“I am the Law and the Law is not mocked.” ~ Javert (Les Misérables)
The Strangest Laws from State to State (Part One) …
If you are planning to take a trip across the country, beware of the laws that differ from state to state. Some of these laws, (somehow), are still in place from hundreds of years ago, while others are slightly modernized but strange nonetheless.
Alabama
If you can successfully drive your vehicle while blindfolded, then good for you! There is a law on the books that prohibits this in Alabama, however. Also, you better double check to make sure your car has windshield wipers, because it is illegal to drive without them there. And if you happen to be in Mobile, be warned: it’s technically illegal to wear women’s pumps with sharp, high heels.
Alaska
We are not sure what prompted this one, but tying dogs to the roof of your car is not legal in Anchorage. Another Alaska oddity: it is illegal to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.
Arizona
Arizonans are required by law to protect themselves with only the same weapon the attacker possesses. So, if you are suddenly being attacked with a lamp, you better hope there is another lamp within reach to protect yourself with! In Tucson, it is also reportedly illegal for women to wear pants. And donkeys? They cannot sleep in bathtubs.
Do not honk your horn after 9:00 p.m. at a sandwich shop or cold beverage stand in Little Rock, Arkansas, no matter how hungry and angry you are. Also, be careful about flirting with the opposite sex on the streets of this town – it could result in 30 days of jail time. And in Fayetteville, killing “any living creature” is technically outlawed, which makes dealing with a house fly legally complicated.
California
If your trip includes a drive through California, be sure to leave your housecoat at home, as it is unlawful for women to drive in them. If you are not sure what a housecoat is, you are not alone. While most people have differing opinions of what constitutes a housecoat, typically housecoats differ from robes in that they button down rather than tie, and are made of a different material.
Colorado
As you drive through Boulder, Colorado, you will not see any couches sitting on front porches – it is prohibited there. Rocking chairs only.
Connecticut
Acrobats beware: In Hartford, Connecticut, there are many ways to cross the street, but on your hands cannot be one of them. If you are an on-your-hands-street-crosser, you should avoid Hartford entirely.
Delaware
Whatever you do, do not stop along a highway in Delaware to have a picnic. Wait until you reach another highway in another state – unless you want to get arrested.
Florida
The next time you are in Florida and you see an elephant tied to a meter that is not paid, you should notify an official immediately. It is forbidden to leave your elephant at an unpaid parking meter.
Georgia
Speeding is off limits everywhere in the U.S. – except in Georgia while the State Assembly is in session. The only residents allowed to speed at this time are the members of the State Assembly.
Hawaii
If you cannot abide by their “click it or ticket” law because you have more passengers than seatbelts, anyone over the age of 12 can ride in the bed of the trunk without any protection whatsoever.
Idaho
While driving through Pocatello, Idaho, be sure to have a smile on your face at all times because it is against the law to be seen in public without one.
Illinois
Be sure you do not have anything hanging from your rearview mirror while driving through Illinois. Yes, even air fresheners are prohibited. And, if you are visiting Chicago, do not leave your fishing pole on any fire escapes – it is technically illegal.
Indiana
Meanwhile, in neighboring Indiana, you are not allowed to back into a parking spot. Bathing between October and March is also outlawed by one statute, which residents thankfully ignore.
Iowa
If you want to throw bricks onto the highway in Mount Vernon, Iowa, you will unfortunately have to go through the hassle of obtaining a permission slip from the City Council before doing so.
Kansas
Before entering Lawrence, Kansas, be sure to alert the horses of your arrival, by sounding your horn.
Kentucky
Ladies, do not stop in Owensboro, Kentucky to buy a hat. It is illegal to purchase a hat there without your husband’s permission to do so.
Louisiana
Pouring a drink on the ground at the drive-in movie theater in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana will get you into some serious trouble, so we would advise using a trash can. (Look out for Part Deux soon) …
So, why did the lawyer cross the road? To get to the car accident on the other side!
Did You Know? The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving legal code in human history, written on clay tablets in Sumerian cuneiform, (which is the earliest known writing system in history), around 2100–2050 BCE. It established equity, protected vulnerable groups like orphans and widows from the rich, and set standardized weights and measures. Unlike the later Babylonian “eye for an eye” system the Code of Ur-Nammu mostly used financial fines, (paying in silver), for physical injuries rather than bodily retaliation, though capital crimes like murder and robbery still carried the death penalty.