From local ordinances to state laws, Iowa has its fair share of strange laws. Some are so wacky that even the most creative person would have a hard time dreaming them up. This list will only include enacted laws and not proposed legislation because many of the urban legends about weird laws are actually just proposed legislation sensationalized by the media. Without further ado, here they are.
Honorable Mention: Though this “law” is just a myth, it seemed too good not to include on the list. It is illegal for a mustached man to kiss a woman in public. Fortunately for all the mustached men and mustache loving women out there, this is indeed false. Would the man only have to have a mustache, or does it extend to men with mustaches and beards? We may never know.
- In Marshalltown, Iowa, it is forbidden for horses to eat fire hydrants. In 1937, city code was updated to include a statute that made it illegal for animals to be tied to or damage fire hydrants, telephone poles, streetlights and trees, but it is also illegal for the animals to bite or eat them. As a city attorney stated, “I would fear any horse that could.”
- In Bettendorf, Iowa, it is prohibited for stores to place advertisements for beer outside of the establishment. Strangely, this law only applies to beer brands, not any other alcoholic beverages or tobacco products. There is one exception, however. Advertisement for specific beer brands is allowed only if located in a partially enclosed or enclosed area, like a patio or fenced in garden.
- In Indianola, Iowa, ice cream vendors are banned from operating on city streets. The law was originally enacted to protect local ice cream parlors from Des Moines food trucks. So sadly, no kids in Warren County hear the joyful sound of an ice cream truck on a hot summer day. Local ice cream trucks can only be operated on special occasions with the permission of the county.
- According to Iowa code 553B, it is illegal to sell or distribute drugs or narcotics without first obtaining the appropriate drug tax stamp. Failure to comply with the law is a class-D felony. So if someone offers you free drugs, you know it’s a set-up because there is no tax!
- In Mount Vernon, Iowa, one must obtain written permission from the city council before throwing bricks or stones into the street. The strange thing is, why not make it outright illegal? What scenario would benefit from throwing projectiles into the road? This ordinance extends to shooting arrows, rubber guns and air rifles into roads as well.
- According to Iowa code 192.143, “[i]mitation butter shall be sold only under the name of oleomargarine, and no person shall use in any way, in connection or association with the sale or exposure for sale or advertisement of any such product, the word butter, creamery, or dairy, or the name or representation of any breed of dairy cattle, or any combination of such word or words and representation, or any other words or symbols or combination thereof commonly used in the sale of butter.” This seems to be defunct, though, because shelves at Iowa supermarkets are stocked with the popular margarine brand “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!”
From drug tax stamps to fake butter, Iowa has some weird laws. While some of these seem to have rational bases, many are way off the deep end. Whether you live there or are just passing through, these are the things you should not do in Iowa.
