The summer months are here, and that means it's time to work on that tan. It also means tan-lines. In these "top-free friendly" states, you can ditch the top and get that nice, even tan.

Texas is listed as one of the states where you can go topless, according to the advocacy group GoTopless. That doesn't mean, however, that you should ditch the top without thinking about the consequences.

You could still be arrested for "disorderly conduct" or other offenses. On the advocacy group's website, the only city in Texas listed as "topless tested" is Austin.

This also marks the second summer since the court ruling that led to a lifting of the ban on being topless in Utah, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. It was big news back in September of 2019 that the one ruling affected so many. And as you already know, people weren't exactly venturing outside in the summer of 2020, thanks to that pesky pandemic.

That doesn't mean you can cross state lines and immediately lose your top. There was more to the story. That decision wasn't "binding" everywhere.

If your summer travel plans include taking an outing to Utah, for instance, you can still get in trouble for being topless in public. Oklahoma is also continuing to enforce public decency laws.

If you consider yourself to be a naturist, there is only one nude beach in all of Texas. It's Hippie Hollow Park at Lake Travis in northwest Austin. They're the state's only legally recognized clothing-optional public park. They were closed for most 2020 due to the pandemic, but are now open at regular capacity.

There are some "unofficial" nude beaches in Texas. McFaddin Beach, about 34 miles from Galveston, is one. They do mention that it is still not legal, so you don your birthday suit at your own risk.

Others are just north of South Padre Island.

While I can totally support the desire to be tan-line free this summer, be sure to do a little research into the laws before you go, well, topless.

 

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

CHECK IT OUT: 20 Things Us Texans Have To Explain To Out-Of-Town'ers

More From KISS FM 96.9