Every state has tons of weird laws that just make very little sense, causing regular people to become law breakers daily.
For example, in New York, it is illegal to place an ice cream cone in your pocket during Sundays while out in public. Laws like these seem completely absurd, and truthfully, laws like these rarely see anyone get locked up for them.
Lawmakers create these laws in two different ways. One way is when an old law becomes irrelevant and is no longer needed. The more common way, however, is when regular laws get taken out of context.
Imagine this scenario: someone was playing their guitar at 4 a.m. and ended up annoying their neighbors. Now, if the neighbors took that person to the court and the court ruled the defendant guilty, that now becomes legal precedent, meaning it is now illegal to play a guitar after 4 a.m.
Knowing the context behind these weird laws, here’s the top 5 that you and I probably break every day without knowing.
1. Singing in the Bath or Shower
If you’re a shower singer, you might want to move out of Pennsylvania, as in 1969 state Congress passed an act that banned singing while in the bathtub or shower. Feel free to sing as loud as you want next to the shower though.
2. Buying a Car on Sunday
Need a new car because yours broke down? You better hope it’s not a Sunday. Being a vestige of Pennsylvanian’s blue laws, lawmakers enacted it to keep Sunday as a designated day of rest. While most of the former blue laws no longer remain, this one is still standing strong.
3. Putting Pretzels in a Bag
Be careful about packing a little snack for your road trip, accidentally put pretzels in a plastic bag and you’re going to jail, thanks to an act pasted in 1760 in Philadelphia. Plastic containers are completely fine, so use those to play it safe and stay as a good law-abiding citizen!
4. Wearing Makeup in Public
If you plan on moving to Morrisville, you’re going to need a permit before you wear any makeup. Because of the local Amish tradition, residents must get a permit to wear any cosmetics while passersby can wear any cosmetics they want.
5. Hunt Swimming Animals
Plan on hunting big game this season? Hopefully, your target does plan on going for a swim. While it’s illegal to hunt any big game animals that are swimming, if they are just standing in water, they are free game. It’s also illegal to hunt inside a cemetery, but who would do that in the first place?
These are just a few of Pennsylvania’s many laws you need to follow or you might just end up behind bars.
