50 verified laws from United States, each checked against the statute and sourced.
The claim that Texas law specifically prohibits shooting a buffalo from the second story of a hotel is a popular internet myth. No such statute has ever been found in the Texas legal record.
Utah's disorderly conduct law once included 'abusive or obscene language' as a punishable offense, but that provision was struck down by courts and removed from state law in 1999. Today, casual public swearing is not a crime under Utah state law, though some municipal ordinances can restrict profanity when it rises to the level of a breach of the peace.
Florida law prohibits any person from intentionally feeding or enticing wild American alligators or crocodiles with food. Violations are a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
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.
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.
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.
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 six U.S. states — New York, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and California — plus the District of Columbia. There is no federal ban, and the procedure remains legal at the state level in the other 44 states.
Ohio explicitly bans taking catfish, bullheads, trout, and salmon by hand (including noodling) statewide under the Ohio Administrative Code. Violations are a misdemeanor of the 4th degree, carrying up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.