Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
Arizona's age of consent is 18, one of the highest in the country. There is a narrow close-in-age exemption: persons who are 15 or older and within two years of age of a 17-year-old are not subject to criminal liability under certain sexual conduct statutes. Arizona Revised Statutes Section 13-1405 governs the primary offense.
Arizona has no statewide mandate requiring schools to offer sex education. Districts that choose to offer it must stress abstinence as the preferred and expected behavior for unmarried students. Instruction on contraception is permitted but must be presented in ways that do not undercut the abstinence message. There is no requirement for medical accuracy, no mandate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, and no requirement that consent be a curricular topic.
Adult entertainment in Arizona falls into a moderate category. Cities like Phoenix and Tucson have active adult entertainment industries regulated through municipal licensing and zoning ordinances. State obscenity law follows federal standards. Arizona passed a law in 2023 requiring age verification for pornographic websites, though enforcement has faced legal challenges.
Age of consent 18 — one of the highest. No state sex ed mandate. Districts that offer sex ed must stress abstinence.
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In the News
- Arizona Republicans want schools to teach fetal development but not sex, STIs or abortion - Arizona MirrorFeb 27
- Justice for Women and Girls: Five Global Wins to Celebrate this International Women’s Day - Center for Reproductive RightsMar 6
- Republicans want colleges to pair adoption info with every STI test and condom - Arizona MirrorApr 2
- Foster Care’s Missing Policies For Sexual and Reproductive Health - The ImprintMay 9
- Arizona governor vetoes strict sex education legislation - NBC NewsApr 21
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Sources: NCSL, Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS State Profiles, Wikipedia "Ages of consent in the United States". Laws change — verify current status with official sources.