18. Some strange Oregon laws, and the truth behind them
Numerous sites which list purported strange laws claim that in Oregon it is illegal to use corn as bait when fishing. That statement is false. It is legal to use corn as bait, but a fisherman cannot empty a can of corn, or corn in some other form, over the side of his boat or into the water if bank fishing, in the form of chum to attract fish. Another reported law in Oregon requires anyone juggling in Hood River to have a license. That one is true, more or less, the city doesn’t enforce the regulation but it remains on the books. Another Oregon community, Salem, bans slingshots and bean shooters from its streets and public places, such as parks.
In Sheridan, Oregon, an ordinance literally bans spitting on the sidewalk, a term often used as a reference to the least possible crime a person can be charged with. It includes streets, alleys, public buildings, and parks unless there are vessels designed as receptacles for the purpose of being used by those who expectorate. Yamhill, Oregon bans fortune tellers, seers, astrologers, tarot readers, and the rest of what the community refers to as the occult arts. Throughout the state riding in the back of a pickup truck is illegal except under special circumstances, as is riding on the outside of an automobile, as on the hood or fenders.
