Stay Out Of Trouble! Avoid Breaking These Iowa Laws.

Most people (believe it or not) try not to cause trouble. Most people try to keep out of jail. Don't get caught unwittingly violating some law though. Knowledge is power.

Iowa isn't like most states, but one way they are like most states?

Stupid, outdated laws that draw laughter but are still in effect.

For example:

* A man with a mustache may never kiss a woman in public.

* Tanning bed facilities must warn of the risk of getting a sunburn.

* It is a crime to use a dead person’s handicapped parking sign or license plate.

* Kisses may last for no more than five minutes.

* All boxes used to pick hops must be exactly 36 inches long.

* Doctors who treat a person with gonorrhea must report this to the local board of health and include the disease’s “probable origin”. (This wouldn't get awkward at all!)

* In Dubuque, any hotel in the city limits must have a water bucket and a hitching post in front of the building.

* In Marshalltown, horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants.

* In Cedar Rapids, "no person shall tell fortunes or practice phrenology, palmistry or clairvoyancy in the city".

There's others. You can either read the entire penal code for your city or the state of Iowa, or just go here.

There's some silliness there, and I'm not just saying that as someone who hates following rules as is.