The Odd Law Relating to Duck Walking
In the vibrant city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, there are a number of unusual laws that you may want to familiarize yourself with before your next visit. One such law dictates that in Fulton Park, you are prohibited from either singing or whistling while walking past a duck. While there is no apparent reason for why this particular law exists, it dates back to 1920 and has been strictly enforced in the past. There is even a rumor that a handful of men who were charged under this law were not given jail time, but had to pay fifty cents for each duck they walked past while singing or whistling. A very well-documented case regarding the law was that of Clarence Deere, a 60-year-old man who was arrested and fined $5 for attempting to tie a cat to a pole with a piece of string . Though the law itself does not mention cats or string, Deere reportedly did not know the law prior to the incident, as most residents of Kalamazoo and nearby Portage did not. Deere himself told a reporter from the Detroit News, "I didn’t know it was against the law. I have lived here 35 years and never heard of it." In addition to the uncommon law regarding serenade, there is also a statute that states that it is against the law to paint a mule purple, and in another unrelated law, it is stated that every motor vehicle shall be surrounded by at least a six-foot fence, in order to prevent any motorist from using the sidewalk as a parking lot.
Michigan’s Adultery Prohibition
In Michigan, adultery is technically a felony. It is believed to have originated from an early English canon decision against the church, declaring divorce to be a sin. This law defines adultery as "any voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person of the opposite sex, other than the spouse of the person." Even though it is on the books, Michigan law is not actively pursuing adultery cases. Getting involved with another person while in a marriage will not play into the division of assets or child custody factors in divorce disputes. Nine other states in the U.S. still classify adultery as a felony. However, the last known case was in 1989, so even these states like Michigan are unlikely to prosecute these laws today.
The Strange Ruling on Paint Color Selection
Among the laws still on the books in Michigan is one that specifically prohibits the painting of sparrows in order to sell them as parakeets. This is literally Michigan law. The issue appears to be more than just painting the wrong sort of bird for sale over the years, but comes from something called the "Manner of Killing Rabid Animals Act." The only way to efficiently get the job done in the 19th Century was to burn them with gasoline. The problem with this technique is that it could spread to surrounding structures—especially one made of wood shingles. So basically, it came down to making sure that the birds were painted sparrow so that nobody would want to buy them.
According to a contemporary report on the law, it originally stated that no animal should be killed with gasoline, and if a person sold or gave away an animal that was eventually killed with gasoline, then they were also guilty. This wording must have probably had some negative impact on other animal sales, creating the need to amend the law to specifically allow for normal sales of animals, while prohibiting any bird that "has been painted, dyed or otherwise changed from its natural color for the purpose of resale as a parakeet."
Decoding Michigan’s Law on Missing Dentures
In Michigan, a law specifically states that no one can steal false teeth. Now, this may seem strange – why is there such specificity for a law and how much stealing of dentures is there anyway? Likely, more than you expected. But it seems that this law dates back to the days when dentures were made entirely of ivory, which was a much more desirable material than it is today, and thus they were a target for thieves.
The law does not contain any information about an associated punishment. However, it is a full felony charge, because it is categorized as stealing a person’s personal property worth greater than $500.00. Fines can go all the way up to $10,000 and jail time can range from 1 year up to 15 years. With a penalty range that high, you’ve got to wonder what categories of property the law was created to try and prevent theft of, that require such a severe penalty. It seems the days when false teeth were of great monetary value are long gone. Perhaps this legislation was due to an incident where a man had his false teeth stolen as he was getting off a city bus. Apparently, the dentures were expensive, and the man was very upset about losing his prosthetic teeth. Given the emotional anguish caused over the theft of someone’s teeth, perhaps we can start counting this as one of the laws that explicitly prohibits hurting someone’s feelings.
The strange old bits of law to which Michigan has become accustomed also include a law that prohibits people from drinking a glass of cold beer at a bar unless they also order a glass of warm beer. This is likely due to the fact that bars used to actually keep their beer at a warmer temperature. Today, it’s served ice cold, but this rule remains.
One law that probably doesn’t affect you too often within the state of Michigan is the one that makes it illegal to hunt dogs on Sunday. Presumably, the only dogs being taken on these hunting trips are hunting dogs (otherwise this statute would prohibit hunting, which is free-ranging, not just covering parts of the state), and those dogs probably have a pretty good time on their days off.
Unfortunate Prohibition on Alcohol
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) is responsible for regulating the sale of alcohol and the state of affairs today is that Michigan has a production-to-consumption approach to alcohol regulation. This means that producers must obtain licenses for every stage: grapes must be grown on licensed vineyards, the grape juice must be fermented in a licensed winery, and the wine must be then aged and stored in a licensed warehouse facility. Then there’s a series of strict sales and distribution laws that help regulate what’s happening next in the chain.
"But wait," you may ask, "I thought I couldn’t buy beer on Sundays?" You are absolutely right. Beer may not be sold on the day of the week when citizens are encouraged to take a rest day, at least in most counties of the state. To be accurate, "the sale of alcoholic liquor" is illegal on Sundays, and since beer is considered an alcoholic liquor, stores and gas stations can rest assured that customers aren’t going to be knocking down the doors on the Lord’s Day. Exceptions apply however, which include a number of locations as well as religious institutions. These exceptions have a history of their own, and may in fact have been cemented into the very rule books of prohibition as a bittersweet reward for conformity among liquor stores—in order to stay in business long enough to meet demand, they were authorized to sell wine, beer, and liquor to churchgoers as they offloaded liquor to all other non-covenant bearers .
Then there are the more conspicuously local restrictions. For instance, while beer is at least available at certain locations in certain counties on Sundays, across the state in Grand Traverse County, beer is still not allowed to be sold on Mondays. If you’re feeling thirsty in Delta County, however, the petition must come from you—the shopper. If you’re under 19, no problem, just get a parental note saying it’s okay. If you do get caught and are drinking in the wrong place at the wrong time, you’ll face one of the strictest penalties in the nation for the crime: a maximum fine of $500 for each incidence. Time to be extra careful.
Looking beyond city limits, Michigan is bordered by Canada to the north, east, and southwest. If you happen to be traveling in a vehicle and run out of alcohol, think twice before transporting any alcohol into the state, without a permit of course. It is illegal to bring or send alcohol from another state, country, or tribal land into Michigan unless you’re with a permit, which is issued by the MLCC. Companies can apply for a permit to import alcohol into Michigan.
Finally, make sure to keep an eye out for the inevitable coupon discounts that will tempt you into buying beer, but be careful when you try to use them in the vicinity of University of Michigan. According to state law, it is illegal to use coupons on alcohol within a vision of 1,000 feet from a Michigan university, which essentially prohibits its use in bars and liquor stores.