Strange Laws Still On the Books
NEW YORK OHIO OKLAHOMA Females are forbidden from doing their own hair without being licensed by the state. Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property. PENNSYLVANIA TEXAS VERMONT WASHINGTON A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town. WEST VIRGINIA
A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.
Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public.
Violators can be fined, arrested, or jailed for making ugly faces at a dog.
A special cleaning ordinance bans homemakers from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.
A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit.
Lawmakers made it obligatory for everybody to take at least one bath each week - on Saturday night.
All lollipops are banned.
No children may attend school with their breath smelling of "wild onions."
Originally published November 14, 2002.
