MILLSBORO, Del. - eTradeWire -- 30 Days in Jail for Witchcraft? The Shocking American Law That Survived Until 2024

Witchcraft, criminal charges and 30 days behind bars. This wasn't 1692 Salem. This was an American town in the 21st century.

A report by Humanity's Endless Living Labyrinth News Network
October 12, 2026

MILLSBORO, Delaware. Witchcraft, fortune-telling and communicating with spirits might sound like subjects from America's distant past, but until November 2024, a Delaware town maintained a law threatening offenders with up to 30 days behind bars. In a country founded on constitutional protections for religious freedom, the ordinance remained part of the town's legal code well into the 21st century.

Millsboro's Chapter 112 prohibited witchcraft, conjuration, fortune-telling, palmistry, divination and dealing with spirits. Violations carried fines of $50 to $100 and imprisonment of 10 to 30 days. These were not Salem witch trial punishments. They appeared in a modern municipal code that remained in effect until less than two years ago.

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On November 4, 2024, the Millsboro Town Council repealed Chapter 112 as part of a broader review of outdated ordinances. Town records describe the repealed provisions as outdated, unenforced or already addressed by state law.

Remarkably, confusion about the law has continued even after its repeal. A September 30, 2026 article in the Delaware News Journal described the town's prohibitions as though they remained in effect. Official council minutes and the town's updated legal code establish they were repealed in November 2024. The discrepancy shows how an outdated legal claim can persist after the law has changed.

Millsboro is not the only American jurisdiction with such restrictions. New York still maintains Penal Law Section 165.35, which makes certain paid fortune-telling and claimed occult services a Class B misdemeanor. Unlike Millsboro's former ordinance, the New York statute concerns services offered for compensation and exempts entertainment. Legislation introduced in 2026 seeks to repeal the offense, but it remains in committee.

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The distinction between protecting the public from fraud and criminalizing religious or spiritual expression presents an important constitutional question. Governments have a legitimate interest in preventing theft and deception, but laws directed at supernatural beliefs raise concerns about freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Such restrictions would not necessarily survive a constitutional challenge.

Millsboro has repealed its ordinance, but the larger debate remains unresolved. That an American town kept a witchcraft ordinance until 2024 is a reminder that some laws from a troubling past survive much longer than many people imagine.

Sources: Millsboro Town Council Minutes, Nov. 4, 2024, p. 3; Millsboro Chapter DL Disposition List, Nov. 4, 2024; A&E Crime + Investigation, updated July 16, 2026; Delaware News Journal, Sept. 30, 2026; N.Y. Penal Law § 165.35; N.Y. Senate Bill S8682A.