Wackiest Laws In The United States
By: Edward Anderson
Tags: Humor, True Crime, Family, Relationships, Sexuality

Wackiest Laws In The United States

These are some of the weirdest laws from around the country.

Photo by Joey Csunyo on Unsplash

Some laws on the books are designed to protect citizens. Legislation outlawing murder is supposed to help keep people from killing each other. There are hunting laws to keep animals from going extinct on the books.

Then, laws on the books make legal scholars scratch their chins—legislation like West Virginia outlawing premarital sex in 1931. After 79 years, lawmakers repealed it after someone realized that it still existed.

While that one was removed, some more wacky laws are still on the books. From around the United States, here are some real laws that a person can be charged with.

Alabama

In Alabama, bear wrestling matches are illegal. Some might think this is bear on bear wrestling, that is not correct. People were wrestling bears for entertainment. State lawmakers decided to take action and passed the legislation unanimously.

This law is so strict that if an organization employs a person, they can be charged with a felony. Those who promote the fight or participate in it are looking at up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $60,000.

For those contemplating bear wrestling, be warned the law is still on the books. It appears as though no one has been charged with this crime in many years but could be.

If the desire to wrestle a bear overwhelms them and they decide to go through with the match.

Arizona

When heading to the Grand Canyon state, be careful about what you pack. It is against their law to promote more than 6 sex toys, which makes it hard for Pure Romance salespeople to make money in the state.

Some people say the law never made it past the Governor’s desk in 1987. That was separate legislation that included sex toys but lawmakers aimed at pornography. According to the Governor, the “Dildo Law,” as it was known, received a veto because it was too broad.

The law in question was put on the books long before the other one. While it doesn’t appear as though anyone has been charged with this misdemeanor, if a person is caught promoting the use of more than 6 dildos, they could face a $1,000 fine.

To the sex toy sellers out there, remember only promote five of your items. More than that will be expensive.

Delaware

Want to dance the night away in Delaware? Don’t expect there to be liquor involved. It is against state law for a business to serve booze and allow patrons to dance. So you can boogie the night away but have to do it without the aid of alcohol.

For those daring nightclub owners who want to see their patrons dance and drink, they face fines of up to $200 per day. Authorities consider every day the fees go unpaid to be another day of violations. The owner’s business license could be revoked, as well.

It seems to be an arbitrary rule. So far, it does not appear as though anyone has been publicly charged with this crime. Though it is a relatively young law, so it could be in the process of happening.

Hawaii

Hawaiian lawmakers must really hate magic. They have a law on the books that make it illegal for a person to have a coin in their ear. This has been the law for nearly 147 years.

Back when it was enacted in 1900, Hawaii just became a state. As a result of the newfound statehood, government officials ordered all Hawaiian coins to be destroyed. Many people wanted to preserve a part of the island’s history and culture so that they would put the coins in their ears.

In the Aloha state, having a coin in your ear is the same as being caught with illegal drugs. A person can face up to 10 years in prison, along with various fines. However, no one has actually been charged with this crime in decades.

Texas

This law is technically not a crime. In the Lone Star State, you can get married by proxy. If a person can’t make it to their own wedding for whatever reason, they can send someone in their stead. This has allowed many people to marry without worrying about showing up to their wedding.

When the law was put in place, the objective was to help military personnel. Lawmakers wanted to help them get married while away serving the country. However, other groups began to utilize the law for their own benefit. Prisoners being the chief demographic to latch on to the marriage by proxy laws.

On September 1, 2013, new restrictions were passed for the marriage by proxy laws. Inmates are no longer allowed to have a marriage by proxy privileges. Prisoners argued that the new restrictions were not fair because the Supreme Court ruled they were allowed to get married, but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice does not allow weddings inside jails.

States often dust off their law books to see how they can generate more money in fines. Sometimes, they will repeal some of the more inane laws for various reasons, usually because they are deemed unconstitutional. Other times it’s because the laws no longer apply to the population of the state.