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You might think of yourself as a good, law-abiding citizen. You obey the speed limit. You throw away your garbage. You pay your taxes. Well, that's the easy stuff. Turns out that obeying every single Utah law is trickier than you think because there are certain outlawed practices that most people don't even know about. And they're really weird.
Some of these are so unusual, you might think they're made up. Rest assured, each of these is officially in Utah law books. They may seem random and unnecessary at first glance, but keep in mind — they're laws because people have, at some point, tried to do these things.
So, to keep yourself and others safe, here's a list of things you definitely should not do if you want to stay out of legal trouble in Utah.
Whatever you do, don't cause a catastrophe
Sorry to burst your bubble, but causing a catastrophe is illegal. Utah law says, "Any person is guilty of causing a catastrophe if the person causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property."
Don't use a weapon of mass destruction. Don't start a fire, a flood or an avalanche. Don't make a building collapse. Obviously, doing these with malicious intent is a no-no, but you could also be charged with a class A misdemeanor if you cause a catastrophe "recklessly."
Don't you dare mess with the weather
In case you fancy yourself some type of wizard or one of the X-men, you should know that attempting to modify the weather in any way is strictly prohibited statewide — at least without a permit. According to Utah Code, this includes a practice called "cloud seeding."
"Cloud seeding or weather modification means all acts undertaken to artificially distribute or create nuclei in cloud masses for the purposes of altering precipitation, cloud forms or other meteorological parameters," the code states.
No throwing rocks here
You've probably heard the expression, "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Well, neither should people who live in Logan. That's right. You can't throw rocks in Logan. City code specifically prohibits residents from throwing rocks "to annoy any traveler or pedestrian." The exception to this is if you have the car owner's permission — which seems like an odd request.
No throwing snowballs either
Provo residents, you better take your snowball-throwing brawls somewhere else. Within the city limits, you are not allowed to throw snowballs, sticks or stones as part of the "Throwing Missiles" section of Provo Code. If you're doing it to "frighten or annoy any traveler," you are guilty of a misdemeanor. That's snow joke.
You've got two days to bury your dead pet
Letting go of a beloved family pet is hard — but you've only got 48 hours to do it. You better plan Fluffy's funeral quickly because state law requires you to bury dead domestic animals within two business days.
Don't drive on the sidewalk
Keep those wheels on the road, people. Utah law states that "Except for a bicycle, a device propelled by human power, or a motor assisted scooter, a person may not operate a vehicle on a sidewalk or sidewalk area."
But don't worry — this does not apply to your driveway.
Your unruly children could cost you $500
If your motto is "Let kids be kids," perhaps you should add "except at hotels" to the end of that. Utah Code allows innkeepers to charge parents a deposit of up to $500 for any losses or damages their children may cause to a hotel.
You can't marry your cousin — until you're older
Here's a fun one. According to state law, marrying your first cousin is illegal — unless you're both over the age of 65 or you're both at least 55 and one of you can prove to a court that you're unable to reproduce. Whether this is good or bad news is entirely up to you.
Keep your hands on the handlebars
No matter how cool it looks, riding a bike with "no hands" is a bad idea and could land you with a fine.
According to Utah Code, "A person operating a bicycle or moped shall keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times." Additionally, "A person operating a bicycle or moped may not carry any package, bundle, or article which prevents the use of both hands in the control and operation of the bicycle or moped."
Behave yourself out there
Congratulations! With this added awareness, you're better equipped to be a more upstanding citizen than you were before. When in doubt, common sense goes a long way. Don't become the reason for legislators to pass more strange laws.
Siegfried & Jensen
Since 1990, Siegfried & Jensen have been helping the people of Utah and surrounding states who have suffered needless injuries and death caused by car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractice, defective drugs, dog bites, wrongful death, and other types of personal injury.
The firm is committed to keeping Utah families and communities safe by ensuring wrongdoers are held accountable. While a lawsuit isn't always the answer when it is needed having someone on your side can mean the difference between declaring bankruptcy and rebuilding your life and moving forward, especially when you're up against an insurance company or a hospital.
Siegfried & Jensen has a 97% success rate with more than 35,000 cases and $1.2 billion recovered for their clients.
