Every state has its own unique and bizarre laws. Some laws are so outdated that they seem ridiculous now but that makes them even more intriguing. Washington, DC is no exception. With all of DC’s history, Washington has had its share of odd laws. Here are some of those crazy laws that must have made sense at one time or another.
- Photo Time Limit
There are so many notable and historic attractions in DC that it’s only natural to want to get that perfect shot as a memento. However, be sure to time yourself when snapping that photo because according to DC law, you can’t stand in any one place, along the city’s sidewalks, for longer than five minutes while trying to capture that perfect shot.
- Freedom of Speech Time Limit
Not only is there a time limit on the amount of time you can spend taking a photo but there’s a time limit on your freedom of speech. Sounds a little ironic for DC, doesn’t it? If you don’t want to suffer a fine or worse, you can’t spend more than 30 consecutive days in the same location expressing your freedom of speech. After 30 days, you must move to a new location if you want to exercise your First Amendment rights.
- Don’t Advertise Your Duel With a Public Flier
Speaking of freedom of speech, you have the freedom to verbally challenge someone to a duel but if they turn it down, you can’t post a public flier calling them a coward for not accepting the challenge.
- Surfing in DC
Bet you never thought of catching a wave in DC. Just in case you do, you better be sober when surfing in DC. This includes any vessel on the water such as water skis, surfboards, and aquaplanes. Getting high on jet skis is not recommended because this law not only includes alcohol but hallucinogens, marijuana, barbiturates, and narcotics.
- Counting Sheep
It’s hard to count sheep, herd them, and safely maneuver DC traffic. In order to do it legally, you need six drovers and if crossing a bridge, one third of the bridge must be clear for others. Watch out for those sheep out there!
- One Accordion Not Two
If you’re an accordion player in DC, you may be out of luck because you can’t play a duet with a friend. No more than one accordion can be played in a venue for entertainment at the same time. If you have two accordions playing for entertainment in a venue at the same time, you’re breaking the law. The same law applies to string instruments. There can be no more than three stringed instruments playing in an establishment simultaneously.
- Forget the Dance Marathon
In DC, you can’t dance for more than 12 hours within a 24 hour period. This includes not only dances but contests, races, or anything of the kind.
- Santa Claus is Coming To Town
You and Santa better watch out. You can’t create an illustration of Santa Claus or use him to promote alcohol. If you do, you could be in serious trouble. In fact, you can’t reference holidays such as Mother’s Day or Easter with the sale of alcohol.
- Parking Ticket in Your Own Driveway?
Apparently, if you don’t pull far enough up in your driveway you can get a ticket. It doesn’t matter if you’re not blocking a sidewalk or a street. Not to worry, you can lease this restricted area of your driveway from the city to avoid getting a ticket.
- No Dancing at the Jefferson Memorial
Be sure not to shake your booty at the Jefferson Memorial. Not only can you not dance for more than 12 hours but you can’t dance at all. People have been arrested for doing this very thing, even silently dancing.
Supposedly, these laws made sense and were pertinent at some point in time throughout the history of DC. Better check out their laws before visiting or even if you live there. You may be doing something illegal and not even know it. What a fun way to learn a little history about the state capital and some of its bizarre laws.
