California
Weird Laws in California: Which Are Still on the Books?
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 21, 2026). · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
California's famous weird laws run from pets to peacocks, and the most surprising one is the one that is true. We checked five claims from popular lists against the California codes and, where a claim names a city, against that city's code, as of October 21, 2026. For other states, see our weird laws by state guide.
Weird laws in California: the verdicts
Each claim below was checked against the California code and, where it names a town, the local code. 5 claims checked.
The claim: Women cannot drive in a housecoat.
What the law says: No state law found in the California codes searched that restricts what a driver may wear, housecoats included. The rules of the road, equipment, licensing and offenses divisions of the Vehicle Code were enumerated and the corpus searched for clothing terms.
No state law found in the California code as of October 20, 2026.
How we searched
We searched California's codes for any rule on driving in a housecoat, bathrobe, nightgown or other clothing, and reviewed the chapter headings of the Vehicle Code divisions on rules of the road, vehicle equipment and driver's licenses.
Parts of the code read
- California Vehicle Code Division 11 (rules of the road)
- California Vehicle Code Division 12 (equipment of vehicles)
- California Vehicle Code Division 6 (drivers' licenses)
No town code was checked for this claim.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Peacocks have the right of way in Arcadia.
What the law says: No state law found in the California code as of 2026-10-21 giving peacocks a right of way, and Arcadia's animal and traffic chapters contain none either. What Arcadia does have is a feeding ban: no one may feed peafowl on public or private property, and doing so is declared a nuisance (Arcadia Municipal Code § 4137, Ord. 2389, 2022).
No state law found in the California code as of October 20, 2026.
How we searched
We searched California's codes for any rule on peafowl or peacocks, read the Vehicle Code right-of-way chapter, and read the animals and traffic chapters of the Arcadia city code.
Parts of the code read
- Arcadia Municipal Code Article IV, Chapter 1 (animals, including the rules on other animals and peafowl feeding)
- Arcadia Municipal Code Article III, Chapter 2 (traffic regulations)
- California Vehicle Code Division 11, Chapter 4 (right-of-way)
The local code named in the claim was checked too.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Spitting is allowed only on a baseball diamond in Burlingame.
What the law says: Burlingame has the opposite of a baseball-diamond exception: its code makes it unlawful to expectorate (spit) on any public property, or on private property open to the public or in public view, with no ballfield carve-out in the section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Long Beach bans cursing at mini-golf.
What the law says: No Long Beach ordinance about cursing at miniature golf was found in the Long Beach Municipal Code as of 2026-10-21. What does exist is a general California law, Penal Code 415(3), which punishes using offensive words in any public place when they are inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction (up to 90 days in county jail, a fine up to $400, or both). It reaches only words that meet that test, and it has nothing to do with golf.
“Any person who uses offensive words in a public place which are inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction.”
Penalty: "imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than 90 days, a fine of not more than four hundred dollars ($400), or both such imprisonment and fine"
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Owning a ferret is illegal (also Hawaii).
What the law says: California lists every species in the weasel family (Mustelidae), which includes ferrets, as a restricted 'detrimental' animal: it is unlawful to import, transport or possess one except under a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The only Mustelidae species carved out of the detrimental listing are certain otters (which are still restricted, under the welfare category); there is no exception for domestic ferrets. (This page covers California only.)
“It is unlawful to import, transport, possess, or release alive into this state, except under a revocable, nontransferable permit ... any wild animal of the following species: ... Order Carnivora (carnivores) All species, except domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and domestic cats (Felis catus). ... animals of the families Viverridae and Mustelidae in the order Carnivora are restricted because such animals are undesirable and a menace to native wildlife, the agricultural interests of the state, or to the public health or safety.”
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.
Ferrets are restricted animals in California
The claim that owning a ferret is illegal in California sounds like an internet invention, but the Fish and Game Code backs it. Fish and Game Code § 2118 makes it unlawful to import, transport, possess or release alive into the state any wild animal of listed species, except under a revocable, nontransferable permit. The list covers the order Carnivora, all species except domestic dogs and domestic cats.
The statute also explains why animals of the weasel family are on it:
animals of the families Viverridae and Mustelidae in the order Carnivora are restricted because such animals are undesirable and a menace to native wildlife, the agricultural interests of the state, or to the public health or safety.
Ferrets belong to Mustelidae, and California lists every species in that family as a restricted detrimental animal (Fish and Game Code § 2118 with 14 CCR § 671). The only Mustelidae carved out of the detrimental listing are certain otters, which remain restricted under the welfare category. Domestic ferrets get no exception. Some lists pair this claim with Hawaii; this page covers California only.
Spitting in Burlingame: the exception runs the wrong way
The claim says spitting is allowed only on a baseball diamond in Burlingame. The real ordinance has the general ban and none of the exception. Burlingame Municipal Code § 10.28.030 reads:
It is unlawful for any person to urinate, expectorate or defecate on any public property, or upon any private property open to the public or in open view from public property.
Expectorate means spit. The section has no carve-out for ballfields. Its history runs back to the 1941 Burlingame code, with amendments in 1982 and 1996.
Cursing at mini-golf in Long Beach
No Long Beach ordinance about cursing at miniature golf was found in the Long Beach Municipal Code as of October 21, 2026. What does exist is a general state law about offensive words, and it applies statewide, golf course or not.
That state law is Penal Code § 415(3), which punishes:
Any person who uses offensive words in a public place which are inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction.
The penalty is up to 90 days in county jail, a fine of up to $400, or both. The test is narrow: the words must be inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction, and the statute has nothing to do with golf.
Two claims with no state law found
Driving in a housecoat
No state law was found in the California code as of October 21, 2026 that restricts what a driver may wear, housecoats included. We searched the codes for housecoat, bathrobe, nightgown and other clothing terms, and reviewed the chapter headings of the Vehicle Code divisions on rules of the road (Division 11), vehicle equipment (Division 12) and driver's licenses (Division 6).
Peacocks in Arcadia
The claim that peacocks have the right of way in Arcadia also comes up empty. No state law was found in the California code as of October 21, 2026, including the Vehicle Code's right-of-way chapter (Division 11, Chapter 4), and Arcadia's animal and traffic chapters contain no such rule either.
Arcadia does regulate its peafowl, just in a different direction. Arcadia Municipal Code § 4137, adopted by Ordinance 2389 in 2022, bars anyone from feeding peafowl on public or private property and declares doing so a nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to own a ferret in California?
California Fish and Game Code § 2118, with 14 CCR § 671, lists every species in the weasel family (Mustelidae), which includes ferrets, as a restricted detrimental animal. It is unlawful to import, transport or possess one except under a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and there is no exception for domestic ferrets.
Do peacocks have the right of way in Arcadia, California?
No state law was found in the California code as of October 21, 2026 giving peacocks a right of way, and Arcadia’s animal and traffic chapters contain none. Arcadia Municipal Code § 4137 (Ord. 2389, 2022) does bar feeding peafowl on public or private property and declares it a nuisance.
Is it illegal to curse in public in California?
Penal Code § 415(3) punishes using offensive words in a public place that are inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction, with up to 90 days in county jail, a fine up to $400, or both. It reaches only words that meet that test. No Long Beach ordinance on cursing at miniature golf was found.
Is spitting legal on a baseball diamond in Burlingame?
Burlingame Municipal Code § 10.28.030 makes it unlawful to spit on any public property, or on private property open to the public or in open view from public property. The section contains no baseball-diamond exception.
Can women drive in a housecoat in California?
No state law was found in the California code as of October 21, 2026 that restricts what a driver may wear, housecoats included. The search covered the Vehicle Code divisions on rules of the road, vehicle equipment and driver’s licenses, plus a search of the codes for clothing terms.
What are some weird laws in California?
The claims we checked are a ferret ban, a peacock right of way in Arcadia, a Burlingame spitting rule with a baseball exception, a Long Beach ban on cursing at mini-golf and a ban on driving in a housecoat. Only the ferret rule is a state law as stated.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- Cal. Fish & Game Code § 2118 (California Legislative Information)(leginfo.legislature.ca.gov).gov
- Burlingame Municipal Code § 10.28.030, Urinating, expectorating or defecating in public place or view (official code host)(ecode360.com)
- Cal. Penal Code § 415 (California Legislative Information)(leginfo.legislature.ca.gov).gov
- California Vehicle Code, table of contents (California Legislative Information)(leginfo.legislature.ca.gov).gov
- California Vehicle Code Division 11, Chapter 4, Right-of-way (California Legislative Information)(leginfo.legislature.ca.gov).gov