Did You Know About These 5 Bizarre Laws in Louisiana?

Welcome to Louisiana, where the old French Napoleonic Code partly inspires the legal system and where you’ll find rules that are so oddly specific, they almost feel like dares.

This isn’t your average “don’t steal, don’t speed” situation. No, we’re talking about laws involving crawfish heists, knife-wielding chickens, and the very serious consequences of tying an alligator to a fire hydrant.

This is going to be the weirdest legal rollercoaster you’ve ever been on. There’s a whole lot of “Did that really need a law?” kind of stuff, and the penalties for violation might surprise you even more.

1. Don’t Even Think About Stealing Crawfish

You might think stealing someone’s food is just plain rude. But in Louisiana? Stealing crawfish is a crime so serious it has its own law: Louisiana RS 14:67.5.

This law doesn’t mess around. It spells out every detail, just so there’s no confusion about what counts as crawfish theft. You can’t just say, “Oh, I only took a little.” No, no. If you misappropriate crawfish, which basically means you take it without permission, trick someone out of it, or keep the money made from selling stolen crawfish, you’re officially a crawfish criminal.

Just imagine sitting in a cell trying to explain you’re there because you got greedy during crawfish season.

And if you’re a repeat offender, the punishment jumps to a whole new level. If you’ve already been convicted of crawfish theft and you do it again, you could end up behind bars for up to ten years, possibly with hard labor, and you might have to pay up to $3,000 in fines.

2. You Can’t Arm Chickens or Make Them Fight

If you’ve ever thought about giving a chicken a tiny sword and putting it in a ring with another chicken, you need to read Louisiana RS 14:102.23 and then rethink all your life choices.

Cockfighting is illegal in Louisiana. But the law doesn’t stop at just saying “don’t do it.” It goes way deeper. You’re not allowed to:

Organize a cockfight
Host one, even if it’s private
Train a chicken to fight
Own or sell chickens for fighting
Even possess or make gear for chicken fights

That’s right. If you so much as trade chicken-fighting equipment like blades or other creepy rooster accessories, you’re breaking the law.

If it’s your first time being caught doing any of this chicken-related nonsense, you’re looking at a $70 to $2,000 fine, up to a year in jail, and possibly 15 full eight-hour days of court-approved community service. That’s nearly two weeks of picking up trash, scrubbing sidewalks, or some other unpaid labor because you couldn’t resist a backyard chicken brawl.

But if you’ve already done time for chicken crime and you try it again? The second conviction means $1,000 to $2,000 in fines, 1 to 3 years in prison, and you could be sentenced to hard labor with no chance of parole or probation.

3. Spitting in the Wrong Place Will Land You in Trouble

Most of us think of spitting as gross, but in Louisiana, it can also be illegal, depending on where you spit. According to RS 40:1121, spitting in certain public places could cost you money or even your freedom.

This law lists exactly where spitting is off-limits:

Inside passenger cars (like buses or trains)
Streetcars
Depots and waiting rooms
Courthouses
Churches
School buildings
Basically, any public building

If you spit in any of those places and get caught, you can be fined $5 to $20. That might not sound like much, but then you could also be sent to jail for up to 10 days.

4. You’re Not Allowed to Tie an Alligator to a Fire Hydrant

No, really. This is an actual law in New Orleans. Somewhere, at some point, someone must’ve thought it was a good idea to leash their gator to a fire hydrant like it was a dog.

While this law is more of a head-scratcher than a super-detailed statute, it’s still on the books. And honestly, the best thing about it might be the why behind it. Maybe it was public safety. Maybe someone just didn’t want gators blocking firefighters.

Either way, if you’ve got a pet alligator, don’t bring it into town and park it like a bicycle, because apparently, its illegal.