What Laws Should You Know Before Moving to a New State?

Whether you plan on moving to a new state or taking an extended vacation, you’ll need to educate yourself on the differences in the laws and regulations between your home state and your destination state. Learning about each of the differing laws across each state ensures that you stay on the right side of the law and don’t end up with hefty fines or jail time.

Because there are so many different laws and regulations, and they’re constantly being updated or changed, it can be difficult to know what’s right and wrong when you enter another state.

While it’s almost impossible to memorise every law out there, it’s important to know the most important laws and how they differ in each state. This is especially important if you’re moving to a new state or spending an extended period of time elsewhere in the country.

To make your research quicker, easier, and less stressful, here are some of the most important laws that you need to know before you move to a new state. It’s a good idea to do further research into each of the below areas of law before you move to go on vacation if you’re unsure of anything.

Gun Control Laws
Gun laws in the United States vary significantly between states, with some areas of the country having more stringent laws than others. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees citizens of America the right to bear arms. However, the interpretation and application of this Second Amendment right are unique to each state.

Some states have very strict rules around guns, with extensive background checks required for the purchase of any type of weapon and rules around the maximum number of guns that one person can own. However, some states have very loose rules around firearms, where there are minimal background checks and no licenses or permits required to own and use a gun.

Knife Laws
The laws around the possession of knives, the length of the blade, and the types of knives that are legally allowed in specified public areas also vary widely from state to state. Some states prohibit certain types of knives altogether, such as ballistic knives or gravity knives.

Knife length laws can vary between different cities and municipalities in a single state too, so this is something to be aware of if you’re travelling to multiple areas within a state.

Tax Laws
Every state has unique tax laws, including regulations around income tax, property tax, and sales tax. It’s particularly important to research your tax rights and expectations if you’re a business owner and you file your own tax return each year.

Some states have no income tax, such as Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Other states have a tiered income tax system, where higher earners pay more income tax than those earning a lower salary. Remember that your income tax is based on your total earnings, including the money you make from selling second-hand clothes or doing cash-in-hand jobs.

Sales tax rates are absent in some states, like Delaware and Oregon. Other states have relatively high sales taxes, reaching up to 9% in areas like California and Tennessee.

You’ll find major differences in property tax rates when you travel to a different state in America too. Alabama and Hawaii have some of the lowest property tax rates, and Illinois and New Jersey have some of the highest rates.