30 Weird Laws From Around The World That Sound Made Up, But Are Actually True

In the Code of Ordinance of the city Mobile in Alabama, there is a section talking about the use of confetti: “It shall be unlawful and an offense against the city for any person to have in possession, keep, store, use, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, give away or handle any non-biodegradable, plastic-based confetti, serpentine, or other substance or matters similar thereto within the city or within its police jurisdiction.”
 
Paper confetti is fine, but the law is more focused on plastic confetti which doesn’t disintegrate and ends up lying all over green areas.

There are four states in the United States that have banned billboards: Alaska, Maine, Vermont, and Hawaii, where the ban was introduced the earliest. Businesspeople understand that this actually benefit them, because billboards ruin the landscape; without them, these states maintain their scenic beauty and attract more people to visit.

In 2009, the director of Greek prehistoric and classical antiquities, Eleni Korka, said: "Female visitors must wear shoes that do not wound the monuments. These monuments have a skin that suffers and people must realize that." Stilettos can punch holes as the whole body's pressure is on them, so to minimize the wear on the monuments, the ban was introduced.

In the small island on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, Capri, there is a local law that dog owners must clean up after their dogs if they poop on the street. Unfortunately, not everyone is obeying the law and to enforce it, Mayor Lembo thought he could take advantage of another existing law requiring all dogs to have blood tests for canine leishmaniasis, and just have the DNA matched. If a person is busted for leaving a mess on the streets, they will be fined €2,000 ($2,400).

In the state of Arizona, to this day, you can’t let a donkey sleep in your bathtub. The origin of the law is actually a funny story that apparently, nobody wanted to repeat itself. In 1924, a donkey found an abandoned bathtub outside its owner’s property and the animal took it as a good place to sleep. While it was sleeping, a dam near Kingman collapsed, causing a flash flood, and the napping donkey was carried by the waters. The people of the town were after the donkey to save him and after experience, considering the expense and the risks encountered by the rescuers, it was decided that donkeys should not be allowed to sleep in bathtubs.

In Turin, dog owners must walk their dogs three times a day. This rule was introduced in 2006, a year after Rome issued a decree saying that dog owners must walk their dogs at least once a day. This is a way of fighting cruelty against animals. The fines can go up to $600.

In South Africa, you are prohibited from wrestling a bear. Which is weird not only because who would willingly wrestle a bear, but they don’t even live there naturally.

It is illegal to stop on the autobahn in Germany without a serious reason as it is dangerous. The driver is required to make sure that their vehicle is in the right condition to be used, and running out of fuel is not considered a serious enough reason to stop, so it is seen as a violation of this requirement and negligence.

In South Australia, if you purposefully disturb a wedding, a funeral, or any religious service, you can be fined $10,000 or be imprisoned for 2 years. In the Summary Offences Act 1953, it is stated, "A person who intentionally obstructs or disturbs a religious service or a wedding or funeral (whether secular or religious) [...] is guilty of an offence."

The Statute Forbidding Bearing Of Armour or Coming Armed To Parliament Act 1313 was enacted in 1313 during the reign of Edward II Of England. The law is still in force today, although no one has been prosecuted for this in modern times. It states, "that in all parliaments, Treatises and other Assemblies, which should be made in the realm of England for ever, that every man shall come without all force and armour."

In a city of La Paz, Bolivia, married women are allowed to drink only one glass of wine in public. The law is there to prevent them from drunkenly flirting with other men that are not their husband. Also, men can divorce their wives if they are seen drinking in public.

In 2014 Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan introduced a regulation which requires clothing in contact with skin to contain at least 6 percent of cotton. Underwear not meeting the requirement was not to be sold in stores. But most luxury lace undergarments have less than 4 percent cotton in them, meaning that the regulation is practically banning it.
 
The reasoning for this was that synthetic fabrics don't absorb moisture as well and can cause skin problems. However, textile producers and shoppers were not happy about this and there were even protests against the ban in Kazakhstan.

In France, swimming shorts are not allowed to be worn in public swimming pools by men; only skintight swimming trunks are allowed. Apparently, it has to do with hygiene, because men may wear their baggy swim shorts as normal shorts and then they may pick up dust, dirt, and such.

According to the Licensing Act 1872 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which enacts various regulations and offences relating to alcohol, “Every person who is drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage, horse, cattle, or steam engine […] shall be liable to a penalty.”

Building sandcastles on the beach is a very usual activity not only among kids, but adults too. However, some adults take it to the extreme, building such huge sculptures and castles that they were banned on some beaches in Spain. Some of the sculptures were really intricate, depicting such famous works of art like the last supper, and artists would take tips from tourists. But it doesn‘t affect tourists as long as they build the usual small castles.

In the city of Baltimore, fortunetelling for money is forbidden and is punishable with a fine or jail: “Every person who shall demand or accept any remuneration or gratuity for forecasting or foretelling or for pretending to forecast or foretell the future of another by cards, palmreading or any other scheme, practice or device, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than $500 or subject to imprisonment for not more than 1 year.”

You cannot ride a taxi or any public transportation if you know that you have plague or any notifiable disease, for that matter, like cholera, relapsing fever, smallpox, and typhus. The law is contained in the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1985. Public Health Acts date back to the mid-nineteenth century. Even though the law is quite old and plague cases are very rare, we now know how fast a disease can spread.

In 2018, the city of Florence banned people from pausing in the historic center to eat food standing or sitting on sidewalks, roadways, and on the doorsteps of shops and houses. For breaking the law, a person can get a fine up to €500 ($610). It was needed to stop people from littering and keeping the crowded historical center clean.

Chewing gum was banned in Singapore in 1992, but currently it is not illegal to chew it, just to import it and sell it. In 2004, the ban had a revision and since then it is possible to buy therapeutic, dental, and nicotine chewing gum from a doctor or registered pharmacist.
 
The ban was introduced because vandals had begun sticking chewing gum on the door sensors of MRT trains, preventing doors from functioning properly and causing disruption to train services. Although they were rare incidents, they were difficult to fix and it was almost impossible to catch who did it. These incidents were just the last straw as the ban on chewing gum was brought up earlier, but not approved. Vandals were sticking their gum in mailboxes, inside keyholes, and on lift buttons. Chewing gum left on the ground, stairways, and pavements in public areas was hard to clean, so cleaning cost more and damaged cleaning equipment.

It was always forbidden for residents of Monaco to gamble in The Carlo Casino. When Princess Caroline developed the Monte Carlo Casino in the mid-1800s, she wanted all the revenue to come from foreigners. To compensate Monaco citizens for not allowing this form of entertainment, they are excused from income taxes.

In 2013, a new law was released in China requiring adults to care for their aging parents and visit them at least once a year. If the children fail to provide mental and financial support or don’t visit, they will have to pay fines or face time in jail. Because young adults are focused on their careers and want to be independent, their old parents are being left behind. It’s also because of the family planning policies that it is very easy for the only child to lose contact with their parents. And as China’s population is also getting old, more elderly people become neglected and feel lonely. So various measures are being taken and the "Elderly Rights Law" is one of them.

In 2018, Denmark’s parliament approved a law that makes it illegal to wear garments that cover the face in public. It raised concerns that this law is aimed at some Muslim women who wear veils such as the niqab or burqa. Politicians argued that this ban would promote integration, or public safety, or that wearing a veil is inconsistent with national values like gender equality. However, Muslim women expressed that they don’t feel like they are being integrated, but rather discriminated against as wearing veils is their choice.