Explore our verified collection of weird laws from around the world
It is widely claimed that Hawaii has a law making it illegal to place coins in one's ears. Despite viral circulation across hundreds of 'weird laws' websites, no such statute exists anywhere in the Hawaii Revised Statutes or any other official Hawaiian legal code.
Under Texas Penal Code § 48.02, it is a state jail felony to sell, purchase, or transfer a human eye — or any human organ — for valuable consideration. The law covers kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, pancreases, bones, skin, and eyes, but notably excludes hair and blood.
Naked hiking is NOT illegal across all of Switzerland under federal law. However, the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden banned it in 2009, imposing a CHF 200 on-the-spot fine — a ban later upheld by Switzerland's highest federal court.
Croatia does prohibit and fine sleeping in public places under its Law on Misdemeanors Against Public Order and Peace. However, the specific extra fine for snoring while asleep in public originates from a widely-reported 2016 draft amendment — and no primary legislative source confirms it was enacted as law.
The widely-shared claim that Alabama law prohibits wearing a fake mustache in church if it causes laughter has no basis in any real statute, ordinance, or regulation. Despite decades of circulation across 'weird laws' lists, no legal researcher has ever located a primary source.
Oshawa's City Trees By-law (78-2008) makes it illegal to climb, damage, or interfere with trees on City-owned public land. The widely-shared claim that climbing ANY tree in Oshawa is illegal is an exaggeration — the restriction only applies to municipally-owned trees.
Arkansas has a real, still-active law codifying the official pronunciation of its name as 'AR-kan-saw,' passed in 1881. However, the law carries absolutely no penalty and has never been enforced — making the popular claim that mispronunciation is 'illegal' a significant overstatement.
California law prohibits anyone from eating — or using for any purpose — a frog that dies during a frog-jumping contest. The dead frog must instead be destroyed as soon as possible.
Under Section 12 of the Licensing Act 1872, it is a criminal offence to be found drunk on any licensed premises in England and Wales — including pubs, bars, and beer gardens. The law is still on the statute books today, though it is rarely enforced.
The claim that peacocks are banned from crossing roads in parts of California is false. If anything, California municipalities have laws protecting peacocks — not restricting their movement.
A widely circulated claim holds that Pennsylvania has a law making it illegal to tie an onion to a dog's tail. No such statute, ordinance, or regulation exists anywhere in Pennsylvania's legal code.
Declawing cats is illegal in seven U.S. states and Washington D.C., but there is no national federal ban. The procedure remains fully legal across the majority of the country.
