conducted pursuant to Article 45 of Chapter 106 of the General Statutes.
7.
LAW: A man may not seduce a woman by lying, and claiming he will marry her.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Mississippi
CITATION: 97-29-55 Seduction of female over age of eighteen by promised or pretended marriage.
ACTUAL: If any person shall obtain carnal knowledge of any woman, or female child, over the age of eighteen years, of previous chaste character, by virtue of any feigned or pretended marriage or any false or feigned promise of marriage, he shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned in the penitentiary not more than five years; but the testimony of the female seduced, alone, shall not be sufficient to warrant a conviction.
8.
LAW: One must not collect seaweed.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: New Hampshire
CITATION: TITLE XVIII
FISH AND GAME
CHAPTER 207
GENERAL PROVISIONS AS TO FISH AND GAME
Collecting Seaweed
Section 207:48
ACTUAL: In Night: If any person shall carry away or collect for the purpose of carrying away any seaweed or rockweed from the seashore below high-water mark, between daylight in the evening and daylight in the morning, he shall be guilty of a violation.
9.
LAW: It is illegal to wear a bulletproof vest while committing a murder.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: New Jersey
CITATION: 2C:39-13 Unlawful use of body vests.
ACTUAL: A person is guilty of a crime if he uses or wears a body vest while engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, criminal escape or assault under N.J.S.2C:12-1b. Use or wearing a body vest while engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit a crime of the first degree is a crime of the second degree. Otherwise it is a crime of the third degree.
10.
LAW: Unless a customer orders it specifically, it's against the law to serve margarine instead of butter at a restaurant.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Wisconsin
CITATION: 97.18(4)
ACTUAL: (4) The serving of colored oleomargarine or margarine at a public eating place as a substitute for table butter is prohibited unless it is ordered by the customer.

There is also a law against peeing on the alamo

[Royal_Goddess_Tina]

LMMFAO! Those are funny laws... You actually have citations... wow... Where'd you get all these? Anyway, I heard about some law in Indiana that says you can't have a bath in the month of November? Something like that... I don't exactly remember...

[Dark Dragonite]

Originally posted by Royal_Goddess_Tina
LMMFAO! Those are funny laws... You actually have citations... wow... Where'd you get all these? Anyway, I heard about some law in Indiana that says you can't have a bath in the month of November? Something like that... I don't exactly remember...

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/grad/?article=LudicrousLaws

I was signing out of hotmail, and found that, plus, Ozzy is responsible for the no peeing on the alamo one.

[Fett One]

Here's some state laws from Pennsylvania:

1:It is contrary to Pennsylvania law to discharge a gun, cannon, revolver or other explosive weapon at a wedding.

2:It is illegal to have over 16 women live in a house together because that constitutes a brothel. However up to 120 men can live together, without breaking the law.

3:It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.

4:Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.

5:A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.

6:You may not sing in the bathtub.

7:Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.

8:A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.

9:Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes.

10:Ministers are forbidden from performing marriages when either the bride or groom is drunk.

11:No more than two packages of beer at a time may be purchased, unless you are buying from an official "beer distributor".

12:All liquor stores must be run by the state.

13:Motorized vehicles are not to be sold on Sundays.

14:You may not catch a fish with your hands.

15:You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.

16:Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish.

17:Though you do not need a fishing license to fish on your own land, but a hunting license is required to hunt on your own land.

[EmpressMyuu]

Here's a funny old (thankfully, probably repealed) law from Boston:

"The law prohibits taking a bath unless you have a doctor's prescription."

Uh, yeah, Mom, I can't take a bath tonight! The last time you checked, I didn't have any fever! :P

[Cheesey]

One I remember reading was "In Connecticut, dim people are not allowed to wed" xD I'm not entirely sure how they decide how dim a person is, but oh well. =P

We have a book of stupid laws somewhere in the house, I'll dig it up a some point o_o.

[Deus Mortuorum]

New York:

A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." 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 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. That rarely happens, since one party regularly says "no" to the other, or there wouldn't be a reason to dissolve the marriage. If one of the spouses says "no" to the divorce, the other party has to prove that the spouse saying "no" was at fault. Fault could be one of four terrible things. If the spouse has abandoned the other spouse, that is, left the house for a year or if there hasn't been sexual relations for a year (how do you prove that?). Another one of the four terrible things, an oft cited fault, is to assert that the spouse has treated the other spouse with physical or mental cruelty. This is usually the case in most deteriorating marriages, but for the court's purposes, yelling and screaming is not usually enough; pictures of bruises taken in the emergency room might suffice. Divorce will be easy if the spouse has been imprisoned for two or three years. Much more difficult is the last fault, adultery. This keeps a lot of private detectives in business, since lipstick on the collar is not proof. It also means that lawyers get paid to "prove" fault, or on the other side, to show how lame the opposing side's "fault" claim is.
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.
Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 P.M.


Carmel

A man can't go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match.
Greene

During a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks.
New York

Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.

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".
Ocean City

It is illegal for men to go topless in the center of town.
It is illegal to eat in the street in residential neighborhoods, and the only beverage you can drink on the beach is water in a clear plastic bottle.

It is illegal for a father to call his son a "******" or "queer" in an effort to curb "girlie behavior."
You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand.

[Wolfsong]

State Laws

The definition of "dumb animal" includes every living creature.

It is illegal to dare a child to purchase a beer.

It is illegal to place tacks on a highway.

Skunks may not be carried into the state.

You can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.

Hollow logs may not be sold.

More than 8 women may not live in the same house because that would constitute a brothel.

It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.

"Crimes against nature" are prohibited.

Ministers are to be dedicated to God and therefore are not eligible to hold a seat in either House of the Legislature.

Any person who participates in a duel may not hold any public office in the state.

Stealing a horse is punishible by hanging.

No Christian parent may require their children to pick up trash from the highway on Easter day.

Driving is not to be done while asleep.

It is legal to gather and consume roadkill.


City Laws


Bell Buckle

One may not throw bottles at a tree.


Dyersburg

It is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.


Fayette County

You may not have more than five inoperable vehicles on a piece of property.


Kimball

Bar owners may not let patrons make loud, unusual noises.


Knoxville

In front of their buildings, all businesses must have a "hitching post."


Lenior County

When you pull up to a stop sign you must fire a gun out the window to warn horse carriages that you are coming.


Lexington

No one may eat ice cream on the sidewalk.

Spitting on the sidewalk is prohibited.


Memphis

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.

It's illegal for frogs to croak after 11 PM.

Panhandlers must first obtain a $10 permit before begging on the streets of downtown Memphis.

It is illegal to give any pie to fellow diners. It is also illegal to take unfinished pie home. All pie must be eaten on the premises.


Nashville

No person may keep a cheetah as a pet.

Anyone rollerblading may not tie his or herself to a moving vehicle on a highway.

No person may roller skate and listen to a personal cd player at the same time.

Throwing stones is prohibited as it might break a window.

To play pinball, one must be 18 years old.

All persons riding scooters must ride in single file.

Spitting is prohibited on sidewalks.


Oneida

An ordinance forbids anyone to sing the song "It Ain't Goin' To Rain No Mo'."