Texas has some strange laws. If you're not familiar with those laws, we have you covered.
What could those weird statutes be? Perhaps flirting with your eyes is illegal in certain parts of the state. Or maybe your car doesn't have a windshield, but you're also missing windshield wipers, so you had better fix those wipers soon, or else!
Some of these "laws" are myths or bills that never passed.
According to HG.org, here are 15 bizarre oft rumored "laws: in Texas, though not all of them actually are:
No. 1: Selling your organs
Tex. Pen. Code. §48.02 says it's illegal to sell human organs in Texas: your eyes, heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin, and other tissues. While this might seem obvious, it's important to know that the law does allow you to sell blood and hair.
What are the consequences of selling said organs? It could be aClass A misdemeanor. This could also lead to a conviction that results in up to a year in jail and/or fines of up to $4,000.
No. 2: Barefoot in public
Do you need a permit to be publicly barefoot in Texas? This "law" is actually a myth. According to Texas Monthly, this law never existed. Due to the Great Depression, many people associated bare feet with poverty. When car ownership grew ever more common, high schoolers received warnings about the consequences of driving shoeless.
No. 3: No drinking while standing
In the Panhandle town of LeFors, it's illegal to take more than three sips or swallows of beer while standing, though the reason behind this law isn't entirely clear.
No. 4: Want to eat your neighbor's trash? Better have permission
Under Tex. Pen. Code. §31.04, eating your neighbor’s garbage without permission can land you in jail for trespassing and property theft.
No. 5: Carrying wire cutters? Don't do that
A long-standing ordinance from the "Wild West" era, which prohibited carrying wire cutters in your pocket, remained in effect for many years. It wasn't until 1973 that the Legislature updated the Penal Code and officially repealed the law.
No. 6: Don't milk another person's cow
According to the Texas State Law Library, if you're tempted to milk someone else's cow, you better think again. A source note in the 1925 Penal Code reveals that this law was in effect as early as 1866 but was removed in 1973. However, milking someone else’s cow remains illegal today. The difference now is that Texas law classifies it as theft of personal property.
No. 7: Don't shoot buffalo from the second story of a hotel
The Legislative Reference Library of Texas has debunked this "law" as a myth, but firing a gun out of your hotel window is still likely to upset management. If you do want to hunt game, you'll need a license to do so.
No. 8: Crime in Texas must come with a 24-hour notice
If you think you're about to pull off the perfect Texas heist, you better let someone know. This "law" is another myth.Rep. James “Jim” Kaster tried to pass this into law in 1973, but the bill was not passed.
The proposed statute was known as the “Failure to Warn Victim of Crime."
No. 9: Are you a flirt? Don't do it in San Antonio
It was once rumored that flirting with "eyes or hands" in public was illegal in San Antonio, but that's simply a myth.
No. 10: Common law marriages
Texas is a common law state. That means a state makes legal decisions largely based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws. In Texas, two willing parties — over 18, unmarried and unrelated — are legally married if they publicly announce they’re married three times. Tex. Pen. Code. §2.401 says thatindividuals who wish to be informally married still have to provide proof of the informal marriage.
No. 11: Windshield wipers but no windshield?
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, it is illegal to drive without windshield wipers, however the windshield is not part of the car's inspection process.
No. 12: Train crossings in Texas
This one is very strange. When two trains encounter each other at a crossing, both must come to a complete stop, and neither can proceed until the other has cleared the crossing.
No. 13: Don't sit on the sidewalk
In Galveston, it is illegal to sit on the sidewalk. You can be hit with a $500 fine, according to city code ordinances.
No. 14: Showing a little stocking? Don't do it
In Dennison and Bristol, it is illegal to show your stockings. The penalty is up to a year in jail; however, that arrest is very unlikely to happen.
No. 15: Don't feather dust in public
While this sounds silly, it is against the law to use a feather duster to dust any Texas public building.
We're not sure if it's the feather, the act of dusting or the type of feather that's illegal.
