Watching the local news broadcast tonight, they did a segment on outdated laws here in North Carolina and I couldn’t leave it at that! I looked them up online and found tons of old laws still on the books for every state. I spent an hour going through them all and thought I’d share a few with you.
Outdated Laws in North Carolina:
– It’s against the law to sing off key.
– Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.
– While having sex, you must stay in the missionary position and have the shades pulled.
– If a man and a woman who aren’t married go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as married then, according to state law, they are legally married.
In South Carolina:
– By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, the marriage must take place.
– No work may be done on Sunday.
– An exception to the above law is that light bulbs may be sold.
– Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.
– It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the courthouse steps on Sundays.
In Tennessee:
– You can’t shoot any game other that whales from a moving automobile.
– It is legal to gather and consume road-kill.
– 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.(In Memphis only)
In Texas:
– It is illegal to milk another person’s cow.
– The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
– Obnoxious odors may not be emitted while in an elevator.
In California:
– Women may not drive in a house coat.
– You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows.
– Driving a herd of cattle down a street is against the law.
– Detonating a nuclear device within the city limits results in a $500 fine.
In New York:
– The penalty for jumping off a building is death
– It is illegal to disrobe in a wagon.
In North Dakota:
– It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
– Beer and pretzels can’t be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
In Utah:
– It is illegal to detonate any nuclear weapon. You can have them, but you just can’t detonate them.
– It is illegal not to drink milk.
– Women may not swear.
– Throwing snowballs will result in a $50 fine.
– It is against the law to open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.
In Washington State:
– A law to reduce crime states: “It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town”.
– Men who deflower virgins, regardless of age or marital status, may face up to five years in jail.
– Women who sit on men’s laps on buses or trains without placing a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail term.
– No one may set fire to another person’s property without prior permission.
Okay…those were a few of my favorites. If I didn’t get to your state, go take a look at the outdated laws; they’re worth the laugh! I found these at: http://www.bitoffun.com/stupid_laws.htm
