You've Probably Been Doing A Few Of These Illegal Things In Indiana And Never Knew It
By Tori Jane|Published March 09, 2021
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Okay, so, let’s face it – sometimes, we break the law entirely by accident. Whether it’s a minor mistake in traffic or some other meager infraction, we’re usually hit with a twang of guilt before moving on with our lives. But, if we’re being honest here, there’s some pretty weird stuff on the books in the Hoosier state; you know, stuff you might not even know you’re not supposed to do. In fact, every state has its share of wacky and weird laws, but these bizarre Indiana laws might just take the cake (unless that’s illegal, too). We bet you didn’t know:
1. You are NOT ALLOWED to throw rocks at birds. Unless it's in self-defense. Because, you know, geese are a thing. Peacocks can be pretty shady, too.
Per Code 1975, § 20-6, sec. 403-4, you are not permitted to throw rocks at birds, which makes sense. You probably shouldn't throw rocks at any living thing, but in this case, the law does allow for defensive rock-throwing in the name of one's safety in the event that you are attacked by birds. You know, the likeliest of scenarios.
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to ride your horse faster than 10 miles per hour.
Per Code 1975, § 29-5, sec. 441-105, you speed demons need to calm down and leave some road for the rest of us, okay? We've all seen you just blasting through town on your horse, all willy-nilly, doing what, like 55 miles per hour? Well, it's a very real problem. So much so that we made an entire law to say you can't do that anymore.
Per Indiana Code § 35-46-6-2 (2017), you are expressly forbidden to sniff or otherwise inhale glue. Or gasoline. Or anything else that might alter your state of consciousness. We get it - don't sniff glue - but just how many people were doing this to ensure that a law was written up and passed to forbid it?
Per Code 14-22-9-1, sec. 1, you wild-at-heart-types aren't supposed to be grabbing up fish out of our precious rivers with nothing but your fists of rage. Use a rod like a normal person.
5. You are NOT ALLOWED to buy a cold soda at a liquor store.
Per Code 7.1-3-10-5, sec. 5, you're out of luck if you go into a liquor store imagining that you'll be purchasing a refreshingly cold fountain drink from there. It's cool, though, they're still allowed to sell you room-temperature soda, because that's kind of the same thing, right?
6. You are NOT ALLOWED to dye your rabbits. Or birds. That means you.
Per Code 15-2, 1-21-13, it's a class B Misdemeanor. That means it's punishable by a $1000 fine plus 180 days in jail, so think about that before you whip out the wacky hair color in front of your beloved Holland Lop.
7. You are NOT ALLOWED to go see a hypnotist without a referral from your licensed primary care physician. Unless you want to quit smoking. That's fine.
...or lose weight. Per Code 25-20.5-1-23, sec. 23a, only persons looking to ditch the tobacco habit or shed some pounds are permitted to go see a hypnotist. Otherwise, you need a physician to give you a referral, and we're not sure where you're going to find a physician who will spend their time writing up referrals for this.
As a bonus point, simply because it must be mentioned, once upon a time in the town of South Bend, it was illegal to force your pet monkey to smoke cigarettes. We have so many questions. Like, what if the monkey isn’t “forced”? What if your pet monkey decides for himself that he wants a cigar one day, then what? Is that cool? He’s an adult, right? There are no other laws on the books to consult about this. The world might never know.
How many of these bizarre Indiana laws applied to you? Admit it, you know you’ve been thinking about tie-dying your parrot…right? Just us?
Looking for more Indiana shenanigans? Check out this article for some all-too-relatable memes about the Hoosier State.
What are your favorite wacky Indiana laws? Tell us about them in the comments.
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