Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
Arizona's age of consent is 18, one of the highest in the country. There is a narrow close-in-age exemption: persons who are 15 or older and within two years of age of a 17-year-old are not subject to criminal liability under certain sexual conduct statutes. Arizona Revised Statutes Section 13-1405 governs the primary offense.
Arizona has no statewide mandate requiring schools to offer sex education. Districts that choose to offer it must stress abstinence as the preferred and expected behavior for unmarried students. Instruction on contraception is permitted but must be presented in ways that do not undercut the abstinence message. There is no requirement for medical accuracy, no mandate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, and no requirement that consent be a curricular topic.
Adult entertainment in Arizona falls into a moderate category. Cities like Phoenix and Tucson have active adult entertainment industries regulated through municipal licensing and zoning ordinances. State obscenity law follows federal standards. Arizona passed a law in 2023 requiring age verification for pornographic websites, though enforcement has faced legal challenges.
Age of consent 18 — one of the highest. No state sex ed mandate. Districts that offer sex ed must stress abstinence.
Similar States
More on Arizona
Discussions
- What is the legal age of consent in your country ...
- Just Wanted To Highlight Arizona's Contempt For Sex Education
- Sex-ed in public schools : r/phoenix
- Anyone else think it's strange that the US has different ages ...
- Map showing Age of Consent laws. So much WTF I don't ...
- CMV: States and countries with Romeo and Juliet laws are ...
- Arizona bill could make librarians felons for giving minors ...
- r/USdefaultism - Age of Consent
- Age of consent needs to change : r/offmychest
- Only these 8 states require sex education classes ...
In the News
- Arizona Advances Bill Requiring Schools Teach Fetal Growth - NTD NewsMay 11
- Arizona Republicans want schools to teach fetal development but not sex, STIs or abortion - Arizona MirrorFeb 27
- Arizona bill requiring public schools to teach fetal development passes state senate - The College FixMay 8
- Ten Good Things that Happened in 2025 - Center for Reproductive RightsDec 22
- Republicans want colleges to pair adoption info with every STI test and condom - Arizona MirrorApr 2
Full Arizona profile
Taxes, gun laws, gambling, nudism, nightlife and more.
Sources: NCSL, Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS State Profiles, Wikipedia "Ages of consent in the United States". Laws change — verify current status with official sources.