Not every city, county, and state in the U.S. have the same laws. And some laws, that made sense at the time they were written, are now so out of touch they’re ridiculous. Others seem totally bizarre, regardless of when they were written. In any case, if a law is still on the books, you can be fined or charged if you break it.

Here are a few laws to watch for . . .  if you happen to live in or travel to these places.

Did You Know… Around the House Laws?

• It’s illegal to keep your couch on the porch in Colorado. (This would a problem for the folks in many of our southern states, including both Tennessee and Texas.)
• Leaving your Christmas decorations up past January 14 is illegal in Maine.
• You can’t throw snowballs on public or private property in Grand Forks, North Dakota. (Until 2019, Severance, Colorado, also banned throwing snowballs.)

Did You Know… Animal Laws?

• In Arizona, allowing your donkey to sleep in the bathtub is against the law. (But standing in one is okay.)
• In California, you can’t whistle for your lost canary before 7 A.M.
• You can’t take flamingos into barbershops in Alaska. (Kangaroos are not allowed inside at any time either.)
• Maryland forbids you to take a lion to the cinema.
• No matter what, make sure you don’t drive your car in Missouri with an uncaged bear inside.
• It’s illegal for cats in Sterling, Colorado, to run loose without being fitted with a taillight first.
• In Georgia, you can’t tie your giraffe to a telephone pole or streetlight.
• It’s illegal for Boise, Idaho, residents to fish from a giraffe’s back.
• Catching bullfrogs in tomato patches and hunting whales are both prohibited in Kansas.

Did You Know… Food Laws?

• Pickles must bounce to be legitimate in Connecticut.
• If you have a friend in Louisiana, don’t send them a surprise pizza. That’s considered harassment and illegal!
• Georgia says no to carrying ice cream cones in your back pocket on Sundays.
• In Salem, West Virginia, it’s illegal to eat candy less than an hour and a half before a church service.

Did You Know… Travel Laws?

• If you plan to visit Minnesota, don’t enter the state wearing a chicken or duck on your head.
• A California law prohibits women from driving a motor vehicle while wearing a housecoat.
• New York bans the wearing of slippers after 10 P.M. (So be sure to put on shoes before you walk down the motel hall to get ice.)
• You are required to stop and send up rocket signals every mile when driving at night in rural parts of Pennsylvania.

Did You Know… Other Laws?

• A woman in Kentucky can’t marry the same man four times. (Third time’s a charm. Make it four and you break the law.)
• There are no singing, humming, or whistling beauticians in Connecticut. It’s illegal for them to do so while working on a customer.
• Rhode Island made it illegal to bite off another person’s limbs.
• If you’re going to wear cowboy boots in Blythe, California, you must own at least two cows.
• If you’ve ever wondered why no one talks while in an elevator, it may be because talking or looking at anyone while riding in a New York elevator is illegal.

Did You Know… Say What?

• In Texas, “When two railroad trains meet at a crossing, each shall stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has passed.”
• The dog catchers in Denver, Colorado, must notify the dogs of possible impounding by “posting, for three consecutive days, a notice on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through said park.”
• Wanting to reduce crime, Texas law says anyone planning to commit a crime is required to provide the victim(s) with 24 hours written or verbal notice.