Always wanted to see the American Midwest, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln? Then Illinois is the place to visit. The heart of America, as it’s known, Illinois has a lot to offer, all year round. The Art Institute of Chicago, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Shedd Aquarium, Starved Rock State Park, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, all await your visit here.
There’s a lot to see and do, from visiting the windy city, Chicago to the capital of the state, Springfield. A visit here should last at least 2-3 weeks so you can experience everything Illinois has to offer. But you should also be aware of the weird Illinois laws that could get you into trouble. It’s best to know them beforehand so you can avoid breaking them without your knowledge.
1. In Horner, IL, you are not allowed to use a slingshot
That is unless you are a law enforcement officer which is ok to use it.
2. In Moline, IL, repetitive driving on 23rd Avenue is banned
What does that mean, exactly? How much is considered “repetitive” or unnecessary, we don’t know.
3. Making faces at dogs is illegal in Normal, IL.
So if you like doing this, stop or you can get arrested if you’re here.
4. Did you know that animals can also be sent to jail in Illinois?
Yes, that’s true. There’s a monkey who was in jail for 5 days for shoplifting, in Chicago. Well, no one is above the law.
If you think this is crazy you should definitely read our article on Weird Pet Laws, 18 Ruff Regulations: Navigating The Oddities.
5. In Park Ridge you can’t park a truck outside a closed garage
The truck must be inside the garage at all times.
6. No fancy riding in Galesburg
And by fancy riding we mean trick riding, riding a bicycle without both hands on the handlebars or doing something reckless while riding a bike.
7. In Orland Park, pool tables aren’t allowed in public places because… they support gambling
So you can’t play pool at all because some people are gambling on it?
8. In Des Plaines, IL, you can’t chain your wheelbarrow to a tree
We mean, why not? If someone wants to chain it to a tree, and add a For sale sign to it, why couldn’t they? If you think this is weird wait till you learn about these 20 weird laws in Ohio!
9. In Chicago you can’t fly a kite
That’s such a bummer. All that cool wind just wasted.
10. Beating rats with baseball bats
Hey, that rhymes. Anyway this right here is not ok at all and will get you a fine of $1000 in Galesburg, IL.
11. No spitting on the sidewalk in Ottawa, IL.
That’s a criminal offense so don’t do it.
12. In Morton Grove you are not allowed to own a handgun
We wonder how things are going there? Is crime down because of this? Or quite the opposite?
13. No smelly dogs
You need to take proper care of your animals, dogs included. Your animals mustn’t’ disturb others with their noise or smells.
14. In Crystal Lake, IL, new sod is not ok
If you’re considering planting new sod of your own yard, in summer months, know that you CAN’T use the city’s water to water it. Yep, you will need to water it from another source. Well, that’s sure to reduce water consumption in summer months. Well done, Crystal Lake!
15. In Champaign some weird things happen
Here you are not allowed to… drum roll please … urinate in your neighbor’s mouth. Yep, that’s correct. Plus there’s the name of the place, Champaign, which makes this even weirder.
16. Oblong wedding days are sure weird
In Oblong, IL, you can’t make love on your wedding day if you’re also hunting or fishing at the same time!
17. Let’s stay in Oblong some more
This one is really a doozy. Get this: unless you get prior permission from the Bishop you are NOT allowed to wear your wife’s panties, on a Sunday. So many questions here…
18. Always have at least $1 on you
Or you risk being arrested for vagrancy otherwise.
19. No lighted cigars to dogs
Or cats, or other pets you may own. This should be the case everywhere, shouldn’t it?
20. Believe in more than 3 gods?
That’s a big no-no in Illinois. It seems anything like 2 or 3 is just the right amount of gods to believe in. But once you go past 3, well you’re into uncharted territory right there.
21. In Zion, IL, you can force a single woman to marry you IF…
If while sitting in a car at traffic lights she is picking her nose! We can’t make this stuff up, folks!
22. In Kenilworth, roosters must be 300 feet away from a residence if they want to crow
And do they want to crow? Did someone ask? And by the way, hens must also be 200 feet away or risk being arrested.
23. In Chicago, you can’t take a French poodle to the opera
Apparently one started singing so well that people couldn’t get enough of it so they had to put an end to this. Nope, just messing with you. We don’t know exactly what happened but who can tell with some of these weird Illinois laws.
24. It’s illegal, for woman to strike a man’s left cheek with a glove
How about his right cheek?
25. Drinking beer, from a bucket, while sitting on the curb, is a no-no
Where does this happen? In Pullman, IL. Seems there’s someone who did this.
26. In Crete, IL, it’s illegal to have sex with a canary or dog
Do we want to ask?
27. In Cicero, it’s not allowed to hum in public, on Sundays
Yep, Sundays are packed with all sorts of silly, weird laws.
28. Like sitting on a giraffe’s neck and fishing?
Well, know that this is not allowed in Chicago. But who knows, maybe other places allow it so try your luck there 😉
29. Bachelors should be called master instead of mister
We think we’ll stick to mister anyway.
30. No whiskey for your dog
You aren’t allowed to give your dog whiskey.
31. In Chicago it’s against the law to eat in any place that’s on fire
Why would you even want to eat in a place that’s on fire?!
32. In Collinsville, IL, you can’t wear sagging pants
It seems it’s so outrageous that it was completely banned so if you’re into this kind of thing, beware.
33. In Evanston, bowling is not allowed
Yeah, because bowling can be such a danger to society. Who knows what would happen if people started having fun?
34. No to Paddy
In Illinois you must not name your girl “Paddy” for some reason. And if you think Paddy is a weird name you should really hear the weirdest last names out there.
35. Crowding someone is not allowed
We don’t know exactly what this means but if you crowd someone in any public or even private place, and interfere with the pursuit of their affairs then you will get into trouble for sure when in Galesburg.
36. Contacting the police when you enter the city in an automobile is a must
An old, funny law that makes no sense today.
37. In Illinois a barber can’t use their fingers to apply cream on a client’s face
We wonder how else could the barber do this if he can’t use his fingers at all.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of weird Illinois laws. A few of them are real doozies but every state has some of those.
Are slingshots illegal in IL?
Yes. Only the police can use slingshots in IL.
Are Caltrops illegal in Illinois?
Yes. Owning such items is considered a misdemeanor in IL.
I’m a passionate writer with an insatiable curiosity for history, obscure facts, and the weird corners of the internet. When I’m not fact-checking bizarre stories or diving into historical mysteries, I’m exploring the strange and unusual to bring you the most fascinating tales.
A self-proclaimed weirdness enthusiast, who loves turning the odd, the quirky, and the unbelievable into engaging stories for curious minds.
My kids sometimes call me the walking Wikipedia, which can get very annoying sometimes.
