Weirdest Laws In Illinois

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan is Illinois, the 21st state to join the United States, per History. Nicknamed "The Land of Lincoln," the state is home to metropolises like Chicago, as well as massive areas of farmland and natural resources like coal. Like many states across the country, it has a complicated history, especially around issues like slavery, treatment of Native Americans, and land rights. When it comes to matters like these and others, the state government has the responsibility of making laws to properly handle them. However, even those that are in charge sometimes don't get things quite right.

The power to make the laws of society is a huge responsibility, at both the federal and state levels. Elected officials are trusted (to some extent) by the people to enact legislation that is best for the community. That makes sense, right? Though that is how it is supposed to work, if you take a look at the law books, you will find a lot of very strange things that are still there. Here are some of the odd, strange, and downright bizarre laws that are still in place in the great state of Illinois.

Illinois appears to have some issues surrounding alcohol consumption. In the United States, the legal drinking age is 21, per the FTC. In Illinois, though, there are apparently ways to get around this. According to The Neighbor, you can legally drink while still underage, but only if you are enrolled in a culinary program. The Illinois General Assembly also mentions that underage drinking is also legally acceptable as long as you are accompanied by your parents.

Though there are some interesting loopholes for those under the age limit for drinking, on the flip side, legal adults have some rather unusual restrictions as well. Specifically in Bloomington, don't walk in there and ask for a bottle of water, and then attempt to leave with the bottle. It's literally illegal. If you're on the streets of Pullman, make sure you aren't sitting on the curb drinking your beer out of a bucket (via Spudart).

Even though it's 2022 and the idea of gender equality has been around for quite a while, Illinois apparently has different sets of rules for men and women with certain things. The Neighbor explains that in Mount Pulaski, it's totally cool for boys to throw snowballs, but it is illegal for girls to do so. Also, ladies in Gurnee must make sure that they stay fit and trim if they plan to ride horses while wearing shorts. According to the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg, women over 200 pounds are prohibited from doing so.

Though it seems like the boys are getting to do whatever they please, there are also a couple of laws for them, too. In Eureka, men with mustaches can't get any sugar because they are not allowed to kiss women, due to their facial hair (via Only in Your State). According to Spudart, until its recent appeal, men were prohibited from walking around topless on the boardwalk, because you know, topless men are completely scandalous.

In looking at some of these laws, it seems like some of these older lawmakers were completely anti-fun. In Galesburg, no bicyclist can practice "fancy riding" on any city street, according to The Neighbor. "Fancy riding" seems a bit open to interpretation, but they must have a reason for it. Since they've squashed the idea of having fun on your bike, maybe you could go outside and do something like fly a kite, right? While some places might allow you to do so, flying a kite within the city limits of Chicago is strictly prohibited.

If you like using your slingshot, do not visit the town of Horner, unless of course you are a law enforcement officer. If you have a badge, you are free to use your slingshot as you please, otherwise it is against the law.

There must be lots of dog-loving people making laws in Illinois because there are numerous laws surrounding what you can and cannot do with man's best friend. First of all, you must make sure your dog is clean and smells good because it is literally against the law to have a smelly dog, according to Only in Your State. In addition to keeping your darling dog sparkling clean, you are not allowed to indulge your pup's desire to smoke cigars or drink whiskey, as both are illegal, per Only in Your State.

In addition to your pet's smoking and drinking habits, you must also make sure that your conduct around the dogs of others is appropriate. In Normal, it is against the law for you to make faces at dogs. Now it is not clear exactly what kind of faces they mean, but dogs usually make people smile, so hopefully a grin at your neighbor's dog won't get you in too much trouble.

Illinois also apparently takes other animals very seriously. In addition to their rules about dogs, they have some pretty specific rules around fishing in the state. The Law Offices of Andrew Weisberg explains a couple of those to us. It is totally illegal for you to wear your pajamas while you are fishing in Chicago. Not sure exactly why that would be a problem, but just don't do it. Additionally, in Oblong, you are absolutely forbidden from having sex while hunting or fishing on your wedding day. So if you thought you were going to combine those activities on your honeymoon, just don't do it there.

Lastly, Chicago takes the cake with this last particularly unique fishing law. Under no circumstances is it acceptable for you to fish while sitting on the neck of a giraffe, within the city limits (via Only in Your State). If you had plans to do this on your next fishing trip, just make sure that you do it someplace other than the Windy City.