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Are Texas' bizarre laws still enforceable?

The law firm of Neal Davis reveals some bizarre Texas laws. Apparently, Texans need a permit to go barefoot in certain cities... and there's more where that came from.

Published August 20, 2024 at 6:03am by Marley Malenfant


Here are 15 bizarre laws that might still be enforceable in Texas, a state with some pretty weird statutes:

1. Selling human organs is a crime.

Tex. Pen. Code. §48.02: Selling your eyes, heart, kidneys, or other body parts is illegal, but you can sell blood and hair. Consequences? Up to a year in jail and/or a $4,000 fine.

2. Barefoot in public? No permit needed.

Myth: You don't need permission to go barefoot in public. A myth likely stemming from associations between bare feet and poverty during the Great Depression.

3. No drinking beer while standing up in LeFors.

It's illegal to take more than three sips of beer while standing.

4. Eating trash is considered trespassing and theft.

Tex. Pen. Code. §31.04: Eating your neighbor's garbage without permission can land you in jail for trespassing and property theft.

5. An old "Wild West" ordinance prohibited wire cutters.

Carrying wire cutters was illegal in Austin, but this law was repealed in 1973.

6. Milking someone else's cow is considered theft.

Texas State Law Library: While an old law from 1866 no longer exists, milking another person's cow is still theft of personal property.

7. Don't shoot buffalo from a hotel window.

Myth: While it's a myth that there's a law against shooting buffalo from a hotel, firing a gun from a hotel window is still a bad idea.

8. "Failure to Warn Victim of Crime" bill didn't pass.

Myth: Rep. James “Jim” Kaster's attempt to pass a law requiring criminals to give 24-hour notice failed in 1973.

9. Flirting in public is allowed in San Antonio.

Myth: Feel free to flirt with your eyes or hands in public; it's not illegal.

10. Common law marriages are recognized.

Married in the eyes of Texas law: Two willing, unmarried, unrelated, and legal adults who publicly announce their marriage three times are legally married. Tex. Pen. Code. §2.401: Proof of an informal marriage may be required.

11. Windshield wipers are mandatory, but a windshield isn't.

Texas Department of Public Safety: While you must have working wipers, a windshield isn't inspected.

12. Trains must give way at crossings.

A strange but true law: When two trains meet at a crossing, both must stop, and one must give way.

13. No sitting on the sidewalk in Galveston.

City code ordinances: Sidewalk sitting will cost you $500 in Galveston.

14. Showing your stockings is illegal in Dennison and Bristol.

A strange law with a strange penalty: up to a year in jail for flashing your stockings.

15. Feather dusters are banned from public buildings.

It's illegal to dust a public building with a feather duster.

Some of these laws are weird, but many are myths or outdated. So, watch out for those organ sellers and cow milkers, but feel free to flirt and flash those stockings!

Read more: Myth or real? 15 bizarre laws in Texas that might still be enforceable