We already busted the fake «weird laws» everyone repeats and gave you real, cited ones from Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, and beyond. Turns out there were way more real ones we didn’t have room for — so here are five more, every single one tied to an actual statute or city code, not internet folklore.
1. Idaho: cannibalism is explicitly illegal (with one specific exception)
You’d assume this falls under general murder or assault laws, but Idaho actually has a standalone statute specifically criminalizing cannibalism, carrying a sentence of up to 14 years. Here’s the genuinely surprising part: the rule includes an affirmative defense for situations of extreme survival necessity — meaning lawmakers apparently sat down and specifically carved out an exception for scenarios like plane crashes or being stranded without food. It’s oddly thoughtful for a law that sounds like a horror movie premise.
2. Illinois: owning too many salamanders is a felony
Specifically, possessing more than $300 worth of salamanders in Illinois is classified as a felony under the state’s compiled statutes. This isn’t a random anti-amphibian grudge — it’s wildlife protection law, aimed at preventing illegal trafficking of native or protected salamander species. Still, «felony salamander hoarding» is a genuinely funny way to describe conservation law out of context.
3. Iowa: margarine has to look different from butter, by law
Restaurants in Iowa that serve margarine instead of butter are legally required to either post a clear notice saying so, or serve the margarine shaped into a triangle specifically to distinguish it from butter. This sounds absurd until you learn it’s a leftover from a wave of «butter protection» laws passed across several dairy-heavy states in the 20th century, when margarine was seen as a real economic threat to dairy farmers. Iowa just never got around to repealing its version.
4. New Jersey: a bulletproof vest can get you in extra trouble
In New Jersey, wearing a bulletproof vest while committing a crime is its own separate criminal offense, stacked on top of whatever crime you were already committing. The logic isn’t arbitrary: lawmakers specifically wanted to discourage criminals from arming themselves with body armor to make violent confrontations (especially with police) more dangerous and prolonged.
5. Hawaii (and 3 other states): billboards are basically banned
Hawaii’s outdoor advertising rules is strict enough that it essentially prohibits billboards statewide, generally only allowing signage directly on the property of the business being advertised. Hawaii isn’t alone here, either — Alaska, Maine, and Vermont all have similarly strict statewide billboard bans, making them the only four states in the country where you genuinely won’t see roadside billboards on your drive. Not a quirky leftover law — a deliberate, still-enforced scenic protection policy.
Bonus bust: the «women can’t curse» myth
While we were digging through these, we ran into a classic fake one worth flagging: the claim that in Logan, Utah, women are legally prohibited from swearing. It shows up on «weird laws» lists constantly, phrased as though it’s a quirky but real statute. It isn’t — there’s no verifiable Utah statute anywhere that singles out women specifically for using profanity. It’s exactly the kind of oddly-specific-sounding claim that spreads because it feels like it must have come from somewhere real, which is precisely the pattern this whole category of content keeps falling into.
Verdict: real vs. rumor, round two
Real, verified, and still enforceable: Idaho’s cannibalism statute, Illinois’ salamander possession felony, Iowa’s margarine-shape rule, New Jersey’s bulletproof vest offense, and the billboard bans across Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, and Vermont.
Fake, despite sounding just specific enough to be believable: the Utah «women can’t curse» law. If you can’t find the actual code section, assume it’s internet folklore until proven otherwise — same rule as always.
Sources consulted: Enjuris «The Weirdest Real Law in Every U.S. State» (statute-cited, covering Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky); usasymbol.com verified/unverified weird law tracker (New Jersey bulletproof vest law, verification status); Fox News «America’s oddest laws» series (Hawaii and multi-state billboard ban context).