5 Quirky West Virginia Laws You’d Never Guess Existed
If you’re a Mountaineer, you might think you know all there is about West Virginia’s history and culture. But the state’s old laws show us that lawmakers once made rules that sound pretty odd today.
While many of these rules aren’t enforced anymore, they still offer a glimpse into the past and remind us how quirky laws can seem decades or centuries down the road.
Abandoning Your Refrigerator
Refrigerators and other airtight appliances like freezers don’t last forever. So, many West Virginians have likely broken the law by throwing them out before removing the entry doors first.
The catch? You don’t have to remove the doors if your airtight appliance is less than two feet tall.
Should you happen to get in trouble for abandoning your refrigerator door and all, you could have to pay $200 and a jail sentence of up to six months. Ouch!
Whistling Underwater
Sorry to break it to you, underwater whistle lovers—it’s illegal to whistle underwater in West Virginia.
The idea behind the law might have been to keep people from causing a disturbance near lakes and streams, though it is hard to imagine anyone actually whistling underwater.
Even if no one gets in trouble for this today, it makes you smile to think about a law against such a silly and seemingly harmless act.
Owning Flags of Certain Colors
Before 2010 rolled around, owning a red or a black flag was against the law in West Virginia.
What could possibly be former lawmakers’ reasoning for this, you wonder? They saw red and black-colored flags as being sympathetic towards or showing support of non-U.S. governments and ideals.
Nowadays, any red or black flags in West Virginian closets are now free to make their public debut.
Sunday Hunting Restrictions
West Virginia once had strict rules about hunting on Sundays. The idea was to keep Sundays special for rest and religious observance.
In 2018, restrictions on Sunday hunting in all forms were lifted. It was a long road to get there, though; first, West Virginia relaxed its laws for hunting on private land only. Now, hunters can hunt on public land on Sundays too.
Even though many residents now hunt on Sundays, the old rules remain a fascinating part of West Virginia’s past. They show how community values can shape laws, even if those laws later seem a bit odd.
Hat Wearing
If you love yourself a good hat, it was smart to stay out of West Virginian theaters until relatively recently. A former law stated that it was illegal to wear hats in theaters and other places of amusement.
The reasoning was that hats block the view of the people behind them. As silly as this law may seem now, we have to give former lawmakers a thumbs up for thoughtfulness.
Before 2010, if you were caught wearing a hat in theaters and other places of amusement, you could have been slapped with a misdemeanor, the fine ranging from $2 to $10.
No, we didn’t leave out an extra couple of zeros in those numbers.
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