Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
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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Discussions
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- Age of consent by state : r/MapPorn
- Sex Education at Home : r/latterdaysaints
In the News
- ‘The Baby Olivia Law’: Anti-abortion video would be part of Utah sex ed in GOP bill - The Salt Lake TribuneMar 4
- Utah rejects bill that aimed to teach consent in sex education classes - The GuardianFeb 11
- The Debate Over Sex Education and Its Consequences - Gonzaga UniversityJul 17
- Utah House passes bill to ban Planned Parenthood educators from schools - Utah News DispatchFeb 21
- GOP senator who said trans people put girls at "risk" just helped a relative who raped a 13-year-old - LGBTQ NationAug 6
Full Utah profile
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Sources: NCSL, Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS State Profiles, Wikipedia "Ages of consent in the United States". Laws change — verify current status with official sources.