Delaware
Sex Laws 2026

The age of consent in Delaware is 18 as of May 2026, the same as in 10 other states. Delaware requires schools to teach sex education, one of 28 states that do, and the mandated approach is comprehensive, with a medical-accuracy requirement and LGBTQ+ inclusive content. Adult entertainment regulation is liberal, and the state scores 100/100 on this page's sex-ed progressiveness scale.

Delaware's age of consent is 18. There is a close-in-age exemption: consensual sexual contact between minors who are at least 12 and within four years of age of each other falls outside the primary criminal statute. Delaware Code Title 11, Section 770 governs unlawful sexual contact with a minor.

Delaware requires comprehensive sex education that is medically accurate, inclusive of LGBTQ+ relationships and identities, and includes consent education. The state's mandate is among the stronger ones on the East Coast. Schools are not permitted to substitute abstinence-only instruction for the required comprehensive content. Age-appropriate instruction begins in elementary school and continues through secondary grades.

Delaware's adult entertainment environment is permissive relative to similarly sized mid-Atlantic states. Wilmington and the Dover area have adult businesses operating under municipal licensing. There is no state-level campaign to restrict adult entertainment, and Delaware's legal culture generally reflects a non-interventionist posture on private conduct.

Age 18. Comprehensive, medically accurate, LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed required.

Similar States

More on Delaware

Also on Delaware: the full Delaware 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 Delaware nudism guide and the Delaware gambling laws guide.