Strange laws, also called weird laws, dumb laws, futile laws, unusual laws, unnecessary laws, legal oddities, or legal curiosities, are

laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

that are perceived to be useless, humorous or obsolete, i.e. no longer applicable (in regard to current culture or modern law). A number of books and websites purport to list dumb laws. These are in many cases based on misunderstandings, exaggerations or outright fabrications.

Veracity

Laws presented as "dumb laws" or "strange laws" are laws that are perceived by the speaker to be useless, no longer applicable (in regard to current culture or modern law), or humorous. A large number of hoax or exaggerated dumb laws are circulated on the internet and in the print media.For example, among others. Several books have been written and numerous

listicles In journalism and blogging, a listicle is an article that is structured as a list, which is often fleshed out with additional text relating to each item. A typical listicle will prominently feature a cardinal number in its title, with subsequent su ...

exist on the internet purporting to list "dumb laws" in various jurisdictions. The "dumb laws" are also often circulated via e-mail

chain letter A chain letter is a message that attempts to convince the recipient to make a number of copies and pass them on to a certain number of recipients. The "chain" is an exponentially growing pyramid (a tree graph) that cannot be sustained indefinite ...

Examples

Some purported strange laws do not exist, no longer exist, or were never passed, while others are actually in effect, although they are often exaggerated or misrepresented in popular culture. Sometimes similar laws, such as a

prohibition of dying Prohibition of dying is a political social phenomenon and taboo in which a law is passed stating that it is illegal to die, usually specifically in a certain political division or in a specific building. The earliest case of prohibition of death ...

(typically in certain buildings and local areas), really exist in some places, but are mere urban legends in other places. Some compilers confuse the circumstances in which a defendant was convicted under a more general statute, such as a noise ordinance or disorderly conduct, as the text of the law itself. Others may fabricate a purported law as a

copyright trap Fictitious or fake entries are deliberately incorrect entries in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), maps, and directories. There are more specific terms for particular kinds of fictitious entry, such as Moun ...

European Union

A lot of purportedly strange laws within

European Union law European Union law is a system of rules operating within the member states of the European Union (EU). Since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community following World War II, the EU has developed the aim to "promote peace, its valu ...

do not actually exist, or are wildly exaggerated; these are referred to as

Euromyths A euromyth is a exaggerated or invented story about the European Union (EU) and the activities of its institutions, such as purportedly nonsensical EU legislation. Conversely, the same term has been applied by Eurosceptics to purportedly misle ...

. ;Misrepresented * Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2257/94, sometimes referred to in the media as the 'bendy banana law': the alleged ban on curved

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

s is a long-standing, famous, and stereotypical claim that is used in headlines to typify the Euromyth. Amongst other issues of acceptable quality and standards, the regulation does actually specify minimum dimensions. It also states that bananas shall be free from deformation or abnormal curvature. However, the provisions relating to shape apply fully only to bananas sold as ''Extra'' class; slight defects of shape (but not size) are permitted in ''Class I'' and ''Class II'' bananas. However, a proposal banning straight bananas and other misshapen fruits was brought before the European Parliament in 2008 and defeated.

United Kingdom

In March 2013, the

Law Commission (England and Wales) In England and Wales the Law Commission ( cy, Comisiwn y Gyfraith) is an independent law commission set up by Parliament by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reforms. The organisatio ...

, which is tasked with abolishing obsolete and unnecessary laws to reform the legal system, published an informal document answering some frequently asked questions about the veracity of some alleged "legal oddities" or "legal curiosities". ;False *The Law Commission wrote that there is no law making it "legal to shoot a Welshman with a longbow on Sunday in the Cathedral Close in

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

; or inside the city walls of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

after midnight; or a Scotsman within the city walls of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, other than on a Sunday." These three related urban legends frequently show up in lists of strange laws, but there is no historical basis for them other than an alleged 1403 ordinance of the city of Chester, which supposedly imposed a curfew on Welshmen in the city in response to the

Glyndŵr Rising The Welsh Revolt (also called the Glyndŵr Rising or Last War of Independence) ( cy, Rhyfel Glyndŵr) or ( cy, Gwrthryfel Glyndŵr) was a Welsh rebellion in Wales led by Owain Glyndŵr against the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ag ...

. The Law Commission stated: "It is illegal to shoot a Welsh or Scottish (or any other) person regardless of the day, location or choice of weaponry". In 2016,

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

claimed these three laws were "of course" and "obviously" not applicable in modern times (neither confirming nor denying whether such laws actually exist or have ever existed), although a 2006 BBC News article mentioned the two alleged anti-Welsh laws amongst a number of "strange-but-true laws" without giving any hint as to their modern non-applicability. ;True *On the other hand, the Commission confirmed it is illegal to wear a suit of armour in the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...

according to the 1313 Statute forbidding Bearing of Armour. *

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

's law code really did contain the law, "If a man unintentionally kills another man by letting a tree fall on him, the tree shall be given to the kinsmen of the slain". *

Salmon Act 1986 The Salmon Act 1986 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which outlines legislation that covers legal and illegal matter within the salmon farming and fishing industries. Among the provisions in the Act, it makes it illegal to "handle salmon in ...

, Section 32: "Handling Salmon in Suspicious Circumstances".

United States

;False *Supposedly, a law in Iowa limits the length of a kiss to five minutes. The law does not appear in the Iowa Legislature, but circulates online. *That "

sorority houses North American fraternity and sorority housing refers largely to the houses or housing areas in which Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and sorority members live and work together. In addition to serving as housing, fraternity and sororit ...

are illegal since more than a certain number of single females living together constitutes a brothel" has been debunked as fake. *A myth that it is illegal to hunt camels in Arizona is loosely inspired by the true story of the

United States Camel Corps The United States Camel Corps was a mid-19th-century experiment by the United States Army in using camels as pack animals in the Southwestern United States. Although the camels proved to be hardy and well suited to travel through the region, th ...

, which tested the use of camels in the Southwest United States. ;Never passed *

Indiana Pi Bill The Indiana Pi Bill is the popular name for bill #246 of the 1897 sitting of the Indiana General Assembly, one of the most notorious attempts to establish mathematical truth by legislative fiat. Despite its name, the main result claimed by the b ...

– in 1897 the Indiana General Assembly considered legislating mathematics. ;True *In Wisconsin,

lutefisk ''Lutefisk'' (Norwegian, in Northern and parts of Central Norway, in Southern Norway; sv, lutfisk ; fi, lipeäkala ; literally "lye fish") is dried whitefish (normally cod, but ling and burbot are also used). It is made from aged stockfi ...

is specifically exempted from being considered a "toxic substance" under an employees' right to know law. * Silly String ban on

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The ban was put in place in 2004 due to cleanup costs exceeding .

Other countries

;True *In Jamaica, Saudi Arabia and

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

it is illegal to dress in camouflage clothing. * Chewing gum sales ban in Singapore.