How many laws are too many?

In trying to understand the world, there are a few ‘truths’ which I have discovered. One of them is my rules of complexity. The essential core of these rules is simply: The more complicated the system, the more likely it is to break and the harder it is to fix.

This is both obvious and evident in our technological society. It is the primary reason that things aren't built to last any more, and why maintenance industries (such as radio repair shops and cobblers) have become so uncommon. As the technology of a society grows in complexity, the more it moves towards disposable technology.

The same rules apply to other systems as well, and I think may explain why the legal system in the US has become so dysfunctional. After more than 200 years of legislators adding more and more bells and whistles to the system, it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to any more, i.e. provide a comprehensive and coherent framework in which societies members can grow and flourish.

Dating back to Hammurabi, attempts have been made to codify these laws, but ultimately, each society ends up adding so many that it can’t function—so my question is this: at what point does the passage of new laws become counterproductive? How many laws are too many?