Laws All Cross-Country Travelers Need To Know About

Have you ever wondered what kind of silly things are technically illegal in your state? For instance, did you know that it's illegal in Arizona for your donkey to sleep in your bathtub? Did you know that women can't drive in California while wearing a housecoat? If not, you're not alone. Neither do most travelers who accidentally run aground of the law.

I found a few sites that give the strangest (and sometimes dumbest) laws in each of the 50 states. A lot of these laws are products of a by-gone era and aren't enforced anymore, but no one thought to take them 'off the books'. Some of them aren't 'on the books' at all anymore, but who knows when some bored congressman might push to have them reinstated? For your protection, I thought I'd give you a 'heads up' in case you 'accidentally' break one of these laws when you're taking your summer trip. :)

What's really sad is that the state wouldn't have had to outlaw some of the dumber, crazier things if someone hadn't tried it. For instance, would anyone really try to sell their eye???? Anyway, on to the weird and silly laws.

Alabama-

You can't flick boogers into the wind.

It's illegal to drive a car while blindfolded.

In case of a divorce, a woman is entitled to keep any property she had before she got married. However, there is no such law for men. (a victory for us? :p)

Alaska-

It's illegal to look at a moose out of the window of a plane.

In Fairbanks, you can't serve alcohol to a moose.

If someone owes you money, you can't keep a corpse as collateral.

Arizona-

It's illegal to buy a human egg so you can clone yourself.

You can't rope, cast or throw someone else's cow without their permission.

It's illegal to hunt camels.

Arkansas-

You can be arrested for pronouncing this state's name incorrectly. It's 'AR-kin-saw', not 'AR-can-ziss'.

Flying an airplane while intoxicated is a crime.

California-

It is illegal to herd more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at any one time.

You can't hunt with a crossbow while intoxicated.

Colorado-

You can't fire a catapult at a building in Aspen.

In Boulder, it's illegal to let your llama graze on city property.

Any pet cat that runs loose must be wearing a tail-light.

Connecticut-

A pickle is not technically a pickle unless it bounces.

In Atwoodville, it's illegal for people to play Scrabble while waiting for a politician to speak.

It's illegal in Hartford to walk across the street on your hands.

Delaware-

Tongue-splitting procedures can only be done by licensed medical professionals.

It's illegal to sell dead people for money without a license.

Florida-

Men can't wear a strapless gown in public.

In Pensacola, any woman who dies after using electric beauty products (hair dryers, etc) in a tub is subject to a fine.

Chickens are considered a 'protected species' in Key West.

Georgia-

You can't sell your kids off to the circus.

State Assembly members cannot be issued speeding tickets while the assembly is in session.

You can't tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp. 

For more laws, proceed to II. You need to know this stuff. :) 

Laws All Cross-Country Travelers Should Know About, Part 2

Continued from Part 1

Hawaii-

Don't feed sharks.

Don't build your atomic bomb in Maui County unless you want to pay a fine.

Idaho-

It's illegal to place bets on the outcome of an election.

Don't hunt from a helicopter.

Any box of candy a man gives his sweetheart must weigh at least fifty pounds.

Illinois-

It's against the law to clone a person.

It's illegal to eat in a place that is on fire in Chicago.

In Zion, you're not allowed to give your pet a lighted cigar.

Indiana-

Check forgery is punished by being publicly flogged with up to 100 stripes.

It's considered a criminal offense to own a weapon of mass destruction.

In South Bend, you can't make your pet monkey smoke a cigarette.

Iowa-

Surfing while drunk is prohibited.

A pianist with one arm is not allowed to charge for his services.

In Marshalltown, horses aren't allowed to eat fire hydrants.

Kansas-

You can't drive a buffalo through a street.

Harassing someone by repeatedly sending faxes is illegal.

It's illegal to hunt whales.

Kentucky-

Everyone must take a bath at least once a year.

You can't shoot off a policeman's tie in Frankfurt.

Louisiana-

The 'pizza gag'-having a bunch of pizzas ordered to someone's house as a joke-carries a $500 fine.

It's illegal for a person to throw spears while marching in the Mardi Gras parade.

You can't steal your neighbor's alligator.

You're not allowed to urinate in the city's water supply.

Maine-

You can't keep your Christmas lights up after January 14.

You can't step out of a plane while it is in flight.

All cars sold on Sunday must be equipped with plumbing.

Maryland-

It's illegal to throw a bale of hay from a second-story window in Baltimore.

It's also illegal to take a lion to the movies.

Massachusetts-

A gorilla can't sit in the backseat of your car.

Men have to carry a rifle to church on Sundays.

Michigan-

In Detroit, a couple can make love in their car provided the car is parked on their own property.

Women aren't allowed to lift their skirts more than 6 inches when they walk through a puddle.

You can't get drunk on a train.

Minnesota-

It is illegal to cross into Wisconsin while wearing a chicken on your head.

You can't sleep naked.

Mississippi-

Drug stores can't sell poison to kids.

You can't use that weapon of mass destruction you have in the trunk of your car.

If you walk your dog in Temperance, he must be wearing a diaper.

Missouri-

In Kansas City, children are not allowed to buy toy cap guns. However, they can buy real shotguns.

You can't sit on the curb and drink beer from a bucket in St. Louis.

It's illegal to serve alcohol to an elephant.

Montana-

Rockets and bombs aren't allowed at Billings city council meetings.

It's illegal in Whitehall to operate a vehicle with ice picks on the wheels.

Unmarried women can't go fishing alone. Married women can go on any day other than Sunday.

Nebraska-

Drunk people can't fly planes.

In Ogalalla, any hotel that rents individual rooms every ten hours or more has to register as an 'adult' hotel.

You can't burp or sneeze in church.

Nevada-

In the 'olden days', any man who beat his wife was tied to a stake for 8 hours with a sign saying, 'Wife Beater”.

You can't drive your camel on the highway.

New Hampshire-

You can't get drunk and have a picnic in a cemetery in Claremont.

It's illegal to try to get high by sniffing bus fumes.

You're not allowed to sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt.

Laws All Cross-Country Travelers Should Know About, Part 3

Continued from Part 2

New Jersey-

You can't wear a bulletproof vest while committing a murder.

You can't have a personalized license plate if you've ever been convicted of drunk driving.

It's illegal to offer alcohol and cigarettes to the animals when you visit the zoo in Manville.

New Mexico-

Stupid people can't vote. They've got the right idea.

It's illegal for a woman to go out in public without shaving.

New York-

It's illegal for citizens to greet each other by putting their thumbs to their nose and wiggling their fingers.

Blind people can't drive.

North Carolina-

You're not allowed to drive on the sidewalk or through a cemetery for fun when visiting Dunn.

Elephants are not to be used to plow fields.

North Dakota-

Your son can't make his little brother into his personal slave, because slavery is illegal.

It's illegal to have an elk in a backyard sandbox.

Ohio-

You can't get a fish drunk.

You can't ride of the roof of a taxi cab.

Oklahoma-

You can't walk backwards through Oklahoma City while eating a hamburger.

You can't buy or sell children.

Oregon-

You can't strap your children to the hood, fender or roof of a car.

You can't use canned corn as fishing bait. Sorry.

Pennsylvania-

It's illegal to buy, sell or trade an infant.

You can't hunt in a cemetery.

Rhode Island-

A person can get up to 20 years in jail for intentionally biting off a limb from another person.

You can't throw pickle juice while on a trolley.

South Carolina-

No one is allowed to have a walking catfish.

Your horse can't be kept in a bathtub.

South Dakota-

In Fountain Inn, horses must be wearing pants at all times.

Tennessee-

It's illegal to drive a car while asleep.

In Nashville, you're not allowed to have a cheetah for a pet.

Texas-

In Corpus Christi, you can't raise alligators in your home.

It's illegal to let your camel run the streets in Galveston.

Any 16-year-old girl who is divorced is not allowed to talk about sex during high-school extracurricular activities.

Utah-

It's illegal to walk down the street carrying a violin in a paper bag in Salt Lake City.

It's illegal to have sex in the back of an ambulance responding to an emergency call.

Vermont-

It's illegal to whistle underwater.

Virginia-

It's illegal to wash your mule on the sidewalk in Culpepper.

It is illegal to have sex in any position other than the 'missionary'. The lights can't be on either.

Washington-

It's illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is longer than 6 feet.

No one is allowed to paint polka dots on the American flag.

You can't ride an ugly horse in Wilbur.

West Virginia-

It's illegal in Alderson to walk a tiger, leopard or lion, even if it's on a leash.

It's illegal for chickens to lay eggs between 8pm and 4 am.

Wisconsin-

It's illegal to make nuclear weapons in Sun Prairie's city limits.

Wyoming-

You're not allowed to throw missiles at animals in a park. 

Stay safe-and legal!