26 Weird Old American Laws You Won't Believe Were Passed

    Did you know it's illegal to keep a spray-painted shopping cart in your basement in Nevada?!

    Rhianna Campbell
    by Rhianna Campbell

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    We've all heard talk of a few strange laws here and there, but these peculiar rules are waaaay more common than I was expecting.

    Walt Disney Animation Studios / Via tenor.com

    I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole of weird, old US laws recently, and man, it was hard to get back out of it again! There are SO. MANY! Speaking of rabbits, did you know it used to be illegal to take photographs of rabbits from January to April in Wyoming?!) (Source: Steven Titus Law)

    That said, we must beware of the hoax fake laws. You may have heard a rumor that it's illegal for women to wear pants in certain parts of Arizona, but that isn't true.

    I could go on all day, but here's a round up of a few of my faves!

    1. It's illegal to eat raw onions while walking down the street in Northfield, Connecticut.

    2. In Nacodoches, Texas, there's an onion curfew for young women. Under no circumstances are they allowed to have any raw onions after 6 p.m.

    3. Oklahoma and Ohio: you can't make faces at a dog

    An image of a confused looking shiba dog wearing a red and blue checked shirt
    Fly_dragonfly / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Ever caught your dog peering at you and pulled a stupid face at them? Well, you'd have committed a crime if you were in Oklahoma! 

    And as bizarre as that sounds, Ohio's law is even more extreme — if you make any kind of face at a dog there, silly or not, it could result in a fine or jail time! (Source: Dog Magazine and GoodSam)

    4. California: It's illegal to eat a frog if it died during a frog-jumping competition.

    Frog-jumping is suuuper popular in California, with the biggest competition being held annually in Calaveras County. But if one of. the frogs meets its demise at any point in the competition, its body "must be destroyed as soon as possible, and may not be eaten or otherwise used for any purpose."

    (Source: Fox News)

    5. Florida: it's illegal to sing in your swimsuit

    An image of a woman standing on a sunny beach wearing a navy v-necked swimsuit and tipping her head back to feel the sun on her face. She's wearing sunglasses
    Iryna Veklich / Getty Images

    Picture this. It's a sunny day, and you're on the beach in your swimsuit. Your friend's made a great playlist, and you start to sing along, toes in the sand as the warm breeze blows. Well, you're a criminal now!

    In Florida, it's actually illegal to sing when you're in your swimsuit. There's also a law against singing along to the radio while walking by yourself.

    So, I guess if in doubt when in the Sunshine State, just don't sing in public! (Source: American Court House)

    6. Arizona: you can't have a donkey sleeping in your bathtub after 7 p.m.

    An image of a donkey's side profile, with mountains in the background
    Wirestock / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    This oddly specific law was passed in 1924, after an Arizonian merchant's bathtub was washed down into a valley when a dam broke, carrying his dozing donkey into troubled waters. 

    Hundreds of people were involved in saving the sleepy, soggy donkey, so the law was signed into action to prevent endangering future bathtub-snoozing donkeys and save everyone a bunch of time and effort. (Source: Into Study)

    7. Kansas: illegal to serve ice cream on cherry pie

    An image of a slice of cherry pie on a white plate, with icing sugar dusted on top of the pie's crust
    Gerenme / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Somebody certainly had strong feelings about the cherry pie/ice cream combo at some point, as a law was passed against the combination! 

    It's unclear how it came to be or whether this law is still on the books, but it's not enforced if it is, so you can enjoy your criminally delicious dessert without a night in a cell! (Source: USA Today)

    8. California: it's against the law to eat an orange while taking a bath

    An image of two rows of orange trees with round, bright oranges hanging from the branches
    Vladyslav Havrylov / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    I'd love to know if there's a list of foods considered to be acceptable bathing snacks, but apparently eating an orange in the tub was outlawed as it was thought that the citric acid could react with the natural oils in the bath and cause an explosion.

    We've learned a lot since the law was passed, but technically, it still exists today!

    (...but really, how are they gonna enforce this one??) (Source: Into Study)

    9. Alabama: it's illegal to drive while blindfolded

    An image of a vintage painting of a woman with a blindfold over her eyes
    Ilbusca / Getty Images

    Now, I couldn't find any information as to exactly why this law came to pass, but I'd say it's a pretty solid one when it comes to limiting dangerous actions on the road! (Source: Good Housekeeping)

    10. Arkansas: it's illegal to sound your horn at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9 p.m.

    An image of a man's hand honking a horn on a car steering wheel
    Zorica Nastasic / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    This oddly specific law has shaky origins online but seems to be to prevent overexcited drive-thru patrons from disturbing the peace as they wait for their late-night snacks. (Source: Fox News)

    11. Delaware: it's against the law for a pawnbroker to accept an artificial limb or wheelchair as payment

    An image of a pawn shop with a green and yellow shop front with many signs, with things like "We do buy back" and "cash for gold!" written on them
    Yackers1 / Getty Images

    Breaking this law will land you a hefty $10,000 fine! 

    Originally, the law also included an exclusion on allowing workmen's tools as payment, too, but the latter has been dropped, leaving just the law around prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.

    So when you say you'd give an arm and a leg for something, try your luck outside of Delaware!

    (Source: Delaware Code Online)

    12. Georgia: it's illegal to consume fried chicken by any other means than with your hands

    An image of a person's hand dipped a piece of fried chicken into a small blue bowl of barbeque sauce.
    Gmvozd / Getty Images

    While the law was part of a publicity stunt designed to establish Georgia as the "poultry capital of the world," it is nonetheless an actual law! 

    This means it's technically illegal to eat fried chicken with anything other than your hands in Gainesville, Georgia. The actual enforcement of this law is done in a strictly comedic fashion, with the most recent arrest being in 2009. A 91-year-old woman named Ginny Dietrek was "arrested," with her citation requiring her to stay at the table until she'd eaten all of the chicken with her hands, “down to and including the licking of the fingers upon the ingestion of the last available morsel.”

    Ginny was crowned the Honorary Georgia Poultry Princess, and sits in good company, with Colonel Sanders of KFC also joining the list of chicken-eating rebels! (Source: Andrea Coleman)

    13. Louisiana: it's illegal for a woman to drive a car without her husband waving a flag in front of it beforehand

    An image of a woman in an old fashioned car, leaning back with her arm on the back of the chair
    The Good Brigade / Getty Images

    This law also applies in Virginia, but only specifically in relation to driving up Main Street, when the husband is supposed to walk in front waving a red flag. (Sources: My Improv and My Auto Loan)

    14. Maine: it's illegal to bite your landlord

    An image of a white cat with ginger ears trying to bite a person's hand
    Rai / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Yep, you either get lucky with your landlord or you land a really bad catch. But no matter how much they make you grind your teeth, it's illegal to bite your landlord in Rumford, Maine. (Source: WJBQ)

    15. Kansas: it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits

    An image of a target board propped against a tree, with throwing knives in front of it
    Yul38885 Yul38885 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    My research online has not led me to a consensus on whether it's legal to throw knives at women in striped suits, or men in other varieties of patterned suits, so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say just don't throw knives at anyone. Sage advice, am I right? (Source: Expat & Offshore)

    16. Georgia: it's illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp

    An image of two giraffes at the edge of water, looking at their reflections
    Wirestock / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    This law is specific to Atlanta, Georgia and I just...I have questions. Was it common for people to have pet giraffes in Atlanta? Did they tie them to telephone poles while they went into stores? Was there SO many giraffes that the lawmakers said "Right, we've gotta put something in place to stop all these giraffes littering the sidewalk"?

    I just need to know. (Source: Only in Your State)

    17. New York: it's illegal to shine shoes after 1 p.m. on a Sunday

    An image of a tub of shoe polish next to two shoes, one dirty and one clean
    Jj Gouin / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    That is, unless you're a "person engaged in or employed by the management of bona fide hotels". (Source: WYRK)

    18. Ohio: it's against the law for stores to sell cornflakes on Sundays

    A close up shot of some cornflakes
    Adela Stefan / Getty Images/500px

    The law on Cap'n Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Cheerios is unclear, but Columbus, Ohio draws the line at cornflake sales on a Sunday. (Source: Only In Your State) 

    I can't seem to find exactly why, but I'm guessing it might be tied to "blue laws", which prohibited certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays. Why just cornflakes though? It's gonna keep me awake at night.

    19. Minnesota: it's illegal to eat hamburgers on a Sunday

    An image of an older man wearing glasses, holding a burger in front of him
    Coldsnowstorm / Getty Images

    I'm guessing this might be for similar reasons as the above, but either way, you can't chomp down on a Whopper on a Sunday in St. Cloud. (Source: Taste of Home)

    20. Florida: it's illegal to eat cottage cheese on a Sunday

    An image of some cottage cheese with honey drizzle and pecans on a blue plate
    Jackf / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    I'm kinda scared to do anything on Sundays at this point. This Tampa-specific law prohibits the consumption of cottage cheese after 6 p.m. on Sundays. (Source: Mallard Perez)

    21. Michigan: it's illegal to tie a crocodile or alligator to a fire hydrant

    An image of an alligator's head popping above water, resting on a log
    Aimee Chenal / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Well darn, that's ruined my weekend plans.

    (Source: Detroit Bail Bonds)

    22. New Jersey: it's illegal to slurp your soup in public

    An image of a woman with her hand to her mouth in shock. Her other hand holds a spoon with soup on it, above a blue bowl holding the rest of the soup
    Nicoletaionescu / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Now, if you're anything like me, the sound of other people eating is not your fave at the best of times, but would I outlaw it? y̶e̶s̶  Probably not! However, in the state of New Jersey, noisily consuming your soup in public is technically against the law. (Source: Mashed.com)

    Imagine that convo in your jail cell?!

    "What are you in for?"

    "Slurping my soup super loudly. These walls can't hold me."

    23. New Jersey: it's illegal to purchase ice cream after 6 p.m.

    An image of two friends enjoying brightly coloured whipped ice creams
    Diamond Dogs / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    But never fear, my friends! If you have a doctor's note, you can still grab that Ben & Jerry's, so don't you worry. (Source: NJ 1015)

    24. Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia: it's against the law to walk down the street with an ice cream cone in your back pocket

    An image of a single ice cream cone without the ice cream, in a cone stand against a mint green background. There are shells and a sprinkling of sand on the ground in front of the cone.
    Andjela Milosevic / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Apparently, this stems back to when horses were the most common means of transport. Horse thieves could lure a steed away with the promise of a waffle cone, and technically could avoid being charged with stealing the horse thereafter because you know, the horse just mysteriously wouldn't leave them alone after that for some reason! (I, too, would follow a stranger who offered me an ice cream cone).

    So to nip the problem in the bud, lawmakers outlawed being out with an ice cream cone in your pocket!

    (Source: Taste of Home)

    25. Alaska: it's illegal to push a moose out of a moving airplane

    A head and shoulders image of a moose in the forest
    Photosbypatrik / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    I have so many questions. 1) How did this end up coming into law? Was there a sudden surge of people yeeting moose out of planes?! 2) What about if the plane isn't moving? 3) Was it common to get hit by falling moose?! I need to speak to somebody about this.

    (Source: The Alaska Frontier)

    26. Florida: it's illegal to fart in public after 6 p.m.

    An image of a woman with short black hair in a bob, pointing at the camera with her nose held in her other hand as though she's smelled something bad
    Sino Images Studio / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Before 6 p.m. seems fine though, legally speaking! (Source: CBC)

    What's the weirdest law you've ever heard? Let me know in the comments!