Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
Washington's age of consent is 16. There is a close-in-age exemption under Washington Revised Code Section 9A.44.096: sexual activity with a 14- or 15-year-old is a gross misdemeanor rather than a felony if the defendant is less than five years older.
Washington requires comprehensive sex education that is medically accurate, inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, and includes consent education. The mandate is one of the stronger ones in the West. Washington updated its sex education requirements in 2020 with HB 2184, which strengthened LGBTQ+ inclusion, consent education, and medical accuracy requirements across all grade levels. Women's toplessness was legalized in Washington in 2022 when a federal court struck down Seattle's ordinance banning it.
Washington's adult entertainment environment is permissive. Seattle has an established adult entertainment industry, and the state regulates adult businesses through local licensing without aggressive state-level restriction campaigns. The overall posture is permissive and consistent with the state's progressive political composition.
Washington has strong comprehensive sex ed mandate. LGBTQ+ inclusive required. Women's toplessness was legalized 2022.
Similar States
More on Washington
Discussions
- Age of consent? (WA, Read post) : r/legaladvice
- The State of Washington has the unrestricted age ...
- Washington state - age of consent. : r/legaladvice
- It breaks my heart that age of consent is 16 in most US states
- Can a 16-year-old consent to sex with her 47- ...
- Thoughts on German age of consent? : r/AskFeminists
- Project to raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to 18, help!
- Age of consent Indiana 16yo w/ 25 yo
- What's your opinion on age of consent of your country
- What should be the age of consent? (< - you're at that age ...
In the News
- 198 Democrats oppose requiring parental consent for student gender changes in schools - Washington ExaminerMay 20
- Only 37% of US States Require Sexual Education in Schools to Be Medically Accurate - Boston UniversityAug 21
- Federal Bill Would Promote Youth Sex Education in U.S. - Center for Reproductive RightsMay 26
- Disability Reproductive Equity Agenda: Protecting the Reproductive Rights of Disabled People in 2025 and Beyond - Center for American ProgressOct 28
- Adolescents Deserve Better: What the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress Can Do to Bolster Young People’s Sexual and Reproductive Health - Guttmacher InstituteFeb 8
Full Washington 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.