Strange Payroll Laws You Must Know To Be Compliant

In the world of payroll, we find that we have several laws in each state that we must follow to ensure compliance with paying our employees.  Several states have laws on their books that were enacted many years ago that have never been removed and can make you go hmm…

For example:

Alabama 

• It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy
• Dominoes may not be played on Sunday
• It is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church
• No person within the city of Mobile may possess confetti
• Courting couples must not hold hands while dining in a restaurant
• All women of 'uncertain' chastity must be off the streets by 9 p.m.
• Women may not wear a 'lewd' dress in public in the city of Mobile

Alaska 

• Intentionally avoiding walking on the cracks in the pavement is illegal
• Stealing snow from a neighbor’s garden to make a snowman is against the law, but using it for an igloo is acceptable
• It is illegal to whisper in someone’s ear while they are moose hunting
• It is illegal to go and sightsee for moose from a plane

Arizona 

• It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.
• In Nogales, the wearing of suspenders is prohibited by city ordinance
• Children are not allowed to sing nursery rhymes after 8 pm
• It is illegal to sing in a public place while wearing a swimsuit
• In Glendale, it is illegal to drive your vehicle in reverse
• It is unlawful to cut down a Saguaro cactus

When it comes to strange laws that impact payroll, there are states that can drive us crazy when trying to stay compliant.

For example:

California 

• Employees must have a meal break by the end of the 5th hour of work or they are to be paid a penalty hour of pay per day
• Employers must be paying California employees from a California bank
• Overtime is paid at time worked after 8 hours in a workday as well as the first 8 hours on the 7th consecutive day of work
• Double time must be paid for any hours worked over 12 in a work day
• Pay upon termination must be provide on the same day

Delaware 

• Unclaimed wages not reported properly can result in a state audit that can go back 22 years

Illinois 

• Monthly unemployment reporting is required, and it is the only state in the nation to require this

Washington 

• The city of SeaTac requires paid sick leave, but not the employees who work for the Seattle-Tacoma airport, which is in SeaTac.

The payroll profession is full of compliance standards that must be followed.  We adhere to local, state, federal and company guidelines and with laws as strange as the ones above it’s a wonder we are not all crazy!