Explore our verified collection of weird laws from around the world
A federal law (18 U.S.C. § 700) makes it illegal to burn, mutilate, or desecrate the American flag — but two landmark Supreme Court rulings have rendered it nearly unenforceable as political protest, finding that such acts are protected symbolic speech under the First Amendment.
Generations of Texans have grown up believing it is illegal to pick the state flower, the bluebonnet — but no such law exists. The Texas State Law Library, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Snopes have all confirmed this is a persistent folk myth.
Despite widespread belief, card counting is not illegal under any federal or state law in the United States. Casinos can — and do — ban counters from their private premises, but no law criminalizes the mental skill itself.
It is illegal in New York State to declaw a cat for cosmetic or convenience reasons. The state became the first in the U.S. to enact such a ban when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation on July 22, 2019.
There is no federal law making dumpster diving illegal in the United States. The 1988 Supreme Court ruling in California v. Greenwood actually established that discarded trash in public spaces has no privacy protection — but local ordinances in certain cities and counties can and do restrict the practice.
It is a federal crime to intentionally destroy U.S. currency under 18 U.S.C. § 333, which prohibits mutilating or defacing banknotes with the intent to render them unfit for reissue. However, the popular claim omits the crucial legal element of intent — accidental destruction is not a crime.
Despite being one of the most widely believed driving myths in America, it is perfectly legal to drive barefoot in all 50 U.S. states. No federal statute, state traffic code, or DMV regulation bans shoeless driving of a passenger vehicle.
The claim that collecting or storing rainwater is illegal in Australia is completely false. In reality, rainwater harvesting is legal across all Australian states and territories, actively encouraged by federal and state governments, and even mandatory for new homes in South Australia.
Colorado's notorious Prior Appropriation doctrine once made almost all rainwater collection illegal without a water rights permit. Since 2016, most residents can collect up to 110 gallons in two rain barrels — no permit required — but large-scale collection without authorization remains prohibited.
Despite widespread belief, there is no federal or blanket state law banning rainwater collection in the United States. While all 50 states permit it, a handful — most notably Colorado and Utah — do impose strict volume limits and other conditions rooted in century-old water rights doctrines.
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, it is illegal to feed, attempt to feed, or harass wild dolphins and other marine mammals in U.S. waters. However, the popular claim that merely 'talking to' or passively observing dolphins is illegal overstates the law.
Thailand's Identity Card Act B.E. 2526 (1983) legally requires Thai nationals aged 7–70 to possess and carry their national ID card, and failure to produce it upon official request is punishable — but only by a modest fine of up to ฿200, not arrest.
