A good amount of people out there believe that all of the laws of the land are the best of the best. However, that is not always the case. After all, law makers are people just like everyone else, and they are prone to making mistakes just the same. That is why, when people look closely at state laws, they can find some odd things.
California, for instance, has its fair share of laws that would make a person scratch their head. For some of those weird laws, the oddity comes from the age. The laws were created a long time ago in a different time period. What made sense then, doesn’t make much sense now. However, there are some laws that don’t make any sense no matter how they are viewed. What’s more, is that California isn’t the only state in the union to have its fair share of strange laws.
California’s Odd Laws
Creating laws to create peace and order isn’t always simple. Often times, a large group of people need to agree on something, which everyone knows is a difficult task to accomplish. When it comes to making laws, many lawmakers apply their own beliefs and ideals, which can cause conflict.
However, sometimes these conflicts lead to new laws being introduced, and they don’t always make sense.
Take for instance these laws from the sunny state of California:
• Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
• Woman may not drive in a housecoat.
• No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 mph.
• Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a pool in Baldwin Park.
• It is illegal to wear cowboy boots in Blythe unless the person already owns 2 or more cows.
• Women may not wear high heels in the city of Carmel.
• Driving a herd of cattle down the street is illegal in Chico.
• Planting a garden in any public street is also illegal in Chico.
• Detonating a nuclear device in Chico will earn a person a $500 fine.
• Men with mustaches are forbidden from kissing women in Eureka.
• Annoying a lizard is against the law in Fresno.
• Cars may not be driven in reverse in Glendale.
• In Hollywood, it is illegal to drive more than 2,000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time.
• Cursing on a mini-golf course is illegal in Long Beach.
• It is illegal to molest butterflies in Pacific Grove.
• It is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss in Pasadena.
• Motor vehicles may not be driven in city streets in Redlands unless a man with a lantern is walking ahead of it.
• In San Diego, homeowners with Christmas lights on the house past February may be fined $250.
• People classified as ugly are prohibited from walking down San Francisco streets.
• Giving or receiving oral sex is prohibited in San Francisco.
This is just a small handful of the many strange laws that the state of California has to offer. For some, it is easy to see that the law was created during a different time, and it no longer applies in this modern age. For others, the law is just incredibly strange. A select few raise the question of how would this even be enforced?
Luckily, Californians shouldn’t feel too bad. This state isn’t the only one to have weird laws out there.
What Other States Have to Offer
Strange and weird laws can be found in states all over the country. Some of the odd ones include:
• Most states have at least one law regarding what a couple can do in the privacy of their bedroom. For instance, it is a felony to own more than six dildos in Texas.
• Some states prohibited people from getting tattoos. For instance, up until 2006, it was illegal to get a tattoo in Oklahoma.
• Multiple states have laws against carrying ice cream cones in back pockets, for some reason.
• At least two states have laws about crossing the state border while carrying a bird, duck or chicken, on a person’s head.
Many of these odd laws are definitely from different time periods and are so odd that instead of being removed, are simply forgotten. After all, some of them can’t really be enforced.
No Worries of Getting Arrested
Luckily, with most of these strange laws, none of them are truly enforced, if they ever come up. this means that people don’t really have to worry about getting arrested for driving their car in reverse, or having a bit of fun in the bedroom with their significant other. Nowadays, most of these laws only serve the purpose of providing a good laugh for anyone looking into them.