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Loony Laws Worldwide
Even though we list unbelievable ordinances written into the books of all fifty states, things
don't get any more sane once you start stamping that passport. This page features some of the
craziest laws all over the world.
Australia
Although children are not allowed to legally buy cigarettes, they can legally smoke
Only a fully qualified electrician may change your broken light bulb. Otherwise you may receive a fine of $10.
When going outside, cats in the town of Longhorn must wear three bells on their collar to warn of their approach to birds.
Under Australian Communications Authority (ACA) legislation and the Telecommunications Act (1991) a modem may not connect on the first ring. Doing so will invalidate the operator’s ACA permit and may result in a fine.
In Victoria it is illegal to wear “hot pink pants” after 12 noon on a Sunday.
Bermuda
It is illegal to drive over 20 m.p.h.
It is illegal for tourists to hire cars – they may only travel by moped, bus or taxi.
It is illegal to take a suitcase on a public bus.
Women may not wear skirts shorter than 8 inches (20 cm) above the knee
Women may not wear halter neck tops in public places.
Cars may not be more than 67 inches (1.7 m) wide or 169 inches (4.3m) long.
Only 1 car is allowed per household.
You are allowed as many motorbikes as you like – they just have to have an engine under 1500cc.
Bolivia
A woman may legally be a prostitute. However she cannot solicit customers on the street or in any public place.
In Santa Cruz it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time.
Women may not have more than one glass of wine in a bar or restaurant. This is as wine is thought to weaken them sexually and make it easier for men to take advantage of them. Violators of this law may receive a hefty fine. It may also be a grounds for divorce.
Brazil
In Sorocaba, passionate kissing in public is illegal
Canada
Any debt higher than 25 cents cannot be paid in pennies.
In Toronto, it is illegal to ride a streetcar on a Sunday if you have been eating garlic
In Nova Scotia you may not water your lawn when it is raining.
In Montreal it is illegal to swear in French. There is no such bar to swearing in English.
In Etobicoke you cannot take a bath in water deeper than 3.5 inches before you enter it.
In Ontario the speed limit is 80 kph. However cyclists have the right of way.
Someone wrote in with the following -- In Winnipeg Manitoba Canada it's against the law to put your garbage in someone elses garbage can even with their permission.
Chile
In Valparaiso it is illegal for a man to take as his bride a woman who has committed adultery.
Until just recently, you were not able to get a divorce in Chile. Wealthy couples get around this by having a sympathetic judge dissolve the marriage by claiming that their address does not match the one on the marriage certificate. That changed when a new law went into effect in November of 2004.
China
Drivers who stop at pedestrian crossings may receive a fine or a warning under Article 40 of the Beijing Traffic Laws
In many areas, couples are only allowed 1 child. Couples who break this law may be forcibly sterilised.
In order to go to college you must be “intelligent”.
Denmark
It is illegal to start a car if there is anyone under it.
Restaurants may not charge for water unless it comes with ice and lemon.
If a car is overtaking a horse-drawn carriage and the horse becomes agitated, the driver must pull over and if necessary cover the car from the horse’s view.
Ecuador
A woman may dance in public wearing nothing but a piece of gauze covering her belly button.
Finland
Finnish police do not issue tickets for illegal parking – they just let down the person’s tyres.
To get married, a man and a woman must be able to read.
At one time Donald Duck was banned, as he doesn’t wear any trousers.
France
It is illegal to call a pig Napoleon
It is illegal to kiss on a French railway
It is illegal to sell dolls with alien faces – they must have human faces.
It is illegal to land a flying saucer in a vineyard.
Germany
A pillow is regarded as a “passive weapon”.
All office workers must have a view of the sky, however small.
United Kingdom
It is illegal for Members of Parliament to enter the House of Commons in full armour.
It is illegal to slaughter or dress cattle in the street unless the person doing the slaughtering has recently run over the aforementioned cow.
It is illegal to drive a car without sitting in the front seat
A pregnant woman can legally urinate anywhere including in a policeman’s helmet.
In Liverpool it is illegal for a woman to be topless in public unless she is employed in an exotic fish shop.
Greece
All forms of computer entertainment are banned including consoles, PC games and arcades. A cyber café can be shut down if someone is caught playing chess on one of the computers.
A driver’s license can be revoked if the person appears poorly dressed or unwashed
Guinea
It is illegal to call a baby “Monica”
Iceland
Anyone is allowed to practice medicine in Iceland provided they display the word Scottulaejnir meaning “Quack doctor”
India
Children as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on exams
Iran
Iranian law suggests that sex play between animals is not recommended – especially when it involves a lioness
It is forbidden to eat snakes on a Sunday
There are more than 100 offences that carry the death penalty
Israel
It is illegal to pick one’s nose on the Sabbath
If a pig owner wishes to kill his pig, he is legally obliged to do it himself.
No person is allowed to dress or undress with the light switched on.
Italy
Men can be arrested for wearing skirts (a bit of a bummer for the Swiss guards at the Vatican)
You can be arrested after paying for your drinks and food in any Italian café if you do not pick up you receipt and take it at least 40 m from the café.
Japan
It is illegal to wear purple unless you are in mourning.
Laos
Women may not show their toes in public
Madagascar
Pregnant women may not wear hats
Malaysia
It is illegal for restaurant owners to substitute a table napkin with toilet paper.
Mexico
In Guadalajara it is illegal to shout offensive words in a public place.
In Guadalajara it is illegal for women who work in Government offices to wear mini skirts or any form of “provocative” clothing
New Zealand
The legal age for drinking is 20. However if you are 18 or over and married, you can drink provided you are with your spouse.
Paraguay
Duelling is legal providing both combatants are blood donors.
A man who catches his wife with someone else in bed is legally permitted to kill his wife and her lover providing he acts immediately.
Peru
The use of chilli sauce and other hot spices in prison food is banned. This is because it is thought that they act as aphrodisiacs, which would be bad with all those pent up prisoners.
Unmarried young men are not permitted to keep female alpacas in their apartments.
Russia
It is illegal to drive a dirty car
Qatar
If an unmarried woman falls pregnant she is banned from using hospitals or calling for any medical assistance. Her only options are to do without healthcare or leave the country
In Doha, if a man surprises a naked Muslim woman while bathing or dressing she must first cover her face, not her body.
San Salvador
Drunk drivers can be executed by a firing squad
Saudi Arabia
It is illegal for women to appear in public without a male relative or guardian present.
Women are not allowed to drive cars
It is illegal for male doctors to examine women and female doctors to examine men.
A woman can divorce her husband if he does not keep her supplied with coffee.
Singapore
Chewing gum on public transport is a crime punishable by a fine or a prison sentence
Spitting, smoking and feeding birds in public are considered civic crimes punishable by instant fines.
Failure to flush a public toilet is punishable by a fine or a prison sentence if caught during random checks by special police.
If you are caught dropping litter more than 3 times, the penalty is to clean the streets on Sundays wearing a bib saying “I am a litterer”. This will then be broadcast on the local news.
Sweden
It is illegal to train a seal to balance a ball on its nose.
Switzerland
Every citizen must have a bomb shelter or access to one.
Syria
A man is forbidden to look at the body of any woman who is not his wife
Thailand
When a man is driving he must always wear a shirt
It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing any underwear.
Turkey
All drivers must carry a hygienic body bag suitable for carrying a body up to 18st 12lbs (120 kilos). Failure to do so will result in a fine and possible a 6 month jail sentence.
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