# Laws against working on the Sabbath? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918 "2026-03-31T18:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/21 "2026-03-31T21:12:31Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Illinois is among the U.S. states which has a law prohibiting auto dealers from operating/opening on Sundays. This apparently had its genesis in blue laws, but it’s a relatively recent law in Illinois (only created in 1984), and it’s mostly because the auto dealers lobbied for it as a way to give employees a day off, while ensuring that their competitors would not be able to steal business by opening on the same day. This is a good example of why “blue laws” can be good for businesses (and/or their employees). If _all_ car dealers are open 7 days a week, they won’t do much more business than if they were only open 5 or 6 days a week, but they’ll have higher operating expenses and they’ll have to have people working there all 7 days. But if _some_ car dealers are open 7 days a week, they have an advantage over those which aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/22 "2026-03-31T21:25:50Z")
Springfield is one of the Illinois municipalities that took a look at its blue laws and said “fuck that.” The wheels were put into motion c. 2002 ish, when the then-mayor, a fun-loving Irishman, was headed out for a day on the lake on Sunday morning, stopped by the grocery store to stock up on beer, and found the liquor section roped off. Some hearings were held, and within a month or so the rule was no more. Springfieldians can now buy liquour 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/23 "2026-03-31T22:00:27Z")
I grew up in Texas - yep, blue laws. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/24 "2026-03-31T22:03:25Z")
We had blue laws in Pennsylvania, no shopping. Then they relaxed them. Stores could sell you stuff, but other than that they couldn’t assist you. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/25 "2026-03-31T22:05:12Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > But labor movements, who wanted to put more bounds on hours worked, combined forces with religious groups who naturally wanted to encourage churchgoing. And that represented a large voting bloc. And that incidentally is why Saturday is the other non-work day of the week. When the labor movement was lobbying for a 5 day work week it wasn’t a given as to which days we’d have off. But since that happened to be a time of large scale Jewish immigration to the US, and Saturday is the Sabbath for Jews and Sunday is the Sabbath for Christians, the unions argued workers should have those days off for religious reasons. And thus we have the weekend as we know it today. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/26 "2026-03-31T22:18:10Z")
At one time, Ontario had strict laws against businesses being open on Sunday. Exceptions were made for small stores like a family-owned variety store, determined by a maximum allowed square footage. Consequently, some smaller grocery stores erected barriers where one half the store was blocked off, typically the fresh produce section, but the more profitable prepared foods and deli section remained open, bringing them in line with the max square footage regulation. And heaven forfend that a liquor store dare be open on the Lord’s Day! Today everything is open on Sunday, and in fact for many businesses it’s one of the busiest shopping days of the week. So far, we have not been smitten from on high. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/27 "2026-03-31T22:22:41Z")
Yep, you still [can’t buy a car in Illinois on Sunday.](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/News/479/Illinois-Supreme-Court-History-Sunday-Laws/news-detail/) At a dealership, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/28 "2026-03-31T22:36:42Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Yes, there is no public transport in Israel on the Sabbath, but AFAIK there are no laws forbidding people from working or shopping. It depends. Shops inside cities aren’t legally allowed to operate on the Sabbath, although there are exceptions, like grocery stores, convenience stores and anything selling “neccesities”. May stores also ignore the law, and municipalities have been known to look the other way, but in general, you can’t really go shopping on the Sabbath. Shops _can_ open outside city limits, which means that strip malls are usually very busy on the weekends. Note that this doesn’t apply to restaurants and entertainment venues, which can open whenever they want. Kosher restaurants are closed on the Sabbath, of course. Regarding businesses, you can work on the Sabbath, but you can’t force workers to work on their Sabbath, and I think you have to pay those who do, much more than their usual pay. Israeli “Blue Laws” have a complicated history - they’re as much a result of strong labor unions as they are of religious influence. There is no public transportation on the Sabbath - except for the city of Haifa, due to some historical fluke. There are always taxis, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/29 "2026-03-31T23:22:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Regarding businesses, you can work on the Sabbath, but you can’t force workers to work on their Sabbath, and I think you have to pay those who do, much more than their usual pay. Is it legal, then, to discriminate by religion in hiring? Like, if a business wants to stay open on Sundays, but they currently happen to have a heavily-Christian workforce, which would make that difficult, are you allowed to preferentially hire Jews and Muslims to restore a balanced workweek? And I’m guessing that the law only recognizes Jews, Christians, and Muslims (whose “sabbath” is presumably considered to be Friday). If, say, a Thor-worshiper were to emigrate to Israel, would they be allowed to call Thursday the day they’re required to have off? Not that I expect that most businesses would actually mind that, since someone willing to work all three of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday would probably be considered a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/30 "2026-03-31T23:46:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Who made the arrest, and why weren’t they at home? I guess they are not strict about it, unlike Rio during a World Cup final. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/31 "2026-03-31T23:47:50Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > There is no public transportation on the Sabbath I have seen buses in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Just a few lines, though; no way could you force people to rely on them to get to work. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/32 "2026-04-01T00:24:53Z")
I remember when I lived in Cleveland Heights, on Sundays the Walgreens could only sell wine, but the CVS across the street in South Euclid could only sell beer ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/33 "2026-04-01T00:31:43Z")
In PA, baseball was banned on Sundays until the 1930s. So the A’s and Phillies could not have home games on Sunday. The ban was partially lifted but no game could start before 1 PM, nor could continue past 7 PM. I have no idea what the purpose of the latter restriction, although the former was basically to encourage church-going. Since there were doubleheaders every Sunday, the result was a lot of 7 inning games ended at 7. I once tried to find out when the law was repealed, but completely fanned. At any rate doubleheaders have disappeared so it no longer matters. When I moved to Montreal, there was a ban on most Sunday sales. In addition, stores whose main business was selling food were required to close Monday mornings. The government used this law to try to close the Eaton’s department store and a judge ruled that since a department store had a whole bunch of departments you could infer that its “main” business was the small food section. The store responded by roping off the food section Monday mornings. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/34 "2026-04-01T00:53:40Z")
Until the 1950s, Toronto used to padlock the swings at playgrounds so they couldn’t be used on Sundays. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/35 "2026-04-01T01:15:18Z")
South Carolina had “Blue Laws” until the late 1980s or so. One man who owned a clothing store was arrested several times for daring to open and sell clothes on Sundays. That was the beginning of the end of (most) Blue Laws. Still can’t buy liquor for off-premises consumption on Sundays, and I think there’s a special liquor license restaurants have to pay to allow on-premises consumption. Grocery stores would open, but certain things could not be bought. You could buy food, but not hardware stuff like kitchenware. Very few stores were open on Sundays because it was easier to just not open than worry about selling something illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/36 "2026-04-01T01:21:02Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > In addition, stores whose main business was selling food were required to close Monday mornings. Whatever was the rationale for that? People gotta eat, every day. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/37 "2026-04-01T02:01:15Z")
Haven’t the foggiest idea. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/38 "2026-04-01T05:03:17Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > We had blue laws in Pennsylvania, no shopping. Then they relaxed them. Stores could sell you stuff, but other than that they couldn’t assist you. I forget where in Canada I saw it, but at one time stores could not be open Sunday if they were bigger than X square feet public space and had more than 5 staff working. So the big grocery stores roped off a bunch of aisles and ran with only 5 empoyees interfacing with the public. So no meat counter (back when that was a thing) or deli service. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/39 "2026-04-01T05:04:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > > > In addition, stores whose main business was selling food were required to close Monday mornings. > > Whatever was the rationale for that? People gotta eat, every day. I’m going to guess that the logic was to give small stores some of a 5-day week. I lived in a small town long ago, the stores were closed Sunday (provincial laws) and Monday, because most staff were full time and that allowed small stores to have a 5-day week. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918/40 "2026-04-01T08:01:19Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I have seen buses in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Just a few lines, though; no way could you force people to rely on them to get to work. The Dan Block (Greater Tel Aviv) municipalities run their own weekend and holiday buses using chartered tour buses. They get around the law by being free - if they don’t charge money, they’re not technically public transportation or something. They’re cool; I use them to go to the beach in the summer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918.md?page=3)