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From The Prohibition Of Dying To Airports For Flying Saucers, Unusual Projects Reveal An Unexpected Side Of Brazilian Legislation Full Of Curious Stories And Debates That Surprise To This Day
Since the Federal Constitution of 1988 came into effect, Brazil has plunged into intense legislative production. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Tax Planning (IBPT), considering regulations published until 2024, 7.8 million regulations have been issued throughout the country. Of this total, municipalities alone created 1,024,720 laws.
Amidst this impressive volume, proposals arise that go beyond the expected and attract attention for their creativity, boldness, or, in some cases, complete eccentricity.
Among serious ideas and curious initiatives, some proposals gained national repercussions and even became tourist attractions or symbols of unusual debates.
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Friends have been building a small “town” for 30 years to grow old together, with compact houses, a common area, nature surrounding it, and a collective life project designed for friendship, coexistence, and simplicity.
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This small town in Germany created its own currency 24 years ago, today it circulates millions per year, is accepted in over 300 stores, and the German government allowed all of this to happen under one condition.
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Curitiba is shrinking and is expected to lose 97,000 residents by 2050, while inland cities in Paraná such as Sarandi, Araucária, and Toledo are experiencing accelerated growth that is changing the entire state’s map.
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Tourists were poisoned on Everest in a million-dollar fraud scheme involving helicopters that diverted over $19 million and shocked international authorities.
Below are seven examples that show how Brazilian legislation can also surprise.
Air Conditioning On Power Poles Is One Of The Most Unusual Laws
In 2023, a councilman from Fernandópolis, in the interior of São Paulo, presented a bill proposing the installation of air conditioning on the municipal power poles.
The justification was simple: to mitigate the extreme heat faced by residents, as he claimed that the existing tree cover would not be sufficient.
To support the proposal, the councilman cited Qatar as an example of a country that uses technologies to cope with high temperatures. However, the idea did not progress and ended up becoming a subject of ridicule.
Still in 2023, the same councilman suggested that the population wear outfits with built-in fans, but that proposal also did not prosper.
Airport For Flying Saucers
One of the most famous initiatives emerged in 1995 in Barra do Garças, in Mato Grosso. Councilman Valdon Varjão presented a bill proposing the creation of an airport for unidentified flying objects and flying saucers.
The proposal was unanimously approved and sanctioned by then-mayor Wilmar de Farias. Two years later, in 1997, the so-called “Discoporto” was inaugurated in an area of the Serra Azul State Park.
The space features a replica of a flying saucer and paintings of extraterrestrials, becoming a local tourist attraction.
Mandatory Combat Against Ant Hills
Rio Claro, in the interior of São Paulo, has at least two curious laws. The first, Law No. 967 of 1965, mandated the elimination of ant hills in the city.
Whenever the City Hall became aware of an ant hill, the property owner was required to eliminate it. Otherwise, they could be fined.
The initiative came from Mayor Augusto Schmidt Filho and aimed to protect urban and residential areas, although it sounds quite unusual today.
Prohibition On The Sale Of Watermelon
Also in Rio Claro, an even older regulation draws attention. In 1894, a law was passed prohibiting the sale of watermelon in the municipality.
The motivation, according to historians, was the belief that the fruit could contribute to the transmission of yellow fever.
The legislation remained in effect for over a century and was only revoked in 2025, becoming a classic example of how ancient beliefs influenced public decisions.
Fine For Grammar Mistakes
In Pouso Alegre (MG), a municipal law from 1997 imposed a fine of R$ 500 for grammatical errors on billboards and R$ 100 for errors in other advertising media. The proposal even gained national prominence.
At the time, the then Secretary of Culture, Sports, Leisure and Tourism, Fábio Faria de Oliveira, stated in an interview with the newspaper Folha S. Paulo that the measure aimed to combat “grammatical aberrations.”
The text of the law stipulated that all written advertising must comply with the official rules of the Portuguese language. The regulation was revoked in 2021.
Decree Against Rains And Floods
In 2007, a decree from the then-mayor of Aparecida (SP) attempted to prohibit floods and other climatic phenomena. The city is known for hosting the Sanctuary of Our Lady Aparecida.
With only two articles, the regulation provided for the “prohibition of floods occurring in the city’s neighborhoods caused by heavy rains, hailstorms, thunderstorms with lightning, hurricanes, and floods in the Paraíba do Sul River and its tributaries.”
The decree never came into effect and became the target of criticism across Brazil.
Prohibition On Dying In Biritiba Mirim Almost Became Law
In 2005, Biritiba Mirim (SP) approved a law that, in practice, prohibited residents from dying in the city.
The intention was to draw attention to the lack of space in the municipal cemetery and pressure authorities to authorize the construction of a new burial site.
The text even suggested that residents take care of their health to avoid deaths. The project generated so much repercussion that it ultimately resulted in the authorization for the creation of a new cemetery. As a result, the law was revoked.
The Day Of “It’s A Goal For Germany” Would Be One Of The Most Exotic Laws
In Campinas (SP), in 2015, councilman Jota Silva submitted a bill to establish the Day of “It’s A Goal For Germany.”
The chosen date was July 8, when the Brazilian National Team lost 7 to 1 to Germany at Mineirão.
According to the councilman, the date should not be celebrated but remembered as “the day of the greatest tragedy in Brazilian football.”
After a strong negative backlash, the councilman withdrew the proposal, which did not progress.
These episodes show that, amid the extensive and complex legislation of the country, there is room for initiatives that border on the surreal.
Many of them emerged as protests, others as attempts to draw attention to real problems, and some merely as expressions of political creativity.
Regardless of their intention, all the laws help to form a curious portrait of Brazilian legislative history.
The information is from Revista Galileu.
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