Most inconvenient law in your state

Meag's experience with a screwy MA law got me thinking: what is the most inconvenient/inexplicable law in your state?


In CO you can't buy fresh-pressed apple cider (which in autumn goes against everything holy to this Michigan native). Evidently as its not pasteurized its not safe for consumption. So I content myself with driving 2.5 hours to an orchard, watching fresh cider be pressed and taking a sample cup sized taste. Every year. I love cider that much.

 

in PA we have what are called "blue laws" - you can't buy a car on a Sunday and until the last 5 years you could not purchase beer or wine (unless you were sitting down in a restaurant) on Sunday. In order to have a Sunday liquor license 40% or more of your sales have to come from food...

 

Well in Mass I can have a small kitchen in my home and bake baked goods...but then apparently it's up to each individual town/city if its allowed. And I live in the wonderful town that doesn't allow it.

I now officially hate my town. DH says to wait two years. Who the heck wants to wait? What if I don't want to then?!? I'm just pissed now.

And yes we had the blue laws as well. Just this past November we were allowed to sell liquor in convenience stores/gas stations.

 

Well, it's illegal to sell your child in Florida. The rest of the dumb laws (i.e. no sex with porcupines, men cannot kiss their wives boobies, unmarried women cannot parachute on Sundays) I'm sure are probably enforced regularly, it *is* Florida afterall.

As for the state I'm in now, Virginia? Children cannot go Trick or Treating on Halloween, and Radar detectors are illegal.

 

Wow, I live in SC and I had no idea about weird laws here - other than the no alcohol on Sunday. So I Googled it- and I saw 2 different websites so I verified these are all for real, no made up stuff... and it's priceless - I will copy-paste some of them - the most inconvenient one must be:

" It is illegal to give or receive oral sex in South Carolina." :girl_devil: :wub:

Then in random order:

It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.
It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.
Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.

OK, I will stop now, but there are more weird ones .

 

My hubby threatens to take me to the courthouse on Sunday all the time! lol
One of our Blue laws made it illegal to buy anything other than food on Sundays until after lunch. If you ran out of diapers too bad. You either went to another town or hoped your baby didn't poop.

 

How about no hunting whales in Oklahoma or giving anyone a bite of your burger...

 

I can't think of any! We've got blue laws as well, but I'm used to them. We can't shoot off most fireworks, but I've never wanted to. Hm...

Now! In Anderson, SC? I'd gone down with my mom to move my sister into her new house in Clemson and we went up the road to Anderson for dinner. They don't serve beer at Texas Roadhouse! Like, at all! Who eats steak without beer?! Not this girl.

 

What????!!!!! I never knew that!
I grew up in Williamsburg VA. We trick or treated. My folks still live there. They had 80+ trick or treaters this year.

 

Ummm...there is no driving with a gorilla in the back seat in Massachusetts.
True story!

 

Oral & anal sex are illegal in most states, it's just not enforced.

I grew up in a blue law state, no alcohol on Sundays etc. In my home state, Delaware, you still can't buy alcohol (beer, wine, or liquor) anywhere but a liquor store. No beer at Wal-Mart or Walgreens, etc. You have to make a separate stop. I grew up that way and even now I get weirded out seeing the wine aisle at Walgreens. A few years ago they did open liquor stores on Sunday though. I also seem to remember we had something where you couldn't get alcohol before 11am or Noon on a Sunday, even at a restaurant.

 

Evidently it is illegal in BC to kill a sasquatch. :huh: :laughing: I wasn't able to confirm that but it comes up on all the Google searches for weird laws in BC.


As for just inconvenient, we have bylaws against clotheslines (yep, heaven forbid you want to hang your laundry outside to dry), parking RVs in your driveway, keeping any kind of farm animals in the city (even if you just want a few chickens), kids longboarding, fireworks are completely illegal.... hmmmm, I am sure there are more.

Oh, and I grew up in a blue law state, too. And a dry county in that blue law state. Talk about inconvenient! Here, liquor is only sold in liquor stores, which are mostly closed on Sundays (you can usually find one open, but you might have to drive a long way because there are limited numbers that are open on Sunday). Beer & wine can be sold in cold beer & wine stores which are open every day. No wine, beer, or liquor is sold in grocery stores here or any other type of store that sells anything but alcohol.

 

North Carolina takes it one more step -
While having sex, you must stay in the missionary position and have the shades pulled.

Also you may want to note that:
Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.

It is also a misdemeanor for two unmarried people to co-habitate.


My personal favorite:
Horses have the right of way before cars!

 

One of my favorite bizarre laws here in MA, is 'All men must carry a rifle to church on Sunday.'.

Massachusetts liquor stores can only open on Sundays if they are in Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Middlesex or Worcester counties and are within 10 miles of the Vermont or New Hampshire borders.

How about this one? Children may smoke, but they may not purchase cigarettes.


For all of you chowda heads....Tomatoes may not be used in the production of clam chowder.

TOTALLY inconvenient for those of us that like some sweet with out drinks....Candy may not contain more than 1% of alcohol.

 

and our Puritan forefathers.......one step further.......
A woman can not be on top in sexual activities.

 

According to Google, in Ohio it's illegal for women to wear patent leather shoes in public.

It's illegal to fish for whales on Sunday. (Not sure how it's ever possible to fish for whales in Ohio.)

Illegal to get a fish drunk.

Illegal for more than five women to live in a house.

And you must always honk your horn when passing another car.

 

Just arrest me now!! :laughing:


My husband always makes sure the shades are pulled so at least we are okay on that!

 

Well darn. I guess they will have to take the front passenger seat.

I don't know if this is true.... Well I hope it is "Taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of their taxi during their shifts." Probably would be safer in the back especially if they are giving a ride to a gorilla.

In the State of Massachusetts, owning an explosive golf ball is a crime. :vava:
In Massachusetts, it’s a crime to make too much noise in a library. :lazy:
In Massachusetts, a person taking a test in the place of another can get six months in jail. :friends:
In Massachusetts, a gift certificate must be good for at least seven years. :search:
In Massachusetts, selling a stink bomb is a crime. :bad:
In Massachusetts, selling arsenic-laced candy earns a $100 fine. :unknw:
In Massachusetts, it’s illegal to ride a painted horse during a race. :BDH:
In Massachusetts, drivers cannot interrupt funeral processions by cutting into the line. :thanks:
In Fitchburg, Massachusetts, it’s a crime to use silly string or smoke bags in public. :cry:
In Nantucket, Massachusetts, the arms of a windmill can only be white or light gray. :wavey:

 

I just had a good laugh by googling this. A few odd ones for Michigan:

- The last Sunday of June shall be "log cabin day"
- Any person over the age of 12 may have a license for a handgun as long as they haven't been convicted of a felony
- It is illegal to be drunk on a train
- It is illegal to let your pigs run free in Detroit
- Cars may not be sold on Sundays

 

My middle school did electives by lottery and I got my last choice- Hunter Safety. Thanks to that class I knew this fact and watched a moose snuff film before 8a. :bad:

 

This is not a silly law...it's a sad law. In Texas....children are entitled to child support only up to the first $90,000 of a parent's income. Anything a parent makes over that is not considered for child support. So.....a father can make $30,000 a month & pay only $1800 a month child support for 2 children. No kidding...it is true.

 

I looked up laws in my state. These are a sampling of the weirder ones.

Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats.

It is illegal for restaurants to sell cherry pie a la mode on Sundays.

Pedestrians crossing the highways at night must wear tail lights.

No one may catch fish with his bare hands.

The state game rule prohibits the use of mules to hunt ducks.

If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has passed.

Screeching your tires is illegal. And if you squeal your tires on acceleration you can be fined up to $500 and/or get 30 days in jail



Some city laws in my state:
1. One may not picket a funeral (guess which state I am from)
2. All cars entering the city limits must first sound their horn to warn horses of their arrival
3. No one may sing the alphabet on the streets at night
4. No one may wear a bee in their hat.
5. It is illegal to throw a knife at any one wearing a striped shirt.
6. It is illegal to drive a herd of cattle through town
7. Snowball fights are illegal
8. The installation of bathtubs is prohibited.