It turns out that New York City’s quirks extend even to its laws. There are some very weird NYC laws from more than a century ago that are still on the books. Most of these are called “blue laws,” and they typically deal with issues of morality. Although nobody is quite sure why they are called “blue,” one theory is that the Puritans originally bound their religious laws in blue notebooks.

Here are some of the weirder NYC laws that have, for whatever reason, stood the test of time.

No Carrying an Ice Cream Cone in Your Back Pocket on a Sunday

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Nobody seems to be sure why this law was ever made in the first place. Perhaps eating ice cream on Sunday was illegal to begin with, and lawbreakers put the cone in their pockets when policemen walked by? Or maybe thieves used ice cream in their pocket to lure away horses and steal them? Either way, if you do stroll around this weekend with a $7 cone of Morgenstern’s melting in your Levi’s, don’t expect to get stopped by the NYPD.

No Group Mask-Wearing in Public

According to Section 240.35 of the New York Penal Code, it’s illegal for more than three people wearing masks to congregate in a public space. The law actually came about in 1845 when struggling farmers, affected by falling wheat prices, used disguises to attack law enforcement officers who came to collect their debts. It’s still used today, most notably to arrest protesters during the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. The one exception, of course, is if the public event happens to be a masquerade party.

Put Down That Cellphone, Movie Fan

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Talk about taking cellphone distraction seriously: It turns out that moviegoers can be fined $50 for using their cellphones in a New York City theater. Unlike the other laws on this list, however, this isn’t a “blue law.” It passed in 2003, after theater owners grew concerned over cellphone use. Anyone who’s seen a flick in New York of late can tell you that the law definitely works, too. Totally.

There’s Gonna Be No Dancing (The NYC Cabaret Law)

This law made it illegal for more than three people to dance in an establishment without a license. Originally put on the books during Prohibition, it was meant to make it easier to dismantle speakeasies. However, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani continued to enforce it in the 1990s to shut down dance clubs, which he saw as detrimental to quality of life. It wasn’t taken off the books until just last year.

Found Money on the Street? Hand It Over

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According to Section 10-106 of New York City’s administrative code, it’s illegal to keep funds amounting to more than $10 that you found on the street. Instead, finders are supposed to turn the money into the police. Yes, that’s right, picking up that $20 you found on the way home from the bar could land you a $1,000 fine and/or a year in jail.

Keep Your Puppet Shows Out of Windows

Any aspiring puppeteers who only have a window to work with might want to call their big plans off. It is technically still illegal to host a puppet show in a window in NYC. The law is part of Section 10-114 in the code, which also prohibits climbing buildings and putting on comedy or dance performances in the street.

Pinball in Beacon? You Could Land in the Pen

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In the town of Beacon, NY, just up the Hudson River, it is illegal to run or operate a pinball machine. The law is leftover from a time when pinball machines were outlawed in most cities because of their links to gambling and corruption. They were even outlawed in New York City from 1942 to 1976. During that time, policemen destroyed 2,000 pinball machines and dumped their parts into the Long Island Sound.
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