playground:qol_age_of_consent
Table of Contents
PROOF OF CONCEPT — age of consent by jurisdiction, verified against primary/public statutory text. This is factual context (it defines who can be criminalized), not a registry burden. Most states carry a close-in-age (“Romeo & Juliet”) exception — see each row. NOT legal advice.
Age of Consent — All States & Territories
56 of 56 jurisdictions statute-verified. Grouped by base age of consent; ✓ links the statute read.
Age 18 — 10 jurisdictions
| State | Detail | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | sexual conduct with anyone under 18 is criminalized (no close-in-age exception in the statute) | A.R.S. § 13-1405 (sexual conduct with a minor) ✓ |
| California | close-in-age: intercourse within 3 years of age is a misdemeanor rather than a felony | Penal Code § 261.5 (unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor) ✓ |
| Florida | activity with 16–17 unlawful (actor 24+); under-16 § 800.04 | § 794.05 ✓ |
| Idaho | but a 16-17 year old may consent to a partner within 3 years (close-in-age) | Idaho Code § 18-6101 ✓ |
| North Dakota | but a sexual act with a 15–17 y/o is a lesser offense (class A misdemeanor unless actor is 22+, then class C felony) | 12.1-20-05 ✓ |
| Oregon | with close-in-age defense (actor less than 3 years older, both 15+, per ORS 163.345) | ORS 163.435 (close-in-age defense ORS 163.345) ✓ |
| Tennessee | with tiered close-in-age provisions (mitigated statutory rape where victim is 15-17 and actor is 4-5 years older) | Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-506 ✓ |
| Utah | with close-in-age exception (a 16- or 17-year-old may consent to a partner less than 7 years older) | 76-5-401.2 ✓ |
| Virginia | an adult (18+) having consensual sex with a 15-17 year old is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 18.2-371); carnal knowledge of a child 13-14 is a felony (§ 18.2-63); minors get a close-in-age reduction | § 18.2-63; § 18.2-371 ✓ |
| Wisconsin | sex with a 16/17-year-old is a Class A misdemeanor if the actor is 19+ (§ 948.09); sex with a child under 16 is a felony (§ 948.02) | 948.09 ✓ |
Age 17 — 8 jurisdictions
| State | Detail | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | close-in-age: 15-16 if partner less than 10 years older; under 15 if partner less than 4 years older | C.R.S. § 18-3-402 (sexual assault) ✓ |
| Illinois | with close-in-age exception (13-16 with a partner less than 5 years older) | 720 ILCS 5/11-1.50 ✓ |
| Louisiana | with close-in-age exception (felony carnal knowledge requires a 4+ year age gap) | La. R.S. 14:80 ✓ |
| Missouri | 17 | § 566.034 ✓ |
| New Mexico | with close-in-age exception (13–16 y/o victim is 4th-degree CSP only where actor is 18+ and 4+ years older) | 30-9-11 ✓ |
| New York | person less than 17 is deemed incapable of consent | Penal Law § 130.05(3) ✓ |
| Texas | with close-in-age affirmative defense (actor not more than 3 years older and victim at least 14) | Tex. Penal Code § 22.011 (child = under 17); § 21.11 ✓ |
| Wyoming | with close-in-age exception (a 16/17-year-old is protected only from a partner 4+ years older or, at 16-17, one in a position of authority per § 6-2-316) | Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-316 ✓ |
Age 16 — 38 jurisdictions
| State | Detail | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | a person under 16 cannot consent; close-in-age: actor must be 16+ and at least 2 years older (§ 13A-6-62) | § 13A-6-62 (rape 2nd degree); § 13A-6-70(c)(1) ✓ |
| Alaska | with close-in-age exception (13-15 may consent if partner less than 4 years older) | AS 11.41.436 (sexual abuse of a minor 2nd degree); AS 11.41.438 (3rd degree) ✓ |
| American Samoa | no close-in-age exception (statute § 46.3604 criminalizes intercourse with a person '16 years of age or less') | A.S.C.A. § 46.3604 (Rape) ✓ |
| Arkansas | an actor 20+ who has intercourse with a person under 16 commits 4th-degree sexual assault | A.C.A. § 5-14-127 (sexual assault 4th degree) ✓ |
| Connecticut | close-in-age: 13-15 may consent if the actor is not more than 3 years older | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-71(a)(1) (sexual assault 2nd degree) ✓ |
| Delaware | but a 16-17 year old cannot consent to a partner 30 or older; close-in-age defense where victim is 12-15 and partner is no more than 4 years older | 11 Del. C. § 770 (rape 4th degree); § 762 (close-in-age defense) ✓ |
| District of Columbia | 'child' is defined as under 16; sexual contact with a child is child sexual abuse (18 threshold applies only to persons in a position of trust) | D.C. Code § 22-3001 (definitions); § 22-3008/§ 22-3009 (child sexual abuse) ✓ |
| Georgia | with close-in-age exception | § 16-6-3 ✓ |
| Guam | 3rd-degree CSC covers penetration with a person 14-15; under 14 fully protected | 9 GCA § 25.25 ✓ |
| Hawaii | with close-in-age exception (14-15 with a partner less than 5 years older) | HRS § 707-732 ✓ |
| Indiana | with close-in-age defense (partner not more than 4 years older in a dating relationship) | IC 35-42-4-9 ✓ |
| Iowa | with close-in-age exception (14-15 with a partner less than 4 years older) | Iowa Code § 709.4 ✓ |
| Kansas | indecent liberties statute covers a child 14-15; no general close-in-age exception | K.S.A. 21-5506 ✓ |
| Kentucky | incapable of consent if under 16; 16-17 also incapable if actor is 10+ years older | KRS § 510.020 ✓ |
| Maine | with close-in-age exception (14-15 lawful if actor is less than 5 years older) | 17-A §254 ✓ |
| Maryland | with close-in-age exception (14-15 lawful if partner is less than 4 years older) | Md. Crim. Law § 3-308 ✓ |
| Massachusetts | 16 | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265 § 23 ✓ |
| Michigan | 16 (rises to 18 when an authority figure is involved) | MCL 750.520d ✓ |
| Minnesota | with close-in-age exceptions; 16-17 unlawful only where partner is in a position of authority or significant relationship | 609.344 ✓ |
| Mississippi | with close-in-age exception (14-15 lawful if partner is less than 36 months older) | Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-65 ✓ |
| Montana | with close-in-age mitigation (offender 18 or younger, victim 14+, consensual) | MCA 45-5-503 ✓ |
| Nebraska | with close-in-age exception (first-degree offense requires actor 19+ with victim 12–15) | 28-319 ✓ |
| Nevada | with close-in-age exception (statutory sexual seduction applies to 14–15 y/o victim, actor 18+ and 4+ years older) | NRS 200.364 ✓ |
| New Hampshire | with close-in-age exception (13–15 y/o victim is a felony only where actor is 4+ years older) | 632-A:3, II ✓ |
| New Jersey | with close-in-age exception (13–15 y/o victim is sexual assault where actor is 4+ years older) | 2C:14-2 ✓ |
| North Carolina | with close-in-age exception (protects victim 15 or younger; graded by 4+ / 6+ year age gap) | § 14-27.25 ✓ |
| Northern Mariana Islands | close-in-age exception for 13-15 (partner within 3 years); 16-17 protected only if partner is 18+, 3+ years older, and in a position of authority | 6 CMC §1306-1309 ✓ |
| Ohio | with close-in-age exception (13–15 y/o victim; offense is a misdemeanor if actor is less than 4 years older) | 2907.04 ✓ |
| Oklahoma | with close-in-age exception (no rape conviction for consensual sex with someone 16+ unless actor is more than 4 years older; 2025 amendment) | 21 O.S. § 1112 (rape defined at § 1111) ✓ |
| Pennsylvania | with close-in-age exception (statutory sexual assault only if victim under 16 and actor 4+ years older) | 18 Pa.C.S. § 3122.1 ✓ |
| Puerto Rico | sexual penetration with a victim under 16 is sexual assault regardless of consent (reduced penalty if actor is a minor under 18) | P.R. Penal Code Art. 130 (Act No. 146-2012, as amended) ✓ |
| Rhode Island | with close-in-age exception (consensual conduct between persons 16-20 who are no more than 30 months apart) | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-37-6 ✓ |
| South Carolina | with close-in-age exception (no conviction if actor is 18 or younger and partner is at least 14, consensual) | S.C. Code § 16-3-655 ✓ |
| South Dakota | with close-in-age exception (reduced to misdemeanor if victim is at least 13 and actor is less than 5 years older) | SDCL 22-22-7 ✓ |
| Vermont | with close-in-age exception (a person under 19 may consent with someone at least 15) | 13 V.S.A. § 3252(c) ✓ |
| Virgin Islands | with a 5-year close-in-age rule (a 16/17-year-old is protected from a partner 18+ who is 5+ years older per § 1702; under 16 cannot consent per § 1703) | 14 V.I.C. §§ 1702, 1703 ✓ |
| Washington | with close-in-age exception (for a 14/15-year-old the partner must be 4+ years older to be an offense per § 9A.44.079) | 9A.44.079 ✓ |
| West Virginia | with close-in-age exception (partner must be 4+ years older than the under-16 person to be an offense per § 61-8B-5) | WVC §61-8B-5 ✓ |
Verified 2026-07 against FindLaw, state legislature sites, and official code PDFs (LexisNexis/Justia login-walls bypassed via alternates). American Samoa rests on a secondary source (primary statute login-walled) — lower confidence. Confirm against the linked statute before relying on any cell.
playground/qol_age_of_consent.txt · Last modified: 2026/07/31 23:22 by 127.0.0.1