Strange Rules the Modern World Forgot To Revoke

Somewhere, buried under the paperwork of modern bureaucracy, a handful of dusty, long-forgotten laws are still hanging on. While technically legally binding, they’re also absolutely baffling. These laws sit there quietly, half-forgotten, like a trapdoor left ajar in an old theater. Most were written for worlds that don’t exist anymore, but somehow, they made it through centuries of reform untouched. Here are 20 absurd laws from antiquity that still linger in our legal ledgers.

Kindel Media on Pexels

1. York, England: Kill a Scotsman with a Bow and Arrow

This one’s been repeated so often it sounds like folklore, but technically, it’s still written into the city’s ancient charter. Of course, trying it would result in a swift trip to jail, but this medieval clause somehow has endured.

Clément Proust on Pexels

2. Samoa: Forgetting Your Wife’s Birthday

If you forget the flowers or the dinner reservation, you could theoretically, under Samoan law, face a fine. You can almost imagine the local police shrugging: “We didn’t make the rule, mate. We just enforce it.” This law probably saves a few marriages each year, out of sheer fear.

cottonbro studio on Pexels

3. Switzerland: Owning Only One Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs are social creatures, so having just one is considered animal cruelty. The Swiss, methodical as always, codified their companionship into law. Even rodents have guaranteed social rights within this nation.

Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

4. Milan: Required to Smile at All Times

This leftover law from the 19th century was meant to encourage civic cheerfulness. The idea was to make the city seem friendly to visitors. The punishment for a scowl outside of hospitals and funerals was a fine.

PodMatch on Unsplash

5. France: Naming a Pig Napoleon

It may seem petty, but the French take their symbols seriously and this law is rooted in a genuine respect for historical figures. If ever you happen to own a farm near Lyon and think Napoleon would make a charming name for your pet pig, think again.

Dan Renco on Unsplash

6. Arizona: Cutting Down a Cactus

The iconic saguaro takes over a century to grow, and locals treat them like revered senior citizens. The punishment for cutting one down is up to 25 years in prison—a life sentence, more or less.

Dulcey Lima on Unsplash

7. Thailand: Stepping on Money

Because the king’s face appears on every bill and coin, stepping on a coin is considered a royal offense. Even accidentally pinning one under your shoe can earn you glares, or worse, a fine.

Abiwin Krisna on Unsplash

8. Singapore: Chewing Gum

It started in the ’90s, when discarded gum was gumming up train doors and escalators. In response, the government outlawed it. You can still get medical gum with a prescription, but bubblegum-blowing teenagers are technically outlaws.

Sandra Seitamaa on Unsplash

9. Scotland: Letting Strangers Use Your Toilet

This law is a relic from a time when hospitality was sacred. It’s hard to imagine anyone testing it today by knocking on strangers’ doors in Edinburgh to use their loo, but the law endures nonetheless.

Ana Benet on Pexels

10. Japan: Waistline Limits

The “Metabo Law” requires companies to measure employees’ waists annually. Men can’t exceed 33.5 inches, whereas women are limited to 35.4. It’s meant to reduce healthcare costs, but it feels more like a dystopian gym policy.

Karola G on Pexels

11. England: Handling Salmon Suspiciously

The exact wording is: “suspicious circumstances.” No one knows what suspicious salmon-handling looks like, but there’s a law from 1986 that bans it.

NOAA on Unsplash

12. Victoria, Australia: Changing a Light Bulb

Although this law is technically on the books, it’s rarely enforced. It was meant to reduce accidents, but now it just makes for great pub trivia and a convenient excuse for teenagers to ignore their fathers when it comes time to swap out that burnt-out bulb.

MART PRODUCTION on Pexels

13. Denmark: Checking Under Your Car

This law is written into the traffic laws and seems oddly specific until you remember Copenhagen’s bike culture and narrow streets. It’s a good rule, even if it feels like overkill.

Malte Luk on Pexels

14. China: Reincarnation Without Permission

Yes, really. It’s part of a law regulating Buddhist monasteries that’s meant to control religious leadership succession. It may be philosophically absurd, but in a land where bureaucracy reigns supreme, it’s hardly surprising.

AMOL NAKVE on Pexels

15. Alabama: Fake Moustaches in Church

This leftover from the early 20th century was written into law to preserve the sanctity of church decorum. A century ago, a child probably laughed once at a friend’s fake stache, disrupting the service, and an entire statute was born.

behrouz sasani on Pexels

16. Canada: Paying With Too Many Pennies

If you try and buy a sandwich with 200 pennies, the cashier can legally refuse. It’s one of those laws everyone forgets exists until someone tries to use the contents of their coin jar.

Barry A on Unsplash

17. England: Unmarked Swans Belong to the King

This medieval law still technically applies to parts of the Thames. Each year, there’s an official “swan-upping” ceremony where they count the royal birds. This throwback to feudalism is as ceremonial as it sounds, with robes and trumpets.

Igor Sporynin on Unsplash

18. Vermont: False Teeth Without Permission

This antique moral law thankfully goes unenforced, but it remains on the books. It’s difficult to imagine the reasoning behind this, as if going all gums was somehow the moral high ground.

Quang Tri NGUYEN on Unsplash

19. Italy: Feeding Pigeons in Venice

St. Mark’s Square was once a cloud of birds and feathers. Eventually, the city realized the cleanup cost millions and outlawed tossing bread to the local pigeon population. The pigeons must not have gotten the memo; they still clamber about, hoping for a crumb here or there.

Suyash Mahar on Unsplash

20. Wales: Being Drunk in a Pub

It makes you wonder, “If not in a pub, then where?” This law goes back to the 19th century and still technically applies. Bartenders just laugh about it now as they pour another pint and pretend the rulebook doesn’t exist.

Amie Johnson on Unsplash