Arkansas
Sex Laws 2026

The age of consent in Arkansas is 16 as of May 2026, the same as in 29 other states. Arkansas requires schools to teach sex education, one of 28 states that do, and the mandated approach is abstinence-only, with no medical-accuracy requirement and no LGBTQ+ inclusion requirement. Adult entertainment regulation is restrictive, and the state scores 20/100 on this page's sex-ed progressiveness scale.

Arkansas sets the age of consent at 16. State law provides a close-in-age exemption for partners who are less than three years apart in age when the minor is at least 14. The primary statute is Arkansas Code Section 5-14-103.

Sex education is required in Arkansas schools. The instruction must stress abstinence until marriage as the only acceptable standard. Contraception cannot be promoted or advocated. Discussion of contraceptive methods is permitted only in terms of their failure rates. There is no requirement for medical accuracy in the broader sense, no LGBTQ+ inclusive content requirement, and no mandate to teach consent. The curricular framework reflects one of the more restrictive abstinence-only standards in the country.

Arkansas has a restrictive adult entertainment environment. Cities and counties have broad authority to regulate or prohibit adult businesses through zoning, and many jurisdictions exercise that authority aggressively. State obscenity laws are actively enforced. There is no significant legal or cultural counterweight pushing toward liberalization, and the state's conservative political composition has kept this posture stable for decades.

Abstinence-until-marriage must be stressed. Cannot discuss contraception except failure rates.

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More on Arkansas

Also on Arkansas: the full Arkansas profile covers taxes, cost of living, crime and schools, and the county map lets you compare every county in the state. For related rules, read the Arkansas nudism guide and the Arkansas gambling laws guide.