# Laws applicable in only a few states **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2016, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214 "2016-06-24T09:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/61 "2016-06-28T00:01:09Z")
California has a reputation for being an environmentally-forward state, yet up until 2013 they had a stupid, archaic, wasteful law that prevented people from filling [growlers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growler_(jug))from other breweries. Even now today, they have to slap a label over the existing growler design. I’ve only filled in a few states, but do any other ones require this dumb practice? And some breweries may opt to not fill other growlers at all, which encourages waste. > [@Shagnasty](#): > > Yes it does. It is also good about crafting creative laws. Louisiana still had an 18 year old drinking age that was perfectly legal for all practical purposes well into the late 1990’s even when the country supposedly had a 21 year old drinking age. > > It still does to some degree: > > \*What is the legal age to enter a bar in Louisiana? > > 18 years old. > > What is the legal drinking age in Louisiana? > > 21 years old. However, 18-20 year olds may consume alcohol in an alcoholic beverage outlet if they are accompanied by a parent, spouse, or legal guardian who is 21 years of age or older.\* > > As you can imagine, that giant loophole (put there intentionally) is not very hard to circumvent nor is it enforced much. > > [http://www.servsafe.com/downloads/pdfs/ssa-key-laws/louisiana](http://www.servsafe.com/downloads/pdfs/ssa-key-laws/louisiana) > > A few other states like Wisconsin have similar laws for 18 - 20 year olds. Ohio has a very watered down version of it. Many states allow exceptions for consumption. [Note the map here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_consumption_by_youth_in_the_United_States), although I think it might need an update as it’s from 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/62 "2016-06-28T03:50:43Z")
Until recently, Colorado was the only state that outlawed collecting rainwater and yes I know someone who was fined for it. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/63 "2016-06-28T08:13:20Z")
I think that has been explained here before, though. No water flows _into_ Colorado (nor, I think, Wyoming), every drop of water comes from the sky. Large swaths of the country rely on the precipitation that lands there, which is makes it a unique situation. You could see why collecting rainwater would be illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/64 "2016-06-28T09:52:33Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > But I don’t know of a process where one state house is set the task of keeping up with other state houses laws… What ? just to be sure they don’t miss a beat ? It’s not a matter of “keeping up with the neighbors”, but of “hey, this issue has come up… do any of our neighbors already have some regulations about it?” If someone else has a similar-enough legal framework and already has done the background work, there’s no need to redo it. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/65 "2016-06-28T12:05:38Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I think that has been explained here before, though. No water flows _into_ Colorado (nor, I think, Wyoming), every drop of water comes from the sky. Large swaths of the country rely on the precipitation that lands there, which is makes it a unique situation. You could see why collecting rainwater would be illegal. Wrong on both counts. The [Little Snake River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Snake_River) originates in CO. It goes back and forth across the CO-WY border several times before entering WY for good. Many tributaries of the Little Snake flow from WY to join it in CO. Maybe you were thinking of Hawaii? ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/66 "2016-06-28T14:54:19Z")
The Idaho stop - [Idaho stop - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop) Only legal in Idaho and it seems in parts of Colorado. Should be legal everywhere. Already mentioned is lane splitting. Would be great to see that expanded as well. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/67 "2016-06-28T15:06:44Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Wrong on both counts. The [Little Snake River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Snake_River) originates in CO. It goes back and forth across the CO-WY border several times before entering WY for good. Many tributaries of the Little Snake flow from WY to join it in CO. Ok, but does any water flow into the Little Snake that doesn’t first land in CO or WY? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/68 "2016-06-28T18:01:35Z")
I heard somewhere that in Wyoming it’s illegal to have sex with a fish. I’m sure Graham Norton had a segment on his show about odd laws like that, and telephoned (live) a random sheriff’s office to ask about it. There was a lively conversation with a lovely lady (once she’d got over being worried about what her hair would look like on TV). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/69 "2016-06-28T19:52:06Z")
Wait, there is a “law” in Wyoming? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214/70 "2016-06-28T20:33:01Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Ok, but does any water flow into the Little Snake that doesn’t first land in CO or WY? Don’t see why you restricted it to the little Snake. I just did random check on a section of the WY-ID border and there are numerous streams into WY from ID. It really isn’t that hard to look at Google Maps to check these sort of things out. And I’m done with this hijack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-applicable-in-only-a-few-states/758214.md?page=3)