What weird town laws still exist in North Jersey today?

Kristie Cattafi | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Udder madness: Bergen County's weirdest laws From clean udder mandates to spitting bans and beyond, here are some of the weirdest laws on the books in Bergen County towns.

Want to move out of your home on a Sunday? Can't do that in Garfield.

Want to dress in clothing of the opposite sex or curse in public? Stay out of Teaneck.

Want to release a balloon in memory of a loved one? The skies above New Milford aren't the place to do it.

While Bergen County is no stranger to antiquated laws — just drive past the state's largest mall on a Sunday to see the thousands of empty parking spaces — the infamous Blue Laws don't even crack the top 10 of peculiar ordinances on the books throughout North Jersey towns.

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Among them, laws exist to prevent you from owning a cheetah in some towns, deeming "lewd" acts unlawful in your own home, and even banning ownership of a pinball machine.

But not all laws ban things, like shopping on Sundays (hey, that even earned a mention on "Jeopardy!"). Some direct their residents on how to properly treat livestock.

A Rutherford ordinance on the proper treatment of cows details how much room a stable should have and governs how a cow's udders should always be "washed, hand-rubbed or wiped with a clean, damp cloth before each milking."

And Garfield, which has slowly been updating its local laws as items come up, still has some outdated ordinances on the books.

One, approved in 1999, says that no person can move or transport personal belongings on "the Sabbath day, commonly known as Sunday."

Unless, of course, the Sunday happens to fall on the last or first day of the month, in which case the law does not apply.

In North Arlington, feline pets are strictly regulated. Sure, you can adopt a typical household cat. But the borough has gone above and beyond to ban the adoption of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, pumas, wildcats, jaguars, ocelots and any other wild feline.

And, sorry, you also can't raise or keep any "beast of burden," like horses, pigs, cows, sheep and goats, in Edgewater. Lions, tigers and cheetahs are, for some reason, classified as beasts of burden, too, though it's unclear if anyone has ever tried to hitch a pride of lions to a sleigh or plow.

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Spitting on a sidewalk or street is not only distasteful, in Teaneck, it's illegal. If you're caught it can cost you $25.

Some ordinances that may raise an eyebrow were just approved this past year.

If someone catches you deliberately releasing a balloon in New Milford, as of this past December, it can cost you up to $500 in fines.

In Dumont, you need a license not only to drive but also to dance. Under a "cabaret" ordinance, you won't be able to put on your dancing shoes unless the business obtained the proper license first.

Other laws may have you wondering: Who's enforcing this?

For instance, in Teaneck it's illegal to conduct a lewd or immoral act in public — or private — or to curse in public.

One law in particular stood out for Teaneck Councilman Keith Kaplan. This 1951 ordinance specifically says no one can dress in clothing of the opposite sex.

Kaplan said he was going through the township's code and has made it a priority to update some of the outdated rules.

"Reading through our own code right now, there's a lot that's unconstitutional or somewhere in between," Kaplan said.

Since most of the old ordinances aren't being enforced, it may not seem like a big deal.

However, Kaplan pointed out that in Mahwah, town rules governing how parks are used were seen as discriminatory by some.

"These can be used deliberately to cause a lot of strife," he said.

Teaneck has been no stranger to dealing with older laws.

In 1942, the Supreme Court of New Jersey weighed in on whether a township ordinance that prohibited a pinball machine in a place of business was constitutional. The court agreed with the town, and the ordinance remains today.

Times are changing

Some of these laws that seem odd are a product of the era in which they were written, said Michael Cerra, assistant executive director of the League of Municipalities.

"Obviously, ordinances written about horseless carriages are not current," Cerra said. "There's always discretion in enforcing and implementation in state and federal laws that really aren't relevant for the times anymore."

Laundromats technically were not allowed to open on Sundays in Garfield, although some businesses didn't know. Once the ordinance, created in 1961, was brought to the City Council's attention, it was changed last month.

For the last 100 years, you weren't able to get a cut and shave at a barbershop in Hasbrouck Heights on Sunday. It was something that wasn't actively being enforced until a neighbor complained about one of the businesses.

Last summer, three barbershops needed to close their shops for a couple of Sundays until the council reversed the law.

East Rutherford also updated an old ordinance to allow hair salons and barbershops to open on Sundays in 2015.

"It takes effort to weed through the dozens and dozens of statutes that fall in that category," Cerra said. "Sometimes it's time-consuming and there are more pressing matters. When it isn't being enforced and no one is complaining, it goes under the radar."