Some of the weird laws in Minnesota are statewide statutes carrying real criminal penalties, and others are hyperlocal ordinances aimed at problems in a single city. The ones below are still in force: greased pig contests are banned, car dealers can’t open on Sundays, alcohol-infused candy can only be sold in certain stores, dumping trash on a frozen lake is a misdemeanor, mosquito breeding grounds on your property are a public nuisance, and in Minnetonka, driving a truck that drops mud on the street is its own violation.
Greased Pig Contests and Turkey Scrambles Are Illegal
Minnesota statute makes it a crime to release a greased or oiled pig for people to chase and capture, and equally illegal to release or throw a chicken or turkey into the air for the same purpose.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 343.36 – Greased Pig Contests and Turkey Scrambles Organizers, operators, and individual participants can all be charged.
A violation is a misdemeanor. In Minnesota that means up to 90 days in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 609.02 – Definitions These events were once common at county fairs, and the law isn’t a dusty relic. If you’re putting on a public event with live animals, it applies.
You Can’t Buy a Car on Sunday
Minnesota prohibits licensed dealers from buying, selling, or trading new or used motor vehicles on Sundays. A first violation is a misdemeanor; each subsequent offense is a gross misdemeanor.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 168.275 – Sale on Sunday
There are narrow exceptions for trailers designed to haul watercraft, ATVs, snowmobiles, or utility loads. For cars and trucks, every dealership in the state is closed on Sundays by law, not by choice. It’s one of the last surviving blue laws in Minnesota.
Alcohol Rules That Trip People Up
Candy Containing Alcohol
Minnesota allows confections containing alcohol, but only under tight restrictions. The candy can contain no more than five percent alcohol by volume, and the alcohol must be in a nonliquid form, mixed into the confection during manufacturing.4Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 31.76 – Confections Containing Alcohol It can’t be sold to anyone under 21, and every piece must carry a label stating both the alcohol content and the age restriction.
The surprise is where it can be sold. Alcohol-containing candy is restricted to licensed liquor stores and businesses where more than half of gross sales come from confections.4Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 31.76 – Confections Containing Alcohol A regular grocery store or gas station can’t stock rum-flavored chocolates. A box of boozy bonbons gets treated more like a bottle of wine than a bag of candy.
The 3.2 Percent Beer Holdout
Minnesota has long been one of the strictest states on where you can buy full-strength beer. For decades, grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations could only sell beer with an alcohol content of 3.2 percent by weight, roughly 4 percent by volume. Anything stronger required a trip to a dedicated liquor store. Minnesota was the last state in the country to maintain this distinction, and as of 2024 the restriction was still on the books.
Dumping Garbage on a Frozen Lake
Minnesota makes it a misdemeanor to dump garbage, rubbish, animal carcasses, or other litter on any public highway, public waters, the ice on those waters, shoreland areas near rivers and streams, public lands, or private property without the owner’s consent.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 609.68 – Unlawful Deposit of Garbage The specific mention of ice is distinctly Minnesotan. With thousands of ice-fishing houses on frozen lakes every winter, the legislature spelled out that the ice surface counts as part of the waterway, not a free dumping zone.
The statute also reaches shoreland areas adjacent to rivers and streams, so hauling old furniture to a riverbank isn’t a loophole. Because the law sits in the criminal code rather than a local ordinance, it applies statewide and is enforced by county sheriffs and conservation officers.
Mosquito Breeding Grounds Count as a Public Nuisance
Minnesota law declares areas where mosquitoes incubate or hatch to be public nuisances. Local governments can order property owners to drain stagnant water from pools, containers, or low-lying areas to eliminate breeding habitat.
In practice that means a neglected kiddie pool or an uncovered rain barrel isn’t just an eyesore; it’s something the city can formally classify as a nuisance and order you to fix. Each day of noncompliance can count as a separate offense under many municipal enforcement codes, so ignoring a notice gets expensive quickly. Fines for minor nuisance violations vary by city but generally fall in the range of a few hundred dollars per violation.
Muddy Tires in Minnetonka
The city of Minnetonka declares it a public nuisance to drive a truck or other vehicle whose wheels or tires deposit mud, dirt, sticky substances, or other material onto any street or highway.6Minnetonka City Code of Ordinances. Minnetonka Code of Ordinances – 845.010 Public Nuisances Affecting Peace, Safety and General Welfare The rule targets construction vehicles leaving job sites with caked-on mud that creates slip hazards and clogs storm drains.
It gives code enforcement a specific violation to cite instead of routing city crews out for avoidable street cleaning. Nuisance violations in Minnesota cities are typically misdemeanors carrying fines up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail, though enforcement for muddy tires almost always stays at the fine level.
How These Laws Actually Get Enforced
Most of these rules sit quietly until someone files a complaint or an inspector notices a violation during routine work. Nobody is patrolling Minnetonka looking for muddy tires. But if a construction company repeatedly tracks mud across residential streets and neighbors call the city, the ordinance gives enforcement a specific hook.
Property owners should also know that code enforcement officers generally cannot enter private property without either consent or an administrative search warrant.7Congress.gov. Inspections If an inspector shows up about a mosquito complaint or an alleged nuisance on your property, you can decline entry. The city would then need a warrant, which for routine code enforcement is a lower bar than criminal probable cause but still requires court approval.