22 Strange Laws Still on the Books Today
Legislatures are good at passing laws and much worse at cleaning them up. Statutes written for a world of horse-drawn carriages, medieval kings and royal fisheries can linger long after anyone remembers why they were needed.
Others are modern, deliberate and still enforced with real fines. Read out of context, the rulebook can look very strange indeed.
Handling Salmon in Suspicious Circumstances
Under section 32 of the Salmon Act 1986, it is an offense in England and Wales to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances. The wording sounds absurd, but the purpose is serious.
The law targets the trade in poached fish by making it illegal to receive, buy or dispose of salmon when there is reason to believe it was taken illegally. Wild salmon stocks in British rivers have declined sharply, and fisheries officers can use the provision against organized poaching rings.
The quirky phrasing has made it a favorite of pub quizzes, yet it remains a working piece of fisheries law.
Drunk in Charge of a Cow
Section 12 of the Licensing Act 1872 makes it an offense in England and Wales to be drunk while in charge of a carriage, horse, cattle or steam engine on a highway or in a public place. The same section covers being drunk while in possession of a loaded firearm.
The law was written for a Victorian world of horse-drawn transport, but it has never been fully repealed. In a 1951 case, a court ruled that a bicycle counted as a carriage under the act, so a drunk cyclist could be convicted.
Modern drunk-driving laws cover cars, while the Victorian clauses still cover cows.
No Beating Rugs in London Streets
The Metropolitan Police Act 1839 lists a range of nuisances banned in streets within the Metropolitan Police District of London. Among them is beating or shaking any carpet, rug or mat in a street, with an exception for doormats shaken before 8 in the morning.
The same act also targeted flying kites and sliding on ice or snow in the street. These rules were written to keep busy Victorian thoroughfares clear and safe for pedestrians and horses.
Several provisions remain in force, though police rarely if ever enforce them. A dusty rug is unlikely to bring officers running.
A 1313 Ban on Wearing Armor in Parliament
A statute passed in 1313 under Edward II forbids anyone from coming to Parliament armed or wearing armor. The law dates to a period of bitter conflict between the king and his barons, when nobles arriving with armed retinues posed a real threat to proceedings.
It is among the oldest English laws still in force. The Law Commission has pointed to it as an example of how ancient statutes survive repeated rounds of legal housekeeping.
Modern security at Westminster makes it largely redundant. Nobody appears to have tested it in a very long time.
Royal Fish Belonging to the Crown
Under a medieval statute known as the Prerogativa Regis, whales and sturgeon caught or stranded on the coasts of England belong to the monarch. These royal fish, as they are called, still technically fall under this prerogative.
In practice, the Crown’s rights are handled through the Receiver of Wreck, and stranded whales and dolphins are usually examined by scientists rather than sent to the palace. Fishermen who accidentally catch a sturgeon are expected to report it.
Sturgeon are now so rare in British waters that the question seldom arises, but the law has never gone away.
Treason Felony Act and Calling for a Republic
Section 3 of the Treason Felony Act 1848 made it a crime, punishable by life imprisonment, to advocate abolishing the monarchy in print. The Guardian newspaper challenged the provision in 2003 after publishing editorials calling for a republic.
The House of Lords ruled that no one would be prosecuted for peaceful advocacy under modern human rights law and dismissed the challenge as unnecessary. The section itself remains on the statute book.
Critics argue that a law nobody intends to enforce should simply be repealed. Parliament has so far shown little appetite for the task.
Canada’s Limits on Paying in Coins
Canada’s Currency Act sets limits on how many coins count as legal tender in a single payment. A seller is not obliged to accept more than 25 cents in pennies, 5 dollars in nickels, 10 dollars in dimes or quarters, 25 dollars in one-dollar coins or 40 dollars in two-dollar coins.
The rule exists so that nobody can settle a debt by dumping a wheelbarrow of change on the counter. Canada stopped producing pennies in 2013, but they remain legal tender within that 25-cent cap.
A bucket of loonies is perfectly good money, just not unlimited good money.
Iceland’s Committee for Approving Names
Iceland requires that new first names be approved by the Icelandic Naming Committee, which checks whether they fit the grammar and alphabet of the Icelandic language. Parents who want a name not already on the approved list must apply, and the committee publishes its rulings.
In 2013, a teenager named Blaer won a court case allowing her to use the name her mother had given her, after the committee ruled it was a masculine noun. The government has discussed reforming the system, which dates to 1991.
Protecting the Icelandic language, it seems, begins on the birth certificate.
Swiss Guinea Pigs Must Not Live Alone
Switzerland’s Animal Protection Ordinance, revised in 2008, requires that social animals such as guinea pigs be kept with others of their species, or at least have visual and auditory contact with them. Keeping a single guinea pig in isolation is effectively prohibited.
The rule reflects research showing that lonely guinea pigs suffer from stress. It has even produced a niche service in which owners can rent a companion for a surviving pet after its partner dies, avoiding an endless cycle of new purchases.
Swiss animal welfare law is among the most detailed in Europe.
Unauthorized Use of Smokey Bear
US federal law makes it a crime to use the name or image of Smokey Bear without authorization. Under section 711 of Title 18 of the US Code, unauthorized commercial use can bring a fine or up to six months in prison.
Smokey Bear was created in 1944 for the US Forest Service’s wildfire prevention campaign, and licensing fees for his image help fund fire prevention education. A separate statute protects Woodsy Owl, the Forest Service’s anti-pollution mascot.
Very few cartoon characters enjoy a dedicated section of the federal criminal code, and both of these are forest animals.
Cutting Down an Arizona Saguaro
Arizona’s native plant law protects the saguaro cactus, which grows naturally only in the Sonoran Desert. Removing one generally requires notifying the state and obtaining the proper permits and tags, and destroying one illegally can bring fines and criminal charges.
Saguaros grow extremely slowly, often taking a decade to reach just a few inches, and many live well over a century. Their distinctive arms often do not appear until the plant is several decades old.
A single mature specimen can represent more time than most houses in Phoenix have existed.
Bigfoot Protection in Skamania County
In 1969, Skamania County in Washington state passed an ordinance making it a felony to kill a Sasquatch, punishable by a fine of 10,000 dollars and up to five years in prison. Commissioners revised it in 1984, reducing the penalty and declaring the entire county a Sasquatch refuge.
The ordinance remains on the county’s books. It was passed partly in response to growing public interest and reports of people heading into the forests with rifles to look for the creature.
No one has ever been charged. The creature’s existence, of course, has never been proven.
Arkansas and the Legal Pronunciation of Its Name
In 1881, the Arkansas General Assembly passed a resolution declaring how the state’s name should be pronounced, in three syllables ending with the sound of saw and with the final s silent. The resolution followed a public disagreement between the state’s two US senators, who insisted on different pronunciations.
The rule is still part of the Arkansas Code. Neighboring Kansas, of course, does not share the pronunciation.
It is one of the few cases in which a state legislature formally settled how to say a word, and it has held for well over a century.
Chewing Gum Rules in Singapore
Singapore banned the import and sale of chewing gum in 1992, after discarded gum caused costly maintenance problems, including gum jamming the doors of trains on the then-new MRT rail system. Chewing gum is not itself illegal, but importing it in quantity can bring heavy fines.
Since 2004, following a free trade agreement with the United States, certain therapeutic gums such as nicotine gum have been available through pharmacists and dentists. Visitors can usually bring a small personal supply.
The ban has become shorthand for the city-state’s reputation for strict public order.
Feeding Pigeons in Venice’s St Mark’s Square
Venice banned feeding pigeons in St Mark’s Square in 2008 and removed the licensed vendors who had sold birdseed to tourists for decades. City officials argued that pigeon droppings and nesting were damaging historic buildings and monuments, and that cleaning up after the birds was expensive.
Offenders can be fined, and the ban has since been extended across much of the historic center. Visitors who remember posing with pigeons perched on their arms now find a calmer piazza.
The pigeons have not disappeared, but they are no longer being fed by the bag.
Sitting on the Spanish Steps in Rome
Since 2019, Rome’s urban police regulations have prohibited sitting on the Spanish Steps, with fines of up to 400 euros. The rule arrived as part of a broader package meant to protect monuments from wear, litter and crowding, and eating on the steps had already been banned.
Officers patrol the site and blow whistles at visitors who sit down. The steps, built in the 1720s, had recently undergone a costly restoration funded by the jeweler Bulgari.
Generations of tourists had treated the steps as a public bench, and now they are a monument to be walked on, not lounged on.
Flip-Flops on Cinque Terre Trails
Hikers on trails in Italy’s Cinque Terre National Park can be fined up to 2,500 euros for wearing flip-flops or other inappropriate footwear, under rules introduced in 2019. Rescue teams had been called out repeatedly to help tourists who slipped, twisted ankles or got stranded on the steep, rocky paths between the five villages.
Each rescue cost time and money and sometimes put rescuers at risk. The policy aims to cut those incidents.
The trails are beautiful but unforgiving, and the park decided that footwear was a matter of public safety.
Swimwear Off the Beach in Barcelona
Barcelona introduced a city ordinance in 2011 that allows fines for walking around public streets in swimwear or bare-chested away from the beachfront area. The rule came in response to complaints from residents tired of tourists wandering the old city and the markets in beach clothing.
Fines can reach several hundred euros, depending on the case. Signs near the beaches remind visitors of the rule.
The city’s goal was to draw a clear line between beach life and city life, even in one of Europe’s most popular seaside destinations.
Running Out of Fuel on the Autobahn
German road traffic regulations prohibit stopping unnecessarily on the Autobahn. Because running out of fuel is considered avoidable, a driver who stalls with an empty tank can be fined.
Walking along the Autobahn to fetch fuel is also prohibited. The logic is simple, since stationary vehicles on roads with stretches that have no general speed limit pose obvious dangers.
The fine is modest, but the principle is firm. In German traffic law, planning ahead is treated as a legal obligation rather than mere good sense.
High Heels at Greek Archaeological Sites
Greek authorities introduced rules in 2009 that barred high-heeled shoes, food and drink at performances held in ancient venues such as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens and the theater at Epidaurus. A senior culture ministry official explained that the monuments have a skin that suffers.
Narrow heels concentrate a person’s weight onto a tiny point, which can scuff and chip ancient marble. Cleaning crews had reportedly removed large amounts of chewing gum from the Odeon’s seats.
The rules are often described as a ban on heels at the Acropolis, and guards may turn away visitors in stilettos.
Japan’s Waistline Measurement Law
Japan introduced a national health program in 2008, popularly called the Metabo law, requiring annual checkups for adults between 40 and 74 that include a waist measurement. The thresholds are 85 centimeters for men and 90 centimeters for women.
People who exceed them and show other risk factors are offered guidance on diet and exercise. Companies and local governments face financial pressure if they fail to meet health targets for their members.
The law is aimed at metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions linked to heart disease and diabetes. It has made the tape measure an unusual instrument of public policy.
Permission Required for Reincarnation in Tibet
A 2007 regulation issued by China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs requires that reincarnations of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, known as living Buddhas, be approved by the government. Without that approval, a recognized reincarnation is considered illegitimate under Chinese law.
Critics, including the Tibetan government in exile, see the rule as an attempt to control the eventual succession of the Dalai Lama. Beijing presents it as a way of managing religious affairs and preserving social stability.
The Dalai Lama has said his successor will be identified according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Few laws anywhere attempt to regulate what happens after death so directly.
Rulebooks Written for Another World
Many of these laws made perfect sense when they were written. Victorian streets really were clogged with horses, medieval kings really did worry about armed barons, and poached salmon really was a business.
The strangeness comes from time, not stupidity.
Other entries are new, and they show what modern governments worry about, from crowds at monuments to waistlines and religious succession. Laws are a record of anxieties as much as rules.
Reading the odd ones closely says a great deal about the societies that wrote them.
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