New Jersey
Sex Laws 2026

The age of consent in New Jersey is 16 as of May 2026, the same as in 29 other states. New Jersey 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.

New Jersey's age of consent is 16. There is a close-in-age exemption: sexual activity with a minor aged 13, 14, or 15 is not a felony if the defendant is less than four years older, under New Jersey Statutes Section 2C:14-2.

New Jersey requires comprehensive sex education that is medically accurate and inclusive of LGBTQ+ topics. Consent education is a required component. The state's mandate is one of the stronger ones in the Northeast. Schools must cover contraception, STI prevention, healthy relationships, and reproductive health.

New Jersey's adult entertainment environment is permissive. Newark, Atlantic City, and the New York City suburbs have active adult entertainment industries. The state regulates adult businesses through local licensing without aggressive state-level restrictions. Atlantic City's casino and entertainment complex creates a distinctive adult entertainment environment separate from most of the state.

Comprehensive, medically accurate, LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed required. One of the stronger Northeast mandates.

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More on New Jersey

Also on New Jersey: the full New Jersey 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 New Jersey nudism guide and the New Jersey gambling laws guide.