Weirdest Laws In Oklahoma
No matter where you live or travel in the United States, you'll be subjected to more state and local laws than any of us could possibly count. While the majority of these laws are reasonable ways in which governments will provide protections to our persons and to our properties, you might be surprised to know that there are some laws that really stand out from the rest.
Yes, every state has their fair share of laws, most passed generations ago, that makes absolutely no sense in modern times. Some might not have made much sense the day they were drafted and passed, to be honest.
Are there such laws in the state of Oklahoma? Of course! Whether it's making you tether your car outside a public building or it's a prohibition on keeping a box of tissues in your vehicle, there's plenty of weirdness in this state to go around (via Only in Your State). Let's take a look at some of the weirdest laws that the powers that be have on the books in the Sooner State.
Oklahoma prohibits whaling
While in many states, there is an abundance of weird laws that are confined to the small towns that pass them, Oklahoma has a large number of strange laws on the books today that were passed by past state legislative sessions. Imagine the motive behind championing a law that makes it illegal to wear your boots to bed or one that keeps a person from taking a bite from another person's hamburger (via Stupid Laws).
Or how about a law that makes it a punishable offense to have the hind legs of farm animals tucked into your boots? Or one that would fine a person for carrying a fishbowl on a bus that contains a live fish?
But those aren't the only weird laws that still exist statewide. You can go to jail for making faces at a dog in Oklahoma. Or be faced with a penalty if you are caught reading a comic book while behind the wheel of a car. Thinking about taking up a career in whaling? Not in this state. The powers that be at the state capital in Oklahoma City put a stop to that.
And hotels in this state must abide by a really weird law regarding their bedsheets. All linens must have an extra three feet of material added to them. While probably no longer in force, it really makes a person curious how this law was proposed, let alone passed.
Women can't gamble naked
Many of the weird laws in Oklahoma are rooted in times in which people were a lot more prudish than they are today. And some are just downright misogynistic, to be honest. In Tulsa, kissing for more than three minutes is a violation of a city ordinance (via Stupid Laws). In the small town of Schulter, women are allowed to gamble, so long as they aren't wearing lingerie, a towel, or are nude.
The state of Oklahoma has a law against pre-marital sex. The state also disallows any public exhibition of sex or entertainment of a sexual nature, whether real or simulated. In one law that might need a second look, it is considered statutory rape if a man older than 18 has sex with a female under the age of 18, providing that the woman is a virgin.
If you get caught with a sex worker in Oklahoma, be prepared for some potential public embarrassment. In this state, your photograph will accompany your listed offense on television. Thinking of getting a tattoo? While you might see a lot of tattoo parlors in the state, they were illegal according to state statutes until 2006.
Women are not allowed to do their own hair unless licensed by the state (via Only in Your State).
No meetings of more than three dogs
But smaller towns still have some pretty weird laws in Oklahoma. In the community of Bromide, children aren't allowed to tie capes around their bodies and jump from a roof while pretending to be a superhero (via Stupid Laws). You can't keep pigs as pets in the town of Broken Arrow unless they are less than 32 inches long, and you limit yourself to no more than two indoors.
In Clinton, the mayor must sign a permit to allow more than three dogs to congregate on private property. If you are driving through the tiny town of Yukon, you must sound your car horn when passing another car. Yukon also has a law prohibiting you from tying a horse in front of the town hall.
Is your washing machine on the fritz? While you might be tempted to launder them in your neighbor's birdbath, you should know that such action is punishable by law in the town of Wynona. This town also has a law on the books making it illegal to let your mule drink from a birdbath.
No casket tipping in the capital city
The state's largest metro areas aren't strangers to weird laws. In fact, some of the weirdest laws recorded are on the books in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. For example, Tulsa made it against the law to open up a bottle of soda without the supervision of a licensed engineer (via Stupid Laws). This city also prohibits a person from taking an elephant for a walk downtown.
In the capital of Oklahoma City, don't let anyone catch you walking backward down the street while eating a hamburger. That will get you a hefty fine. This city also makes it unlawful to own or possess a stink bomb and has expressly forbidden anyone from staying inside a pool hall after they are legally intoxicated.
Before you have a tantrum at someone's funeral, know that tipping over the casket is against the law in Oklahoma City. In an unrelated local law, the mayor of this community is not able to legally walk out on strike.
A code of law that allows change
As you can see, Oklahoma has some laws still in force that might be worth reevaluating. The law is meant to reflect a community's current values, as well as to give its people and their property needed protection. As the law is a living system in the United States, rules and regulations that are now considered to be archaic are able to be looked at with a fresh set of eyes every election cycle.
This allows for laws that are outdated, and sometimes downright oppressive, to be revised, amended, or sometimes stricken from the books entirely.
While the state of Oklahoma isn't the only state that has some laws that need this sort of updating, those who reside in or visit this great state can have the assurance that in time, these old and weird laws will eventually be a thing of the past. Even the one prohibiting a store to display an image of a hypnotized person in the city of Hawthorne (via Stupid Laws).