August 13, 2026 | Ohio Law
Ohio has been a state for more than 200 years. In that time, lawmakers have filled the books with thousands of statutes and local ordinances. Most of them make perfect sense. However, a handful have not aged well at all, and some read as if they belong in a comedy sketch rather than a legal code.
While these laws are rarely enforced today, they remain technically valid. We’ll cover five of the strangest ones below, along with what makes each of them so unusual.
1. You Can’t Be Arrested on Sundays or the Fourth of July
Per ORC 2331.12, no person can be arrested on a Sunday or on the Fourth of July. The law also blocks arrests inside the halls of the Ohio Senate or House of Representatives while those chambers are in session. This provision dates back to 1953 and was tied to civil arrest procedures used to enforce debts.
It does not apply to criminal arrests, so don’t plan your shoplifting spree around the holiday calendar. Nonetheless, the fact that it’s still sitting in the code is pretty remarkable.
2. Bread Must Be Sold in Very Specific Weight Increments
Ohio takes its bread seriously. Under ORC 911.18, every loaf sold in the state must weigh at least twelve ounces. If a bakery wants to sell a larger loaf, they can only increase the size in exact two-ounce steps.
Every loaf also needs a label showing the weight and the name of the manufacturer. The weight is measured twelve hours after baking and is based on the average of at least twenty-five loaves. Artisan bakers might find this one especially frustrating.
3. Dyeing Baby Chicks or Rabbits Is a Criminal Offense
It is illegal to dye or color any rabbit or baby poultry, including chicks and ducklings, per ORC 925.62. It’s also illegal to sell, raffle, or give away any animal that’s been colored. A first offense is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and repeated violations bump it up to a third-degree misdemeanor.
The law dates back to 1971 and was likely aimed at discouraging the sale of novelty Easter animals. It remains in full effect today.
4. You’re Required To Honk When Passing on Certain Roads
This one catches most drivers off guard. Under ORC 4511.27, if you’re passing another vehicle on a two-lane road, you are technically required to signal audibly. In plain terms, that means honking your horn.
There is an exemption for divided highways, limited-access highways, and roads with four or more lanes. However, on a standard two-lane road, skipping the honk is technically a traffic violation. Almost nobody does it, and enforcement is practically nonexistent, but the law is still there.
5. Owning a Whale in Perrysburg Is Against the Law
Ohio is a landlocked state, which makes this one especially entertaining. The City of Perrysburg, just south of Toledo, has a local ordinance (618.22) that bans residents from possessing certain restricted animal species, such as whales and dolphins.
The reasoning behind the ordinance is straightforward: if the animal were to escape, it could pose a danger to people or property. Still, the idea that someone in northwest Ohio might need to be told not to keep a whale is hard to take seriously.
Call Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers To Schedule a Free Consultation With a Cincinnati Criminal Defense Attorney
Most of these statutes have survived simply because repealing old laws takes time and political effort. If a law isn’t causing real problems, legislators tend to leave it alone and focus on more pressing issues. The result is a legal code filled with outdated rules that no one enforces, but no one has bothered to remove.
If you’re dealing with an actual criminal charge in Ohio, the laws that apply to your case will be far more serious. Call Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a criminal lawyer in Cincinnati as soon as you can for help.
Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers – Cincinnati
300 W 4TH St,
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 333-0014
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Cincinnati
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 39.103661163237064, -84.51285189629841
