Oregon
Sex Laws 2026

The age of consent in Oregon is 18 as of May 2026, the same as in 10 other states. Oregon 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.

Oregon's age of consent is 18. There is a close-in-age exemption: sexual activity with a 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old is not a felony if the defendant is less than three years older, under Oregon Revised Statutes Section 163.345.

Oregon requires comprehensive sex education that is medically accurate, inclusive of LGBTQ+ relationships and identities, and includes consent education. The mandate is one of the stronger ones in the West. Oregon updated its sex education standards in 2009 and has continued to strengthen the requirements. Schools must cover contraception, STI prevention, healthy relationships, and reproductive health.

Oregon's adult entertainment environment is permissive. Portland has a well-known adult entertainment industry, including a significant number of strip clubs per capita. Oregon's strong free speech tradition under Article I, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution provides broader speech protections than the First Amendment alone, and this has shielded adult entertainment businesses from local restrictions. The Oregon Supreme Court has consistently struck down attempts to restrict adult entertainment through zoning or content restrictions.

Age 18. Oregon has comprehensive, medically accurate, LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed mandate. One of the more progressive Western states.

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