Weird Laws of Pennsylvania

Weird Laws from Pennsylvania

While every state has some pretty strange laws, a few locations have an exorbitant amount of them. Pennsylvania is one of these locations, with crazy laws about everything from sleeping on refrigerators to singing in the bathtub. Many of these are state-wide legislation, although a few of the towns in Pennsylvania have their own weird rules to follow. Let’s take a look.

Statewide Laws

For all you fishermen and women out there, don’t go to Pennsylvania expecting to do something crazy. It is illegal to catch a fish by any body part other than the mouth. There’s also a law forbidding the use of dynamite to catch fish and another banning catching fish by hand. Better stick with a fishing pole.

Then there are the liquor laws. The first strange law in that vein is that all liquor stores must be ran by the state. But, you also cannot buy more than two cases of beer at a time unless you buy them from an official “beer distributor”, whatever that means.

Moving on to traffic laws, Pennsylvania declares that anyone driving a vehicle who sees a team of horses coming must pull off the road, cover the car with a blanket that blends in with the countryside, and then let the horses pass. The blanket part is probably the strangest aspect of this law, but the whole thing is a little wacky.

It doesn’t end there, though. Motorists on country roads are also required by law to stop every mile, provided it’s night, and send up a signal. They must then wait 10 minutes for livestock to clear before moving another mile up the road.

Other odd laws that are statewide in Pennsylvania include:

• It is illegal to sing while in a bathtub.
• An individual may not become Governor if they have participated in a duel.
• Firework stores cannot sell fireworks to residents of Pennsylvania.
• Vehicles cannot be sold on Sundays.
• More than 16 women cannot legally live together, as it constitutes a brothel.
• It’s illegal to discharge a cannon, revolver, or gun at a wedding.

City Specific Laws

While there are plenty of strange laws across the state, some of the more imaginative ones only apply in specific cities and towns in Pennsylvania.

• Carlisle – In the middle of Carlisle, people must pay $50 to park on a particular block.
• Bensalem – Those who convicted of felonies may not operate a bingo game. In addition, those who operate bingo games cannot advertise their prizes.
• Morrisville – Women wearing cosmetics must have the appropriate permit.
• Pittsburgh – It is illegal to bring a mule onto a trolley car. Also, sleeping in a refrigerator is against the law here.
• Allentown – Law prohibits men becoming aroused in public.
• Ridley Park – You are not allowed to walk backwards while eating peanuts in front of Barnstormers Auditorium while a performance is taking place. You can’t make this stuff up.

These aren’t the only wacky laws from the state of Pennsylvania, but that’s enough for this week. We hope you enjoyed hearing all the unique requirements of this state. Next time you’re passing through, make sure you’re caught up on the strange traffic laws!