Allow me to explain a little more on this. I was looking back a while ago at possibly using the health code as a way to shut down the shoe carnival. I had figured that if there was a violation of a state's health code by requiring people to go barefoot, then in order for the shoe carnival to last, it would require specific legislation to be enacted either on the state or federal level to reverse the health code violaion. In essence I was hoping that I could get the health departments to order an end to the "unsanitary" condition.

Well researching though every states health code and a number of websites dedicated to people who like to walk barefoot, I discovered that there is no state health department requlation requiring that persons wear shoes anywhere. The only place where shoes are required by code is in the food service industry and the regulation only applies to the staff and not the patrons.

Many establishments, both public and private, however, require that their patrons wear shoes. This requirement does not come from any official legal statutes, but comes from internal policies or regulations. So in your case the requiring of shoes in public buildings most likely comes from internal policy, (the policy itself may come from the health department). If it came from force of law then it would extend to private establishments as well. So at the checkpoint all that is required is a minor change of internal policy to permit barefeet at the checkpoint.