Everybody loves hearing about weird Montana laws. My previous article about having the legal right to an easement to your favorite seat in church was very popular, so I thought I’d tell you about more of them. Let’s jump right in.
In Billings, it’s illegal to sell pet rats. Section 4-304 of the city code reads: “It is unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, harbor, raise or give away as pets, toys, premiums, novelties, or for any other purpose except as feed for reptiles or birds of prey or both.” I have so many questions. Who has pet rats? Who gives them away? Aren’t there enough rats that we don’t need to raise more? I’m just glad that there’s a reptile and birds-of-prey exception. Owners of those animals must have strong lobbyists.
In Helena, it’s illegal to spray water from a sprinkler onto a sidewalk. Section 5-9-2 of the city code provides: “No person shall place any revolving fountain, hose or sprinkler so that the water from the same shall be thrown upon any street, avenue or sidewalk to the annoyance of [a] passerby.” It is slightly annoying to get sprinkled while walking down a sidewalk, but is a law required? Apparently so in Helena.
The existence of these two weird laws has been verified. Now we dive into the realm of unverified laws. These seem too wacky to be true, but some say they actually exist.
Perhaps the most famous weird Montana law – that I cannot find in the statutes – is that unmarried women cannot go fishing. Unless it’s on a Sunday.
I’ll be presenting more weird laws in several more Ask an Attorney columns.
These weird laws are from an article on the Montana Beyond website.
(This information is of a general nature; exceptions to these general statements might exist. This information is for general educational purposes only; no attorney-client relationship with Overstreet Law Group, LLC is formed unless a person enters into a written representation agreement with the firm.)
Recent Comments