Weirdest Laws In Nevada
By and large, people flock to the state of Nevada when they're looking to get away from reality. For decades, Las Vegas has been the mecca of all things sinful and fun, but what about the things you're not allowed to do?
Since the state's introduction into the union in 1864 (via NV.gov), it's accumulated a series of laws in its archives that you might find more than a little peculiar. For instance, if you stub your toe on the Vegas strip and exclaim your pain in the form of an unsavory four-letter word, you might wind up with a ticket to document the occasion, because it is technically illegal to curse on the Strip (per Municode). Though far more debaucherous things are reputed to happen regularly in Las Vegas and the ordinance hasn't been enforced in some time, it's still a law.
Let's take a look at some others.
Let sleeping dogs lie
This is one that animal lovers will surely find amusing. Back in the frontier days, dogs were used to herd sheep and other pasture dwelling animals that were considered precious property, so dogs in turn were considered precious property. Therefore, if you killed someone's dog on their property, you were liable to be hanged on behalf of capital offense (via Shook & Stone). The law is technically still on the books, so mind how you treat man's best friend in the Silver State.
If you're visiting Reno and you feel like taking a snooze, you might want to wait until you get back to your hotel room. According to city ordinance, it is illegal to lie down on a sidewalk. However, the middle of the street is fair game, so don't worry — you still have options if you feel the need to take a load off (per Shook & Stone).
Masked and 'stached
Mustaches are apparently back in style, but not without stipulation, it would seem. A Eureka law stemming back to the early 20th century forbids a mustached man from kissing a woman. That is right. If you've got some whiskers, you had better not kiss her! There is not a whole lot of explanation as to why, but once upon a time, it was considered highly offensive and therefore was not allowed (via Sevens Legal, ACP). However, it seems the law is hardly enforced.
Long before the coronavirus pandemic, mask mandates still had a place in the world. One of those places was — and remains — Elko, Nevada. During the 1918 Influenza outbreak, legislatures deemed it illegal to take to the streets without some sort of face covering in an attempt to curb widespread sickness. In the midst of the world's current conditions, this one might not be considered too outdated anymore (per Shook & Stone).
Dentures and camel adventures
Back in the late 1800s, it wasn't uncommon to traverse the Nevada landscape on camelback. Camels were brought to the Silver State while it was still constructing itself agriculturally and otherwise, and the four-legged friends were a useful way to speed the process up. However, widespread travel via camel became such an issue that lawmakers had to put a stop to it. To this day, it is vehemently prohibited to ride a camel on a Nevada highway (via Ovation/Blog).
People will pawn some strange stuff for an extra buck or two, but if you've got a pair of dentures with a few gold teeth in the row, don't bring them to a pawn shop or try to auction them off. Dentures are considered a medical device and are therefore prohibited by law in Las Vegas to be bought or sold under such conditions (per Shook & Stone).
Hearses and hoops
Not all of these weird laws are explicitly about what you can't do. Some are geared toward what you can. For instance, if you happen to find yourself in a rush to get to the cemetery in the nick of time, and you're leading the pack of a funeral procession, it is in fact legal to run stop signs and red lights. Nevada is the only state that allows this, granting police officers the right to direct traffic in accordance with funeral processions out of respect (per OLR Research Report).
Some of these are more recent than you'd imagine. Las Vegas sports myriad street performers along the Strip, but a few years back, hula-hooping on Fremont street was deemed especially hazardous activity to pedestrian traffic/surrounding businesses and had to be outlawed in 2010 (via Shook & Stone). Therefore, if you're looking to make a few extra bucks as a sidewalk spectacle, try juggling instead.
A street cart named desire
The city of Reno seems to be the reigning champ of odd laws. Within the city limits, it is illegal to store a spray-painted shopping cart in one's basement. The law was put into place after shopping cart theft started to become an issue, and spray-painting one makes identifying where it came from problematic. This law is strangely specific, but enough people were stealing and covering them in spray paint that the city officials had to put a legal stop to it (per Ovation/Blog).
Another arbitrary and peculiar ordinance that pertains to inanimate objects is Reno's law in regard to placing benches or seats on the street. Originally designed to halt the homeless problem, the city made it illegal to place a bench or other sitting device anywhere on the sidewalk/street, so do not get too comfortable when you are out and about in Reno (via Ovation/Blog).