The 8 Weirdest and Strangest Laws in Alabama (2024)

The ‘Heart of Dixie’ is a pretty conservative state. Almost 94% of all citizens in the state have a Christian, conservative upbringing and due to this most people would argue that breaking the law in Alabama is something that’s highly frowned upon.

Even so, the state legislature keeps churning out new laws to make sure Alabamans keep toeing the line but some of the laws they make are flat out ridiculous!

Below is a list of eight weird and strange laws enacted in Alabama. Granted, most of these weird laws are not enforced but they are absolutely real.

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1. Don’t dress up as a priest for Halloween

In fact, not just Halloween, never dress up as or pretend to be a priest, nun, rabbi or other members of the clergy in Alabama…period! If arrested, you’ll be guilty of a misdemeanor and when convicted, you’ll be punished by a fine not exceeding $500 or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year or both.

2. No funny staches during holy hour

If you wear a mustache to church with the intention of causing laughter, you could face up to three months in jail and a fine as high as $500. However, you can wear a fake mustache in Alabama as long as you don’t want to make someone laugh at church.

3. No work on Sundays

Alabama law prohibits anyone from compelling their child, apprentice or servant to perform any labor on Sunday. Unless the duty is of necessity to the family or community at large, Sunday is a mandated day off. Those who abuse this law shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $100 and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than three months.

Perhaps the guides on how to start an LLC in Alabama and how to find a great registered agent in Alabama can help you avoid any legal issues when opening or closing a business in the state.

4. Confetti is not allowed

The city of Mobile, Alabama, has banned the use and sale of confetti. The ‘confetti’ law deems it an offense against the city for anyone to have in possession, keep, store, use, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, give away or handle any confetti or other substance similar thereto, within the city or within its police jurisdiction.

5. Lewd dressing is rude

The city of Mobile considers it unlawful for any person to appear in a public place in a state of nudity or dressed indecently. The ordinance also prohibits people from performing or committing any indecent act while out in public.

6. No peanut sales during sundown… on Wednesdays

It is not clear how this obscure law came about in Lee County, Alabama. Something bad must have happened during the founding days of the county to so anger county residents that they had to petition their legislators to ban peanut vending on Wednesday nights.

7. No ice cream cones in your back pocket

This law was enacted to prevent horse theft. Apparently, horse thieves placed the sweet delights in their back pockets to lure their “new” horse back home.

8. No sharp pumps in public

Back to Mobile, Alabama. There was a situation involving a lady whose high-heeled shoe got stuck in a pavement and sheended up getting seriously injured in the process. As a result, the city banned pointy-heeled shoes in order to protect itself from future litigation.