Statutory Rape: A Guide to State Laws and Reporting Requirements

This report is a compilation of state laws and reporting requirements. It provides an overview of state statutory rape laws and reporting requirements, as well as a summary of laws for each state and the District of Columbia. It is designed to provide useful information to state and federal policymakers who are interested in how state statutes address statutory rape. It also is intended to serve as a resource for HHS grantees. To understand if statutory rape has occurred and whether it should be reported (and to whom), program staff and policy makers need to be familiar with two sets of laws:  criminal and civil codes. The former deals with the legality of sexual activities involving minors, while the latter describes individuals’ reporting responsibilities. In short, there is no “one size fits all” law that guides the identification and reporting of statutory rape. Rather, there is wide variation in state codes. What is a reportable offense in one state may be outside the purview of law enforcement or child protective services in another. [135 PDF pages]