These 5 Weird Utah Laws Are Stranger Than You Think

Utah has plenty of perfectly reasonable laws. Then there are the ones that make you stop and wonder, “OK… what happened that made lawmakers decide this needed to be written down?”

Some of Utah’s strangest laws have practical explanations, while others are leftovers from a very different time. And because many of the “weird Utah law” lists floating around online are outdated, we dug into actual Utah statutes to find five that are genuinely interesting.

Picture this: You’re sitting comfortably on your horse, holding your fishing pole, enjoying the great outdoors. Sounds like a very Utah thing to do, right?

Apparently not.

Utah has specific laws governing how fish may be taken, and fishing from horseback has long appeared on lists of prohibited fishing methods. The state’s fishing regulations are extensive, covering everything from seasons and limits to equipment and methods.

So if your dream fishing trip involves a horse, you may want to keep the two activities separate.

Horse first. Fishing second.

Utah’s marriage laws have an unusually specific exception involving first cousins.

Generally, marriages between first cousins are prohibited. However, Utah law makes exceptions when both people are at least 65 years old. There is also an exception for first cousins who are both at least 55 if a district court determines that one of them is unable to reproduce.

So yes, technically, there is a scenario where Utah law says, “Well… if you're both 65, apparently that's different.”

It’s certainly one of those laws that makes you wonder about the history behind it.

Utah law has some very specific provisions concerning animals that wander onto public roads.

And honestly, this one makes a little more sense when you remember that Utah wasn't always filled with SUVs, traffic lights and four-lane highways.

Utah municipalities have authority to regulate animals in streets, including requiring animals attached to vehicles to be properly fastened. State law also contains provisions concerning livestock roads and trails, including rules requiring livestock to use designated livestock highways or trails when available and reasonably convenient.

In other words, your horse may have strong opinions about where it wants to go, but Utah law would prefer that it stay where it belongs.

Utah has an entire section of law devoted to what locomotives are supposed to do when approaching railroad crossings.

Among other requirements, trains must use bells or whistles to warn people of certain crossings. The law even specifies distances and circumstances for those warnings, including special provisions for fog, snow and dust storms.

That means the next time a train blasts its horn in Utah, there may be a very specific legal reason behind it.

And yes, somewhere in Utah's legal code, someone actually had to figure out exactly how far away that whistle should happen.

Utah's alcohol laws are famous for being a little different, but one of the stranger details involves promotions.

Utah regulations prohibit certain alcohol discounting practices, including things such as “two drinks for the price of one,” free alcohol promotions and similar deals.

So while a restaurant might want to advertise a screaming deal on drinks, Utah law has some very specific opinions about exactly how that deal can be presented.

Utah's alcohol regulations have changed considerably over the years, so some of the legendary stories about Utah's “Zion Curtain” and other alcohol rules are now outdated. But the state still maintains a number of unusual restrictions that make its liquor laws stand out.

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The funniest part about weird laws is that many of them probably started because somebody, somewhere, actually did something ridiculous enough to make lawmakers say, “We need a rule for that.”

And Utah has more than enough history, livestock, trains, fishing and very specific alcohol regulations to keep that tradition alive.

Just remember: If you're planning to fish from horseback while selling two-for-one cocktails during a train crossing… maybe check the Utah Code first.