Ranked by page views
The United States is a nation of many laws, and some of those rules and regulations are just downright weird, both for Americans and non-Americans. Looking at both national and state levels, there are certain laws that are pretty peculiar, especially compared to those in the rest of the world. Whether it's a food the government has deemed dangerous or a wacky decree leveled on some books, you'll be surprised by these odd directives.
Check out this gallery for 30 zany things that are illegal in the US.
In Massachusetts it's illegal to receive payment for telling fortunes without a license. That includes using coffee grounds, crystal balls, tarot cards, astrology and palmistry, among other methods, to do so.
Since 2012, it has been outlawed to display or use any toy, imitation, or replica firearm on the Las Vegas Strip.
The US Treasury department advises that the color copying of money is illegal, even if it's not for counterfeiting. Today's currency is embedded with a secret security code called the Counterfeit Deterrence System, which alerts photocopying machines, printers, and even Photoshop that someone is trying to duplicate US dollars.
Spanish ham, or jamón ibérico, is some of the finest ham in the world. But it's illegal to buy, sell, or import this processed meat in the US. This is because not a single pork slaughterhouse in Spain meets FDA standards.
In the US it's illegal to sell eggs that haven't been refrigerated. This is because the FDA is concerned about the possible spread of salmonella, which is killed off at low temperatures. In the UK, the opposite applies. The British Health Standards Agency is concerned that moving eggs from a cold to a warm environment can cause a dangerous build-up of bacteria.
A popular backyard target game in the '80s, lawn darts has been forbidden since 1987, when one wayward projectile tragically hit the head of a seven-year-old girl, who died from the impact.
It's a federal offense to tamper with, vandalize, or destroy mailboxes or any mail posted inside them. Mailboxes are considered federal property and damaging them can earn you three years in prison or a US$250,000 fine.
In Carmel, California, you can't walk through the streets in heels over 5 cm (2 in) high, or with less than 6 sq cm (1 sq in) of heel surface, without a permit. This 1963 law was passed due to the danger of tripping over irregular pavements distorted by tree roots.
In 1976, the food industry saw the arrival of "turkey ham," which was made from turkey, but produced to look and taste like ham. This angered both the pork and beef industries who successfully took legal action against the misnomer. The law remains strict and specific to this day. Manufacturers must label the product "turkey ham" and not "ham turkey," and those words must be immediately followed by the phrase "cured turkey thigh meat."
Federal law bans consuming alcohol while conducting any "parachute operation." Makes sense!
Even though many Americans have Scottish ancestry, the US banned haggis, Scotland's national dish, in 1971. Haggis is a savory meat pudding usually made from the liver, lungs, and heart of a sheep. It became illegal over fears that ingesting sheep lung would transmit a sheep-related disease called scrapie.
To this day federal laws remain in place to prosecute anyone who "consults, combines, confederates, or corresponds with any pirate or robber upon the seas." Note, however, that said pirate doesn't even have to be indulging in an act of piracy.
About 15 states have in place anti-mask laws, as do many counties and municipalities, mostly in attempts to prevent mob action during protests.
While there are no federal laws banning human cloning, several regulations exist that restrict the funding of projects that involve such a practice.
It's illegal in the US to import, sell, buy, or produce any merchandise made from the pelts or fur of dogs or cats. This protects pets from being harmed or killed, with regulations even applied to their excess hair.
It’s illegal to bring drums made of animal hides originating from Haiti into the US. The ban came about after goat hide drums from the Caribbean country were linked to a case of cutaneous anthrax.
Several states have so-called "ag-gag" laws, which penalize and prosecute whistleblowers who reveal animal abuse and other violations in the American meat industry.
Mangosteen is a fruit that's widely consumed in its native Thailand. However, it was once banned in the US because the fruit is prone to infestation by invasive Asian fruit flies. In 2007 the ban was lifted, but all imported mangosteen must first be irradiated to kill any incumbent insects.
As vegan and vegetarian food gains popularity every year, the collective meat industry wants labels like "burger," "sausage," and "hot dog" reserved only for food products made from animals.
The FDA bans all cigarette vending machines except for those in businesses that forbid minors from entering, like strip clubs and bars.
Kinder Surprise eggs are banned in the US because of safety concerns related to having a "non-nutritive object" inside the product, a reference to the plastic capsule found inside the egg that contains a toy. In 2017 the Ferrero company launched Kinder Joy eggs in the US, keeping the toy separate from the candy in the package.
Children's books printed before 1985 are outlawed in the US because the inks and paints used in the printing may contain traces of lead.
In Massachusetts it is illegal to own an explosive golf ball. Golf balls used to be made with liquid centers that could result in an explosion if the balls were cut open. Manufacturers have since switched to solid-core golf balls, but the law still bans the former design.
In the state of Tennessee it's technically illegal since 2011 for individuals to share login credentials with anyone who doesn't live under the same roof. This applies to Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, and Spotify, among other video and music on demand services.
Simply designed to break people's faces, several states prohibit the sale, purchase, or possession of brass knuckles for obvious reasons. However, their legal status remains murky in the country as a whole.
In 1974 New York led the way for several states to ban nunchucks, a martial arts weapon. But in 2018 a New York City judge lifted the ban as an unconstitutional infringement on Second Amendment rights. The status of Nunchucks remains in legal limbo.
In 1988, Hershey bought the rights for the US operations of the British Cadbury company and in 2015, Hershey won a legal challenge to ban the sale or import of Cadbury chocolate made in Britain to the US.
According to the New Jersey city of Patterson's penal code, you can't be annoying if you're trying to sell ice cream. But you also can't sell ice cream between 9pm and 9am.
Sources: (Stacker) (Chicago Tribune) (Indy 100)
See also: The US has not been involved in wars for only 6% of its existence
30 things you won't believe are banned in the US
Some of these make sense, others not so much
LIFESTYLE Laws
The United States is a nation of many laws, and some of those rules and regulations are just downright weird, both for Americans and non-Americans. Looking at both national and state levels, there are certain laws that are pretty peculiar, especially compared to those in the rest of the world. Whether it's a food the government has deemed dangerous or a wacky decree leveled on some books, you'll be surprised by these odd directives.
Check out this gallery for 30 zany things that are illegal in the US.