Top 10 Weirdest Laws that Somehow got Approved in America

There are a number of ridiculous laws in the United States of America that are still in effect today.  Some of them may have made sense years ago, but they are simply unbelievable today.  Below are ten (10) of the weirdest laws you may not know about.

10. You may not Pump Your Own Gas in New Jersey

Image: http://www.nj.com

The Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act was passed in 1949.  New Jersey originally passed this law over safety concerns.  The state legislators were concerned that citizens were not safely pumping gas into their cars, and thus deemed it safer to have specialist do it for them.  This law lives on in the state, while others states removed it.

9. Florida Banned Smartphones and Computers in Internet Cafes

Image: http://www.amazon.com

In 2013, the Governor of Florida signed a bill to ban slot machines in internet cafes; however, the wording of the bill is so vague that the state in effect banned any slot machine or device that could operate a gambling application from the cafes which, in effect banned all smartphones or computers from the cafes. Which kinda defeats the purpose.

8. You May Not Play a Game of Dominoes on Sunday’s in Alabama

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/

Alabama has a law stating that it is illegal to allow children to race, hunt or play card games, including dominoes (which is specifically called out in the bill) on Sundays.  The bill was passed by legislation in order to keep families together on a Sunday enjoying family time.  A person may be fined $10.00 – $100.00 with possible imprisonment if found guilty of such charge!

7. It is Illegal for Bar Owners to Sell Beer Unless They are Simultaneously Brewing a Kettle of Soup in Nebraska

Image: http://www.sheknows.com/

The basis behind this law was to ensure that bars were serving food as alcohol.  Just the same, this is pretty obscure and funny!  Why soup?  Pretzels would be much easier!!

6. New York has a Penalty for Jumping off a Building – Death

Image: www.shutterstock.com

You read that right, this is a law in New York.  The law was written to protect the many pedestrians on the sidewalks.  It is simply too crowded to jump off buildings; therefore, if you decide to jump off a building you are punishable to the fullest extent.  This could be death, not just a fine or jail time. Not minding the fact that jumping of a building off a building would have probably killed you before the death penalty could.

5. In Fayetteville, Arkansas Dogs may not Bark After 6:00 p.m

Image: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/

This is interesting because the law is written to address excessive noise ordinances.  The law does not state when or where a dog may bark, just that it cannot bark after the specified time frame.  The law also specifies that the dog must be aware of the ordinance, so I hope all of you in Fayetteville had this conversation with your dog!  Odd, just odd! And good luck enforcing that!

4. Cars are the Only Items Allowed in a Garage in Long Beach, California

Image: http://www.blog.frogley.name/

If you live in Long Beach, California I hope you have a shed in the backyard or you have a large basement, because you will not be using your garage for storage like most of us do.  It is illegal to store anything but a car in your garage in Long Beach.  I wonder if bikes are allowed?

3. In Pennsylvania a Person is not Eligible to Become Governor if He/She Has Participated in a Duel

Image: http://mrriar.deviantart.com/

Interesting law choice by Pennsylvania.  First of all, I don’t think many Governors’ participate in duels these days.  However, if a candidate had been in a duel, wouldn’t that make him or her courageous??  I think most of us would turn and run!  It’s just a thought!

2. The Entire Encyclopedia Britannica is Banned in Texas Because it Contains a Formula for Making Beer at Home

Image: http://collegeofcuriosity.com/

We can probably do away with this law now.  There are millions of home brewers that no longer need the Encyclopedia Britannica, they just need a laptop and google.  Home brewing is one of the most common hobbies these days!

1. In Wisconsin, Butter Substitutes are not Allowed to be Served in State Prisons

Image: http://mentalfloss.com/

This is about a decade old law that actually includes schools, restaurants and prisons.  The law prohibits those institutions from replacing real butter with a substitute.  Although the law is not enforced at all times, most politicians believe we all have the right to choose what we want.  So, even inmates get real butter in Wisconsin!