More About This Law
Law Summary
No one may be a professional fortune-teller, and if one wishes to pursue the practice as an amateur, it must be practiced in a school or church. Repealed by Session Laws 2004-003Full text of the Law
14-401.5. Practice of phrenology, palmistry, fortune- telling or clairvoyance prohibited.It shall be unlawful for any person to practice the arts of phrenology, palmistry, clairvoyance, fortune-telling and other crafts of a similar kind in the counties named herein. Any person violating any provision of this section shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
This section shall not prohibit the amateur practice of phrenology, palmistry, fortune-telling or clairvoyance in connection with school or church socials, provided such socials are held in school or church buildings.
Provided that the provisions of this section shall apply only to the Counties of Alexander, Ashe, Avery, Bladen, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Chatham, Chowan, Clay, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Durham, Franklin, Graham, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Hoke, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Madison, Martin, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Person, Polk, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rutherford, Sampson, Scotland, Surry, Transylvania, Union, Wake and Wayne.
(1951, c. 314; 1953, cc. 138, 227, 328; 1955, cc. 55, 454; 1957, cc. 151, 166, 309, 355, 915; 1959, cc. 428, 1018; 1961, c. 271; 1969, c. 1224, s. 20; 1973, cc. 12, 195; 1975, cc. 331, 351; 1977, c. 335; 1993, c. 539, s. 275; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 596, s. 1.)
Why does this law exist?
This law was written simply to make practicing fortune telling difficult. Phrenology, the study of reading the bumps on the skull, was outdated when this law was written.