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.
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.
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.
It is NOT federally illegal to collect rainwater in the United States — there is no national ban. However, some Western states, particularly Colorado and Utah, impose strict volume caps rooted in 19th-century water rights law, giving the claim a kernel of truth that gets wildly overstated online.
Israel's 1962 Pig-Raising Prohibition Law bans raising, keeping, or slaughtering pigs across the entire country — not just within city limits. The ban is national in scope but includes a carve-out for towns with large Christian populations.
Honduras prohibits civilians from wearing military or police-style clothing, including camouflage, with penalties of up to 8 years imprisonment. However, the law is primarily an anti-impersonation measure targeting criminal gangs — not a simple 'authorization required' dress code.
Zanzibar's Penal Code criminalizes 'gross indecency' and 'unnatural offences,' making same-sex public displays of affection — including kissing — arrestable offences. However, the popular claim that all kissing in public is illegal oversimplifies the law, which specifically targets same-sex conduct rather than heterosexual kissing.
The claim that 'Georgia' bans alcohol sales within 100 meters of schools and public transportation stations is a mix-up: the U.S. state of Georgia has a genuine law prohibiting alcohol sales near schools (measured in yards, not meters), but the country of Georgia has no verified equivalent national statute — and neither law covers public transportation stations.
