The Weirdest State Laws Still on the Books

Every state has laws that seem absurd by modern standards — holdovers from centuries past that never got repealed. While most aren't enforced, they're still technically on the books. Here are some of the strangest.

Alabama: It's illegal to wrestle a bear. This law was passed in 1996 to stop actual bear-wrestling events that were happening in the state. It's also technically illegal to wear a fake mustache in church if it causes laughter.

Alaska: It's legal to shoot bears, but illegal to wake one up to take a photo. Moose are not allowed to be viewed from an airplane — a law aimed at preventing aerial hunting.

California: Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool. In San Francisco, it's illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner.

Connecticut: Pickles must bounce to officially be considered pickles. This regulation was established in 1948 to crack down on substandard pickle sellers.

Florida: If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the owner must feed the meter just as if it were a car. Unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be fined.

Indiana: Pi is not legally 3.2 — but the state almost made it so. In 1897, a bill to redefine pi nearly passed the legislature before a math professor intervened.

North Carolina: It's technically illegal to sing off-key. The law dates back to a time when communities wanted to maintain "order and decorum."

Ohio: It's illegal to get a fish drunk. This law presumably exists because someone, at some point, tried it.

Tennessee: It's illegal to share your Netflix password — Tennessee was the first state to criminalize entertainment subscription sharing in 2011.

Texas: You're allowed to carry a concealed weapon, but it's illegal to carry wire cutters in your pocket in Austin. This law dates to the fence-cutting wars of the 1880s.

These laws remind us that legislation is a product of its time. While they make us laugh today, each one was passed in response to a real (if sometimes bizarre) situation. America's legal landscape is as quirky and diverse as the country itself.