В Канзасе действуют 22 абсурдных закона: от запрета на протесты на похоронах до штрафа за измену

Editor’s Note: This is an entertainment story that highlights Kansas’s obscure laws. To fully understand Law 4, readers can research the traumatic history of funeral picketing in Kansas. Over the past 12 years, the Kansan has uncovered 22 of Kansas’ most absurd laws. We scoured municipal directories, city ordinances and local news to find 11 more. 1. Cheaters never prosper…and also get charged with a misdemeanor. Kansas is one of the few states where adultery is still officially criminalized, being classified as a Class C misdemeanor and carrying up to one month in a county jail and a fine up to $500. 2. Eligible bachelors cough up a dollar per year. In 1820 and 1821, Kansas City, Missouri implemented a “bachelor tax” of a single dollar (an amount of money that is equivalent to $20 in today’s money) on any single man between the ages of 21 and 50. It is no longer in place due to its unpopularity, so let that Washington keep burning a hole in your pocket, bachelors. 3. Keep your livestock close to your chest. In order to keep the peace, as well as maintain health and sanitation, the city of Manhattan prohibits animal owners from housing any area meant to house animals within 25 feet of anyone else’s home. 4. Wake not the dead (or their family). A city ordinance in Overland Park prohibited picketing funerals until it was repealed in 2023, though we’re not sure exactly how many Overland Park-based funerals people would want to protest in the first place. 5. Keep your Airbnb out of Prairie Village! No homeowner in Prairie Village is allowed to rent out their home for any period of time under 30 days, ever since the city council voted to ban short-term rentals, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, in October 2024. 6. You can keep your Emus in Junction City, but you can’t replace them. In Junction City, it is “unlawful to keep or harbor any fowl within the corporate limits of the City.” The more interesting part, though, is that there is a specific exception for Emus, allowing ones owned in the city to remain, but no new ones to be brought in. 7. Don’t leave your car running. A 2023 statute for the state of Kansas prohibits anyone that is in charge of any motor vehicle from leaving it unattended without first turning it entirely off. If you’re starting your car remotely, though, you’re fine. 8. Only three unrelated individuals per home in Shawnee. Shawnee was thrown into the national spotlight in 2022 for banning renting to four or more unrelated people. Any group of three or under are still allowed, but those fourth roommates are out of luck. 9. Choose peace, not slaughter. In Liberal, Kansas, it is entirely unlawful to slaughter any domestic or wild animal within the city limits. At least, unless you’re a commercial slaughterhouse. 10. Trade your weapons for booze in Dodge City. While not in effect anymore, many cities in Kansas banned the carry of weapons through city limits in the late 1800s. One of the more well-known instances, though, is a sign that used to be at the edge of Dodge City that suggests that those with weapons “try prickly ash bitters” instead. 11. No grand entrances for tree houses. If you’re building a tree house for your kid in Leawood, you can’t make the door wider than 24 inches. There are other requirements, like square footage and height from the ground, but the specific dimensional requirements are not specified. Go wild! Just… not on the door. This article was edited by Head Arts and Culture Editor Allie Mapes. If the information in this article needs to be corrected, please contact [email protected].