BBC's ridiculous laws!

[Brian Ellis]

The UK's top 10 most ridiculous British laws were listed as:

# 1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27%)

# 2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down (7%)

# 3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (6%)

# 4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned(5%)

# 5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter (4%)

# 6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (4%)

# 7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen (3.5%)

# 8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (3%)

# 9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour

# 10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (2%)

False teeth

The top 10 bizarre foreign laws as voted by those polled:

# 1. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk (9%)

# 2. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation (8%)

# 3. A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror (7%)

# 4. In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm (6%)

# 5. It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama (6%)

# 6. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed (6%)

# 7. Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth (6%)

# 8. In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits (5%)

# 9. There is no age of consent in Japan (5%)

# 10. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon (4%)

[MultimediaMan]

In Oregon, it is legal for a woman to drive a car as long as she drives it no faster than 5MPH, and has a man waving a red flag preceding the vehicle. (Since Repealed)

In California, it is illegal to sell Apple Pie A-La-Mode without a wedge or a slice of cheese included with the Apple Pie and Ice Cream.

In California, it is legal to walk down the street with a double headed axe, but illegal to carry just an axehandle (Riot Weapon).

In California, the use of lawn darts in a game is a felony.

In Arkansas it is legal to beat your wife once a month. (Since Repealed)

In Arizona, it is legal to carry a firearm openly. It is illegal to carry a toy firearm in public.

[KRSESQ]

# 9. There is no age of consent in Japan

No wonder all those boom anime babes look so young.

Kevin

[VJ]

In Belgium, it is actually not illegal to escape from prison. This still has repercussions when a jailbreak happens, as the criminals cannot get an additional punishment for the jailbreak. However, all other laws, e.g. regarding hostage taking, weapon legislation, etc. do apply (so they can be convicted for such actions during the jailbreak).

Slightly related, in court, a person charged of a crime is never requiered to tell the truth (cannot take an oath, can consequently not be convicted for purgory).

There are bound to be some ancient laws, but I think they have been filtered a while ago.


Jorg

[Strahd]

All I can say is I'm glad I wasn't living in Indonesia during my teen years...




...OK, and also in my 30s.

[Dr Mordrid]

Michigan's contributions;

* Cars or car parts may not be sold on Sunday.

* A Michigan law states that a wife's hair legally belongs to her husband.

* A woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's permission.

* Adultery is illegal, but can only be punished upon a complaint by the affected husband or wife.

* In Michigan, married couples must live together or be imprisoned.

* In Michigan, it is against the law for a lady to lift her skirt more than 6 inches while walking through a mud puddle.

* In Michigan, it is illegal to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant.

* In Michigan, a woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's permission.

* It's illegal in Michigan for a person under the age of 21 to give a gift of alcohol beverage to anyone, even to a person of legal age.

* 436.201 Drunkenness on train prohibited.
Sec. 1. - No person shall while in an offensive state of intoxication enter or be on or remain upon any railway train or interurban car as a passenger. History: 1913, Act 68, Eff. Aug. 14, 1913 ;--CL 1915, 8443 ;--CL 1929, 11590 ;--CL 1948, 436.201 .

* 750.532 Seduction; punishment.
Sec. 532. - Any man who shall seduce and debauch any unmarried woman shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not more than 5 years or by fine of not more than 2,500 dollars; but no prosecution shall be commenced under this section after 1 year from the time of committing the offense. History: 1931, Act 328, Eff. Sept. 18, 1931 ;--CL 1948, 750.532 .

* 433.301 Starlings and crows; bounty for killing; resolution of board of supervisors.
Sec. 1. - Every person being an inhabitant of this state, who shall kill a starling or a crow in any organized township, village or city in this state shall be entitled to receive a bounty of 3 cents for each starling thus killed, and 10 cents for each crow thus killed, to be allowed and paid in the manner hereinafter provided: Provided, That this law shall not be obligatory on any county unless the board of supervisors at the October session shall adopt a resolution to that effect, either as to starlings or as to crows or both, and then only to the amount appropriated for such purpose by said board, and shall not be effective in any city or village located in any such county in case the governing body thereof shall adopt a resolution to that effect. History: 1941, Act 152, Eff. Jan. 10, 1942 ;--CL 1948, 433.301.

* It is legal for a robber to file a law suit, if he or she got hurt in your house. (REPEALED by the Castle Doctrine laws, thank God)

* You may not swear in front of women and children.

* Under state law, dentists are officially classified as mechanics.

* Any person over the age of 12 may have a license for a handgun as long as he/she has not been convicted of a felony. (REPEALED long ago; now the age is 21)

* In Detroit, couples are banned from making love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple's own property.

* In Sturgis, Roosters may crow, only if it is done at least 300 feet from the airport.

* In Clawson, there is a law that makes it LEGAL for a farmer to sleep with his animals.

* In Harper Woods, it is illegal to paint sparrows to sell them as parakeets.

* In Kalamazoo, it is against the law to serenade your girlfriend.

* In Rochester, all bathing suits must have been inspected by the head of police.

* In Soo, smoking while in bed is illegal.

* In Wayland, anyone can keep their cow on Main Street downtown at a cost of 3 cents per day.

* In Detroit, it is illegal to ogle a woman from a moving car.

* In Port Huron, the speed limit for ambulances is 20 mph.

* It is illegal to loiter in the city morgue in Detroit.

* The use of the names of dead presidents to sell alcohol in Michigan is prohibited.

* Under an 1889 law, the health officer of East Jordan, Mich., could send any nonresident with an infectious disease back to where he came from, as long as the person could travel. If not, the officer could rent a house for use as a pest house.

[Elie]

hehe, some of these laws are just so funny, as they applied to the early 1900's and have no relations to today's society.

However I truly believe that all laws should be rewritten.

[ND66]

There is more....

Strange Sex Laws

No man is allowed to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, onions, or sardines on his breath in Alexandria, Minnesota. If his wife so requests, law mandates that he must brush his teeth.

Warn your hubby that after lovemaking in Ames, Iowa, he isn't allowed to take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with you-or holding you in his arms.

Bozeman, Montana, has a law that bans all sexual activity between members of the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown-if they're nude.

During lunch breaks in Carlsbad, New Mexico no couple should engage in a sexual act while parked in their vehicle, unless their car has curtains.

In Cleveland, Ohio women are not allowed to wear patent-leather shoes.
Clinton, Oklahoma has a law against masturbating while watching two people having sex in a car.

It's safe to make love while parked in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Police officers aren't allowed to walk up and knock on the window. Any suspicious officer who thinks that sex is taking place must drive up from behind, honk his horn three times and wait approximately two minutes before getting out of his car to investigate.

In Connorsville, Wisconsin no man shall shoot off a gun while his female partner is having a sexual orgasm.

In Detroit, couples are not allowed to make love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple's own property.

A law in Fairbanks, Alaska does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.
In Florida it is illegal for single, divorced, or widowed women to parachute on Sunday afternoons.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.
The owner of every hotel in Hastings, Nebraska, is required to provide each guest with a clean and pressed nightshirt. No couple, even if they are married, may sleep together in the nude. Nor may they have sex unless they are wearing one of these clean, white cotton nightshirts.

Another law in Helena, Montana, mandates that a woman can't dance on a table in a saloon or bar unless she has on at least three pounds, two ounces of clothing.

A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master, not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts.

An excerpt from brilliant Kentucky state legislation. "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club". The following important ammendment however is to be considered here: "The provisions of this statuate shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to male horses."

In Kingsville, Texas there is a law against two pigs having sex on the city's airport property.

Any couple making out inside a vehicle, and accidentally sounding the horn during their lustful act, may be taken to jail according to a Liberty Corner, New Jersey law.

In Los Angeles, California, a man is legally entitled to beat his wife with a leather belt or strap, but the belt can't be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife's consent to beat her with a wider strap. Consent should be given prior to the event, as is carefully stipulated.

In Merryville, Missouri, women are prohibited from wearing corsets because "The privilege of admiring the curvaceous, nencumbered body of a young woman should not be denied to the normal, red-blooded American male."

In Michigan, a woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's permission.
In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal.

An ordinance in Newcastle, Wyoming, specifically bans couples from having sex while standing inside a store's walk-in meat freezer!

In Norfolk, Virginia, a woman can't go out without wearing a corset.

In Oblong, Illinois, it's punishable by law to make love while hunting or fishing on your wedding day.

In Oxford, Ohio, it's illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man's picture.

In hotels in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, every room is required to have twin beds. And the beds must always be a minimum of two feet apart when a couple rents a room for only one night. And it's illegal to make love on the floor between the beds!

A Tremonton, Utah law states that no woman is allowed to have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance. In addition to normal charges, the woman's name will be published in the local newspaper. The man does not receive any punishment.

Utah state legislation outlaws all sex with anyone but your spouse. Next to that adultery, oral and anal sex, and masturbation are considered sodomy and can lead to imprisonment. Sex with an animal--unless performed for profit--however is NOT considered sodomy. Polygamy--provided only the missionary position has been applied--is only a misdemeanor.

In Ventura County, California cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit.
The only acceptable sexual position in Washington D.C. is the missionary-style position. Any other sexual position is considered illegal.

In Willowdale, Oregon no man may curse while having sex with his wife.

In the state of Washington there is a law against having sex with a virgin under any circumstances.

[ND66]

...and more...

Funny Town Laws

In Memphis, Tennessee, it is 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.

It is illegal to say "Oh, Boy" in Jonesboro, Georgia.

It is against the law to fish from horseback in Utah.

Idaho state law makes it illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box
of candy weighing less than fifty pounds.

In Denver, it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next door
neighbor.

In Devon, Connecticut, it is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset.

No one may catch fish with his bare hands in Kansas.

In Pocatello, Idaho, a law passed in 1912 provided that "The carrying of
concealed weapons is forbidden, unless same are exhibited to public view."

San Francisco is said to be the only city in the nation to have ordinances
guaranteeing sunshine to the masses.

Kirkland, Illinois, law forbids bees to fly over the village or through
any of its streets.

The state law of Pennsylvania prohibits singing in the bathtub.

It's illegal in Wilbur, Washington, to ride an ugly horse.

In certain sections of Pennsylvania many years ago, the Farmer's Anti-Automobile
society set up some "rules of the road." In effect, they said:

1. "Automobiles travelling on country roads at night must send up a rocket
every mile, then wait ten minutes for the road to clear."

2. "If a driver sees a team of horses, he is to pull to one side of the road
and cover his machine with a blanket or dust cover that has been painted to
blend into the scenery."

3. "In the event that a horse refuses to pass a car on the road, the owner
must take his car apart and conceal the parts in the bushes."

In Tennessee, it is illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a
moving automobile.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is against the law to open a soda bottle without
the supervision of a licensed engineer.

In Calgary, there is a by-law that is still on the books that requires
businesses within the city to provide rails for tieing up horses.

There is/was a law on the books in Washington state that stated that a
motorcar driven at night must be preceded by something like 100 yards by
a man carrying a lantern...

In England, it is illegal to sell most goods on a Sunday, it is however
legal to sell a carrot. It is also legal to sell it at any price and to give free gifts with it, such as anything else one might want to buy on a Sunday!

In Bexley, Ohio, Ordinance number 223, of 09/09/19 prohibits the installation
and usage of slot machines in outhouses.

A Kentucky statute says: "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any
highway within this state unless she is escorted by at least two officers
or unless she be armed with a club." Later, an amendment proposed: "The
provisions of this statute shall not apply to any female weighing less
than sixty pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds; nor shall it apply to female horses."

In Las Angeles, California, It is illegal to drive more than two thousand
sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time.

In Cupertino, California, it is illegal to count backwards audibly in hexadecimal.

In Israel, there's no legal way for a man named Cohen to marry a divorced woman.

In Ottumwa, Iowa, "It is unlawful for any male person, within the corporate
limits of the (city), to wink at any female person with whom he is unacquainted."

In Los Angeles, you cannot bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time.

In Zion, Ill., it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats,
and other domesticated animals kept as pets.

In Carmel, N.Y., a man can't go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that
do not match.

In Clawson, Mich., there is a law that makes it LEGAL for a farmer to sleep
with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens.

In Gary, Ind., persons are prohibited from attending a movie house or other
theater and from riding a public streetcar within four hours of eating garlic.

In Miami, it's illegal for men to be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

In St. Louis, it's illegal to sit on the curb of any city street and drink beer
from a bucket.

In Detroit, couples are banned from making love in an automobile unless the act
takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple's own property.

In Harford, Conn., you aren't allowed to cross a street while walking on your
hands.

In Michigan, a woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's
permission.

In Baltimore, it's illegal to throw bales of hay from a second-story window
within the city limits. It's also illegal to take a lion to the movies.


In Oxford, Ohio, it's illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing
in front of a man's picture. (ed: ???)


In Nicholas County, W. Va., no member of the clergy is allowed to tell jokes or
humorous stories from the pulpit during a church service.

In California, animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a
tavern, school, or place of worship.

In Carrizozo, N.M., it's forbidden for a female to appear unshaven in public
(includes legs and face).

In Los Angeles, a man is legally entitled to beat his wife with a leather belt
or strap, but the belt can't be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife's
consent to beat her with a wider strap.

Chicago law prohibits eating in a place that is on fire.

According to Arkansas law, Section 4761, Pope's Digest: "No person shall be
permitted under any pretext whatever, to come nearer than fifty feet of any
door or window of any polling room, from the opening of the polls until the
completion of the count and the certification of the returns."

It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of
Urbana, Illinois.

Frankfort, Kentucky, makes it against the law to shoot off a policeman's tie.

The good burghers of Redwood City have outlawed the frying of gravy.

In Santa Clara, it is forbidden to dedicate parking spaces to the patron
saint of television.

Prostitutes in San Francisco are not obliged to make change for bills larger
than $50.

The city of Mountain View proscribes calling pet fish by "names of aggressive
content, e.g. 'Biter', 'Killer', 'Sugar-Ray'"

Bicycles may not be ridden without "appropriate fashion accessories" anywhere
in Santa Clara County (de facto law).

It is illegal to skateboard on walls "or other vertical surfaces" in Palo Alto.

Wearing a sweatshirt inside-out is deemed a "threatening misdemeanor" in
Half-Moon Bay.

Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to wear
tail lights.

New Hampshire law forbids you to tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way
keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe.

In 1930, the City Council of Ontario (California) passed an ordinance forbidding
roosters to crow within the city limits.

Harthahorne (Oklahoma) City Ordinance, Section 363, states that it shall be
unlawful to put any hypnotized person in a display window.

The Arkansas legislature passed a law that states that the Arkansas River can
rise no higher than to the Main Street bridge in Little Rock.

In Seattle, Washington, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is over
six feet in length.

In Greene, New York, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the
sidewalks when a concert is on.

A D.C. federal judge has ruled that begging is a form of free speech protected
by the Constitution. That means that mugging is free speech too, only more
persuasive.

From an Associated Press news wire: The state of Massachusetts is drafting
regulations prohibiting large-scale bakers to allow the odor of bread to be
released into the atmosphere because it contains ethanol, which can break
down into ozone, a component of smog. "If people have such a visceral response
to this smell, they can bake their own bread," said the engineer at
the state Department of Environmental Protection who drafted the regulation.

From an AP bulletin: The New York City Transit Authority has ruled that women
can ride the city subways topless. New York law dictates that if a man can be
somewhere without a shirt, a woman gets the same right. The decision came after
arrests of women testing the ordinance on the subways. A transit police spokesman
said they would comply with the new rule, but "if they
were violating any other rules, like sitting on a subway bench topless smoking a
cigarette, then we would take action." Smoking is not allowed in the subways.

From the National Review West: Starting January 1 1995, it is illegal in California
to possess bear gall bladders. Also, it is no longer permissible to trip horses for entertainment.

[Technoid]

T

# 9. There is no age of consent in Japan (5%)

The age of consent in Japan is 13.

[FatBastard]

A table of world wide age of consent


Apparently Canada discriminates against homosexuals:
Guys have to wait till they're 18. girls an get it on @ 12/14.

[Brian Ellis]

Did you know that Berwick-on-Tweed in England was legally at war with Russia until 1966, according to legend?

Because Berwick is on the Scottish-English border, it has changed hands between the two countries so often that there was never any certainty as to whom it belonged. After the Union in 1603, all legal proclamations affecting both countries had to state, "England, Scotland and Berwick-on-Tweed". The Declaration of the Crimean War in 1850-something was said to have had this preamble, but the Declaration of Peace (Paris Treaty) missed out the mention of Berwick.

In reality, this was probably apocryphal because an 18th c. law was passed specifically stating that Berwick was de facto included in any legal document addressed to both countries, so it is unlikely that it was specifically mentioned and, in any case, would be included in the Paris Treaty, so the state of war could not exist after the latter was signed.

Nevertheless, a formal peace treaty was signed between the USSR and Berwick in 1966!

[ZokesPro]

No wonder all those boom anime babes look so young.

Kevin

Japanese girls between 16 and 35 look really young, at least to me.