Utah
Sex Laws 2026

The age of consent in Utah is 18 as of May 2026, the same as in 10 other states. Utah does not require schools to teach sex education; 28 states do. Districts that offer it follow abstinence-only guidelines. Adult entertainment regulation is restrictive, and the state scores 0/100 on this page's sex-ed progressiveness scale.

Utah's age of consent is 18. Utah does not have a close-in-age exemption in its main statute. Utah Code Section 76-5-402.1 covers unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The combination of an 18-year consent age and no close-in-age provision puts Utah among the most restrictive states for conduct involving minors under 18.

Utah has no statewide sex education mandate. When districts offer sex ed, it is abstinence-focused. The state's LDS-influenced political culture has produced one of the most consistently abstinence-only educational environments in the country. In 2012, Utah passed legislation explicitly permitting school districts to refuse to offer sex education at all and prohibiting instruction on contraception in districts that do offer it.

Utah's adult entertainment environment is among the most restrictive in the country. Salt Lake City has adult businesses but they operate under significant regulatory burden. Utah declared pornography a "public health crisis" through a 2016 legislative resolution, the first state to do so, and has since pursued legislation requiring age verification for adult content websites. Strip clubs face strict licensing requirements, and the state has used liquor licensing as a tool to limit adult entertainment venues.

Age 18. No mandate but heavily abstinence-focused. Mormon influence. Very conservative social laws.

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More on Utah

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