We live in an interesting world with a lot of weird laws. Breaking some of these laws could land you a fine, a trip to a jail cell or even the death sentence. If you ever think of traveling to a foreign country, take note. Nobody wants to deal with that in this day and age.
Here are 101 Weird Laws in Various Countries Around The World
Weird Laws in Singapore
1. You’re not allowed to walk around naked in your house – For this you could get a S$2,000 fine or up to 3 months in prison.
2. You’re not allowed to chew gum – Selling chewing gum can result in fines of $100,000 or up to 2 years in prison.
3. You can’t make loud noise after 10 PM – You can get fined up to S$2,000.
4. You can get a fine if you don’t flush a public toilet – You can get fined S$150 – S$500.
5. You’re not allowed to connect to someone else’s Wi-fi – It’s considered hacking and you get fined S$10,000 or spend up to 3 years in prison.
6. It’s illegal to be gay in Singapore – If caught you could spend up to 2 years in prison
7. You’re not allowed to drink alcohol and party between 10:30 PM and 7 AM – You can get fined up to S$2000.
8. You’re not allowed to feed pigeons – You can get fined S$500.
9. Committing suicide is illegal in Singapore – This is a tough one to punish as you have already inflicted the ultimate punishment on yourself. Punishment is therefor unknown.
10. Flying a Kite that interferes with traffic is illegal – You can get fined S$5,000+.
11. Smoking is forbidden in most places – You can get fined between S$150 and S$1000.
Weird Laws in Norway
12. It’s illegal to die in a town – This law was imposed to stop the spread of disease in 1950. The Spanish Flu virus has been extracted from victims that died in 1918. Bodies don’t decompose at the normal rate in permafrost.
13. If you challenge a man to a fist fight to the death, he must accept or pay a penalty of 4 deer.
14. On long winter days, when the sun does not rise, women must make themselves available to satisfy their husbands sexual pleasures.
15. Selling (and buying) alcohol on Sundays is illegal.
16. Smoking in a public area is illegal.
17. Stealing someone’s cloudberries is illegal.
18. You are not allowed to perform surgical procedures to your dog unless it’s strictly necessary for its health.
Weird Laws in Denmark
19. If you turn 25 and are still unmarried (which is increasingly common in this country where marriage is seen as optional), the tradition is to throw fistfuls of cinnamon all over the person. If you’re not wed by 30, you get doused with pepper.
20. Baby naming is regulated by several government Ministries in Denmark. This is to ensure that people don’t give their offspring silly names. Parents can choose from about 7000 pre-approved names for boys and girls.
21. There are more than twice the number of bicycles than cars in Denmark. More than 50 percent of Copenhagen gets around on two wheels, but wearing a helmet is optional (not required).
22. No one may start a car while someone is underneath the vehicle.
23. It is illegal to eat raw bacon if there is a full moon.
24. If the body of water called Øresund becomes solid and a Swede tries to cross the ice, you are legally allowed to beat the Swede with a stick until they go back where they came from. This body of water doesn’t freeze over anymore (thanks to global warming), but the law has been in place since the 19th century.
25. You can get fined the equivalent of $231 for drunk-riding your bicycle.
Weird Laws in Germany
26. It’s illegal to run out of fuel on the Autobahn.
27. It’s illegal to work in an office without a window in Germany.
28. It’s illegal to tune a piano at midnight.
29. Saying “Du” to a Policeman in Germany could see you getting a fine of up to 600 Euros. It’s illegal to address them in the 2nd person. You must show respect.
30. Drinking alcohol in public is legal.
31. Prostitution has been legal in Germany from 2002.
32. It is against the law to mention the date 1966 in any football ground. West Germany lost the FIFA World Cup final game against England in that year.
Weird Laws in Sweden
33. It’s illegal to paint your house without getting a license first.
34. It’s illegal to post a picture of Swedish Krona. This is because the currency is actually copyrighted in Sweden.
35. It’s illegal to spontaneously dance.
36. It’s illegal to use your phone without hands-free while driving.
Weird Laws in Iceland
37. Between 1910 and 1977, you could only buy milk in one of the state-owned Milk stores. This changed after people complained.
38. Beer was banned in Iceland until 1989. Iceland implemented complete prohibition between 1915 and 1935. After it was abolished beer was still illegal though because some people believed that it made people drink more alcohol.
39. Dogs were banned in the Icelandic capital Reykjavík in 1921 (to diminish the spread of the tapeworm). You could not own a dog in the city until 1984 (when the law was relaxed). To own a dog in the city now, you need to get a permit and show proof that the dog is vaccinated, microchipped and dewormed.
Weird Laws in the United Kingdom
40. It’s illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances.
41. It has been illegal to carry a plank along a pavement since 1939.
42. It’s illegal for a male to urinate in public (unless he’s doing it on the rear wheel of his vehicle with his right hand on the vehicle).
43. Members of Parliament are not allowed to don armor in Parliament since 1313.
44. No cows may be driven down the roadway between 10 AM and 7 PM (unless you’ve obtained permission from the commissioner of Police).
45. It’s illegal for a taxi cab in London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.
46. In York it’s perfect legal to shoot a Scotsman with a crossbow upon seeing one (except on Sundays).
47. Placing a postage stamp bearing the monarch’s head upside down on an envelope is considered an act of treason.
48. It’s illegal to errect a washing line across a street.
49. All beached whales and sturgeons must be offered to the reigning monarch.
Weird Laws in Ireland
50. Government officials can stop your car to inspect it for eggs.
51. Even though they are mythical, leprechauns are a protected species.
52. The Freedom of Dublin allows you to graze sheep in the city.
53. Until 2015 it was Illegal to be drunk or swear on Sundays in Ireland. This law was originally proclaimed in 1661 and prohibited “drunkenness, cursing, swearing and profaning of the Lords’ Day”.
Weird Laws in Canada
54. You’re not a lot to pay for items with a lot of coins. You are allowed to use only 25 loonies (a Canadian one-dollar coin) and 5 coins of 25 cents each.
55. It’s illegal to remove a bandage in public.
56. According to the Toronto Municipal Code, it is forbidden to hold more than two garage sales a year in any residential area. It is also illegal for a sale to last more than two days.
57. It’s illegal to scare a sick person or child to death.
58. If you live in Alberta, you cannot keep a rat as a pet. It’s illegal there.
59. In the Kanata neighbourhood of Ottawa, residents can’t paint their garage doors and house doors in purple.
60. It was actually illegal until 2017 to challenge someone to a duel or to accept an invitation to a duel anywhere in Canada.
61. Until 2018, it was a punishable offence in Canada to pretend that you were a witch. Dressing like one was totally fine, though.
62. In Toronto, it’s illegal to drag your dead horse down the street on the last day of the week.
63. Tampering with Canadian change is against the law. In other words, you can’t write a phone number on a C$5 bill.
64. In Victoria, British Columbia, it’s illegal for a bagpiper to play at the same time as another street performer.
65. If you see a Sasquatch (aka Big Foot) in British Columbia, you’re not allowed to kill him (or her).
66. It’s illegal to skinny dip in Bancroft, Ontario.
Weird Laws in Mexico
67. Contrary to popular belief, drinking in the in the street is illegal in Mexico.
68. The Mexican state of Sonora has a list of illegal baby names. The government has prohibited numerous weird names (like Lady Di, Rolling Stone or Cesárea), that are deemed “derogatory, pejorative, discriminatory or lacking in meaning”.
69. Urinating in public is illegal.
70. Drinking in the 72-hour period leading up to either a state or national Mexican election is banned.
71. Cyclists are not allowed to remove their feet from their bike pedals for fear they could lose control and crash. This law has been around since the 19th century.
Weird Laws in African Countries
72. In Kenya, you can be arrested for walking around with no money in your pocket because it is illegal.
73. In Sudan, it is illegal for men and women to sit together without a guide. Otherwise, they can be fined or jailed.
74. The name Monica is illegal in Guinea. You can be arrested for giving the name to your child.
75. In Ghana an actor can be jailed for acting too many movies.
76. In Equatorial Guinea it is illegal to read foreign books, magazines or literature.
77. In Mauritania it is illegal to renounce the Islamic religion. If you refuse to repent within 3 days, you’ll be sentenced to death.
78. In South Africa, it is illegal to purchase a TV without a license from the government.
79. In Chad it is illegal to take photographs in the country without obtaining a permit beforehand.
80. It is illegal for pregnant women to wear hats in Madagascar.
81. South Africa has three kinds of marriages: Civil Marriages, Customary Marriages (recognises polygamy) and Civil Unions.
Weird Laws in the USA
82. In Alabama it’s illegal to drive blindfolded.
83. In Alaska you can’t put an animal in the back of an open vehicle.
84. In Arizona it’s illegal for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub.
85. In Connecticut a pickle must be able to bounce. This law was imposed in 1948 after two men were selling pickles that were unfit for human consumption.
86. In Hawaii it’s illegal to place a coin in one’s ear. This law was enacted to protect the Kingdom of Hawaii coinage.
87. In Indiana it’s illegal to ride a horse above 10 miles per hour.
88. In Kentucky a woman can’t marry the same man four times.
89. In Massachusetts it’s illegal to tell fortunes without certification. A fortune teller must live in Massachusetts for at least one year in order to apply for a license.
90. In Michigan you can’t sell your vehicle on a Sunday.
91. In New Jersey bullet-proof vests are banned while committing a crime.
92. In North Carolina it’s illegal to sell or consume any alcoholic beverage in a room while a bingo game is being played.
93. In Oklahoma tripping a horse is outlawed.
94. In Oregon it’s illegal to go hunting in a cemetery.
95. In South Carolina you can’t play pinball if you’re a minor.
96. In Tennessee it’s illegal to share your Netflix password.
97. In Utah biting is banned in boxing.
98. In Vermont it’s illegal for women to wear fake teeth without their husband’s approval.
99. In Washington State it’s illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole.
100. In Wyoming buildings that cost more than $100,000 must display pricey art.
101. Intoxicated ski-ing is illegal in Wyoming.
Well, there you have it, 101 Weird Laws Around The World. Which one of these laws do you find to be the most-ridiculous one? Which law should be on this list? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Watch this space for updates in the Facts category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
Want to promote your business, event, product or service? We get more than 14,000 pageviews a month! Contact us for marketing and advertising options.
