5 Weird Michigan Laws You Won’t Believe

Author Anne Erickson

November 2nd, 2021 5:31 PM

Many U.S. states have some really weird laws, and Michigan is no exception. If you think about it, a good number of laws were put into place decades ago, so chances are over time, they won’t age well. Laws are supposed to keep us safe, and for the most part, they do, but some laws are just downright weird.

Read on for five of the weirdest laws from the State of Michigan. Have you broken any of these? Thankfully, I haven’t broken any of these rules so far, and now I know that I’ll have to avoid, oh, buying a car on a Sunday or “willfully destroying my radio,” which I wouldn’t do, anyway, because, yes, I’m in radio.

5 Weird Michigan Laws You Won’t Believe:

• You can’t be drunk on a train

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  Okay, so you might not be the conductor of the train, but you still can't drink. Under a 1913 Michigan law, it's illegal to be drunk on a train, with the law stating, "No person shall while in an offensive state of intoxication enter or be on or remain upon any railway train or interurban car as a passenger." (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

• You can’t sell a car on a Sunday

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  A Michigan law put into place in 1953 states that, "It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to engage in the business of buying, selling, trading or exchanging new, used or second-hand motor vehicles or offering to buy, sell, trade or exchange, or participate in the negotiation thereof, or attempt to buy, sell, trade or exchange any motor vehicle or interest therein, or of any written instrument pertaining thereto, on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday." (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

• You can’t “seduce and corrupt an unmarried girl”

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  According to Michigan law, "No man may seduce and corrupt an unmarried girl. Any man who shall seduce and debauch any unmarried woman shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not more than 5 years or by fine of not more than 2,500 dollars; but no prosecution shall be commenced under this section after 1 year from the time of committing the offense." This law was put into place in 1931. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
• You can’t commit adultery

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  A Michigan law passed in 1931 states, "Any person who shall commit adultery shall be guilty of a felony; and when the crime is committed between a married woman and a man who is unmarried, the man shall be guilty of adultery, and liable to the same punishment." (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

• You can’t “willfully destroy” your radio in Detroit

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  I have to say that we like this one, since we're a radio station. According to a law in Detroit, "Willfully destroying your old radio is prohibited." (Photo by Chaloner Woods/Getty Images)

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Author Anne Erickson

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