The 7 Weirdest, Strangest, and Stupidest Laws in Vermont

The Constitution of the ‘Green Mountain State’ was adopted in 1793 following the state’s admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the 1777 Constitution of the Vermont Republic which was drafted at Windsor at the Old Constitution House and amended in 1786. It is the shortest constitution in the US with a word count of 8,295.

Some of the laws in this Constitution were enacted a long time ago and are not being enforced as much as they were back in the day. For instance, there is a law that states that women must provide dentists with written permission from their husbands in order to wear dentures. There is also another law that regulates the amount of food and the number of baths that every Vermont resident should take.

Below is a collection of seven strange laws from the state of Vermont that every visitor should be keen to follow.


1. Women need permission from their spouses to get dentures

In the aftermath of the Gilman v. Andrus case in 1856, the Vermont legislature moved to enact a law that required women to provide dentists with written permission from their husbands in order to wear dentures. This case has never been overturned but it’s safe to say that dentists are not too keen on implementing it.

2. No more than six meals per day and one bath per week

Long ago, during the early years of the state’s formation, the state government put out an edict that required every state resident to take at least one bath a week. This was an effort to mitigate the spread of communicable diseases and also there weren’t enough doctors to treat all the sick people. 

It was also decreed that every person should have, at most, six meals in a day.  This is because it might have been necessary to regulate food as the towns depended on certain items coming from other towns.

3. Flatlanders are not Vermonters

An old state law from the 1800s that was recently renewed by Governor Phil Scott restricts the title of “Vermonter” to anyone whose parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were born in the state. Anyone else is, for legal purposes, designated a “Flatlander.”

4. Reversing delivery men

Are you planning to start a delivery business in Vermont? If yes, you should be aware of the law that requires delivery men to walk backwards in driveways of a house worth more than $500,000.

When starting a business in Vermont, you need to understand the rules that the state imposes on businesses. Perhaps these guides on how to start an LLC in Vermont and how to find a great registered agent in Vermont can help you avoid any legal issues when opening or doing business in the state.

5. Never call a Vermont court a ‘kangaroo’ court

Defaming a court of law in the state of Vermont is against the law and could get the defamer a $200 fine.

6. Alter and Seder wines are illegal

Vermont has some pretty tough laws regarding the consumption of liquor within the state. The law prohibits the consumption of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21. It makes no exceptions for health or any other reason. This means that taking both sacramental wine or Seder wine is illegal. This is seen as a denial of religious freedom as many priests have needlessly been arrested.

7. Don’t deny God’s existence

Today, we take it for granted that most believe in God. We also take it for granted that those who don’t believe will not be arrested and detained for their personal beliefs. However, years ago it was not popular to walk away from the faith.

Source

Strangest laws in the different states

Strangest Laws in the USA

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