Indiana Dumb Laws

Barehanded Fishing

In Indiana, noodling – or catching a fish with your hands – is illegal. It’s likely banned due to safety concerns and wildlife management. Source 

Smooching ‘Staches

This law is frequently cited on “weird laws” lists, claiming it’s illegal in Indiana for a mustachioed man to habitually kiss others. But after searching the Indiana Code and municipal ordinances, we found no credible source to confirm it. This one seems to be a facial-hair fable with no legal teeth.

Bathing May Require a Doctor’s Note

This is another repeated oddity with no statute or ordinance to support it. While it may have originated as a joke or misinterpretation of historical hygiene practices, there’s no evidence of it ever being a real law in Indiana.

No Backing Into Parking Spaces

This one has some truth: In places like Evansville, local parking ordinances once emphasized head-in parking for easier license plate enforcement. While we couldn’t retrieve the exact current code, this rule has been enforced in the past. It’s real, but localized and possibly outdated.

Off-Key Singing

Despite being widely circulated online, no Indiana law punishes off-key singing. It likely stems from outdated “public disturbance” laws that were exaggerated over time. As of now, tone-deafness is not a ticketable offense.