It is illegal to bike, roller-skate, skateboard, or in-line skate in a commercially zoned area.
Maybe they’re trying to keep skaters off the sidewalk in busy shopping areas?
It is forbidden to spit on the floor of a church.
This is an Auburn, AL municipal law. Section 9.08.010 Spitting. It is unlawful for any person to spit upon the sidewalks, or upon the floors of places of worship, buses, public halls, theaters or other public places. (Ord. 63A 3-12, 1977)
It is illegal to open an umbrella on a street, for fear of it spooking horses. (Repealed)
I wonder what the punishment might have been for this one? Would it depend on whether you actually succeeded in spooking a horse?
It is unlawful to howl at ladies inside the city limits.
This law was passed during a time in which there were many military personnel in the area, in order to quiet the young men who would howl at the ladies, embarrassing them.
It is unlawful to wear women’s pumps with sharp, high heels.
There was a court case involving a woman who got a heel of one of her shoes caught in a sidewalk grating, fell, and injured herself. The city subsequently passed this law in order to protect itself from future litigation.
Selling peanuts in Lee County after sundown on Wednesday is illegal.
A search of current municipal codes containing the word “peanut” does not turn up any laws still on the books. It sure seems like there would be a good story behind this one – maybe a popcorn vendor was scheduled to pass through town to peddle his product on Wednesday nights?
It is illegal for a husband to beat his wife with a stick larger in diameter than his thumb.
The “Rule of Thumb” originated in Rome, under the rule of Romulus, in approximately 753 BC. It dictated how large of a stick that a husband could use to beat his wife. Almost 1000 years later, women briefly had “rights” if their beatings were unjustified. However, those rights were short-lived, lasting only about 100 years….
Blue jeans are illegal on Noble Street.
When searching current municipal codes, we found 24 (!) codes that specifically target Noble Street in Anniston, Alabama. They range from jaywalking to parking to where pool halls, billboards, and outdoor dining are or are not allowed. So, it seems logical that at one time, there could have been a dress code here.
It is against the law to have an ice cream cone in your back pocket.
Legend has it that horses love ice cream, and this was a way to lure someone else’s horse to “follow” you home… ie, steal the horse! This law shows up in multiple areas, so this may well have been a low-key way to “find” a few new horses.
It is illegal to wear a fake mustache if it causes laughter in church.
It seems like there is a story behind this one, but we haven’t been able to dig it up yet. We assume that this was a well-intentioned law meant to maintain dignity and order during church. With the current “mustache” craze, maybe someone should give it a try and see what happens!