You won’t believe these weird Montana laws still exist

Is it illegal to have more than one alarm clock ringing in Montana?

Yes. Believe it or not, here is the Montana law: While you can have more than one alarm clock in Montana, only one can ring at a time.

Otherwise, law enforcement may come knocking. Can you believe it?

This is one of the many weird Montana laws still in the books today. Since Montana was established in 1889, times have changed. However, many of its laws haven’t.

Read on for 24 of Montana’s strangest, weirdest laws that still exist. In a way, they give you a glimpse into Montana’s peculiar history. You have to read them to believe them.

24 of the weirdest Montana laws that still exist:

1. No folfing after dark

Folf is one of Montana’s most popular sports. High school students at Billings Senior High often play a round after school in Pioneer Park, or at Diamond X (Phipps Park).

But if you plan to play a round of golf after dark in Montana, you better think twice – it’s illegal.

This isn’t the weirdest Montana law on this list, but we can’t help ask, “Why?”.

2. No guns at City Council meetings

Carrying firearms, grenades, or explosives on your person is forbidden at any city council meeting in Montana. Actually, it’s illegal to carry any firearm in any government building in Montana.

Here’s written law:

“Sec. 18-204. Prohibiting weapons, firearms, and explosives at city council proceedings.”

3. No pet rats

Here is an interesting Billings-only law: It’s illegal in the city to harbor, raise, sell, or own rats as pets.

Here’s the written law:

“Sec 4-304. It is unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, harbor, raise or give away rats as pets, toys, premiums, novelties, or for any other purpose except as feed for reptiles or birds of prey or both.”

4. Keep your pool tables visible

In Kalispell, if you run a billiards hall or any business with pool tables, those pool tables must be visible from the street outside.

Here’s the written law:

“any person or the employee of any person owning or conducting any place of business wherein is kept any pool table, billiard table or bagatelle table to place in front of the room or across the inside of the room, any screen, blind, curtain or any obstruction that would prohibit the view of such pool table, billiard table or bagatelle table from the street in front of such room or place of business wherein is kept any of the tables above described.”

Good to know if you’re planning to start a pool hall in Kalispell.

5. No water on the sidewalk

In Helena, it is illegal to spray water from a revolving sprinkler onto a street or sidewalk.

Here is the written law:

“No person shall place any revolving fountain, hose or sprinkler so that the water from the same shall be thrown upon any street, avenue or sidewalk to the annoyance of passersby. (R.O. 1947 § 978).”

While this is one of the weirdest Montana laws, we’re mostly on board with it.

6. No animal abuse

It is illegal in Montana to abuse or torture an animal. And doing it in front of a minor is a separate, uniquely punishable crime.

Here’s what it says in the books:

“A person commits the offense of ritual abuse of a minor if the person purposely or knowingly and as part of any ceremony, rite, or ritual or of any training or practice for any ceremony, rite, or ritual:

(b) actually or by simulation tortures, mutilates, or sacrifices an animal or person in the presence of the minor.”

A person found guilty of this crime will get 2 to 20 years in prison and possibly receive a $50,000 fine.

This one isn’t a weird Montana law, but we included it here since it’s worth knowing.

7. Want to go fishing? Think twice

This may be one of the strangest Montana laws on this list. Are you a married woman who wants to go fishing alone? Apparently, it’s illegal. Except on Sundays.

Not married? Then it’s illegal to go fishing alone at all. Fortunately, we can confidently say these laws are not enforced.

8. No showing felonies in movies

While Montanans are movie lovers, the movies you show in Montana must not display felony crimes. It’s a misdemeanor!

This is another weird Montana law that we assure you isn’t enforced.

9. Is it illegal to have sheep in your truck without a chaperone in Montana? Yes

It is still illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone.

Another one of Montana’s strangest laws. However, think about it: this law was established to keep sheep from distracting drivers. The chaperone is there to keep the sheep under control, which makes sense.

10. Don’t leave sheep alone in your car cab

This is another one of Montana’s weirdest laws that really gives you an idea of what it was like to live in the state 100+ years ago.

If you’re traveling with sheep, you can’t leave them unattended. For example, when you stop in the grocery store.

If you think about it, it kind of makes sense. Sheep are valuable livestock and leaving them unattended leaves them exposed to theft or injury.

11. Don’t use sheep to commit a crime

Another sheep law.

In Montana, it is illegal to use sheep as an accessory to a crime, particularly using a herd of sheep to block a train and make it stop.

This crime comes with a 5-year prison sentence. While it seems like one of Montana’s most unusual state laws, it’s quite logical, right?

12. No ice picks on your tires

In Whitehall, you can’t drive around in winter with studded tires (or as the law says, with ice picks, spuds, spikes, chains, or other projections of any kind extending beyond the cleats).

While this sounds like a funny Montana law as well, it’s also quite logical. It prevents road damage.

13. No throwing things

In Helena, it’s illegal to throw anything across the street.

While this may seem like a stupid Montana law, it makes sense!

14. Keep your pop cans in the trash (we can get behind this one too)

It’s completely illegal to leave your soda pop bottles on the ground. In other words, littering soda bottles is forbidden.

This funny Montana law specifically applies to pop bottles. We didn’t confirm if this law applies to other types of bottles.

15. Only one alarm clock allowed

How many alarms do you set at night? If your answer is just one, then don’t worry.

In Montana, you can own as many alarm clocks as you like, but it’s forbidden to have more than one alarm clock ringing at a time.

This is indeed one of the weirdest Montana laws.

16. No pea shooters

In Billings, it’s illegal to carry a pea shooter in public.

While this seems like a weird and funny Montana law that’s too strange to be true, it really exists. Here’s the text from the books:

“Sec. 18-202. No person within the city shall have within his or her possession, except within his or her own domicile, or carry or use any air gun, “b-b” gun, gas operated gun or spring gun, or any instrument, toy, or weapon commonly known as a “pea shooter,” “slingshot,” or “beanie…”

17. No leaving the stage

In Billings, if a band plays in a club where alcohol is served, they can’t leave the stage while performing.

This is indeed a very weird Montana law, so we checked to see if it’s true, and it appears it is:

“Sec. 3-301. Live entertainment to remain on platform while performing.

…no entertainer or performer whether male or female shall be permitted to leave such platform or area while entertaining or performing.”

18. No speed dial

This is another one unique to Billings. In the Magic City, it’s illegal to use speed dial on any city communication center.

We even checked this weird Montana law against the books:

“Sec. 18-502. Improper use.

It is unlawful for any person to program or in any way cause any dialing device, automatic or otherwise, to automatically dial any number, emergency or otherwise in the city communication center or to program or cause any prerecorded taped message to be played to any number, emergency or otherwise, in the city communication center.”

19. No throwing hard objects

In Excelsior Springs, Montana, it is forbidden to throw hard objects by hand. This one seems a bit over the top.

20. No throwing balls

Also in Excelsior Springs, throwing balls within the city limits is forbidden. This must be one of the oldest Montana laws they just haven’t gotten around to repealing yet.

21. Keep your horses out of the bar

This is one of the oldest Montana laws that they haven’t repealed. While people don’t ride horses to bars and restaurants anymore, they used to. And when they brought them into these establishments, they did serious damage.

Horses are forbidden to enter bars in Montana.

22. No hunting from airplanes

While this seems like a weird Montana law at first, it’s very reasonable.

This law forbids people from spotting game from an airplane and shooting it from above. It’s dangerous and unethical, and it’s illegal to do it in Montana.

23. No fishing with a lasso

This may be the strangest Montana law on our list: no fishing with a lasso.

By the way, this is a lasso:

weird montana laws no fishing with lasso — Jerry Kirkhart – CC BY 2.0

While this seems like a crazy and funny Montana law, it may be possible to lasso a larger fish. For example, the ones in the Yellowstone River.

Lassos can injure or kill fish. It’s not a sustainable fishing method, so it’s forbidden.

24. No skunks as pets

Lastly, it’s illegal to own a skunk as a pet in Montana.

While this also sounds like a dumb Montana law, skunks actually have quite the personality and, when they aren’t spraying you, they’re quite pleasant.

Unfortunately, you can’t own one as a pet in Montana

What is the stupidest law in Montana?

Possibly the weirdest law in Montana is that married women can’t fish alone except on Sundays and that unmarried women can’t fish alone at all.

Or maybe that it’s forbidden to fish with a lasso.

These are old laws that we have outgrown but remain in the books. Fortunately, none of them are enforced today.

Speaking of weird laws, did you know these license plate numbers have been banned in Montana?

Find out which license plates are banned in Montana in our article, Montana Banned License Plates.

Did you know Montana is known for its birding?

Lastly, discover some unexpected facts about the state of Montana in our article, 10 Weird and Wonderful Things Montana is Known For.

MONTANA BEYOND