Here are 5 Ohio laws you probably didn’t know exist
Ohioans typically know what laws dictate when they can shoot off fireworks and whether it’s illegal to steal from your neighbor. (Spoiler alert: It is.)
But Ohio has several lesser-known rules on the books that deal with everything from owning wild animals to a ban on selling liquor in brothels.
Here are five laws you can bust out as trivia the next time you get together with friends and family.
Beer at 19
If the federal government ever decides to forgo the national drinking age of 21, Ohio has a plan.
People ages 19 and older could buy and drink beer legally under the statute, which would go into effect if Congress repeals the federal mandate. The 21-plus requirement would still apply to “intoxicating liquor.”
Anti-anaconda act
Ohio revamped its laws for wild animals in 2012 after a Zanesville man released 56 caged Bengal tigers, lions, bears and other animals before killing himself. The incident, which doomed 50 animals to death, attracted national attention and renewed scrutiny over the rules that enabled someone to maintain a farm of exotic creatures.
The law signed by Gov. John Kasich prohibits people from owning, trading or selling exotic animals unless they already had animals under their care in 2012 and obtained a permit. It applies to big cats, elephants, wolves and more – including several species of snakes.
Specifically, Ohioans can’t own venomous snakes like boomslangs or any constrictors that are 12 feet or longer – think anacondas and pythons. Owners of restricted snakes before the law was enacted can still possess or sell them with a permit.
Regulating carbs
There are a surprising number of rules in Ohio statute about bread, everyone’s favorite food to make during the pandemic.
Bakeries can’t sell loaves of bread that weigh less than 12 ounces, and they must be sold in increments of two ounces from there. The loaves must also be labeled with the weight and business information.
None of this applies to rolls or “fancy bread,” as defined by the director of agriculture.
Looking out for carrier pigeons
If texting and phone calls are too modern for your taste, pay attention.
Under a 1953 law, it’s illegal to shoot, kill or maim an Antwerp or homing pigeon unless you’re the bird’s owner. You also can’t catch or detain them if there’s a stamp or band identifying the owner.
Don’t take my fish
Ohio law stipulates that fish legally confined in a net or other device become the property of the person who caught it. That means it’s illegal for anyone else to take the fish without written permission. Every stolen fish is a separate offense.
Haley Bemiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.