
Age Verification Laws by State (2026): The 27-State Table, Debunked
27 states require age verification for adult sites, none currently blocked by a court. See the full state table, litigation status, and FSC v. Paxton explained.
54 articles

27 states require age verification for adult sites, none currently blocked by a court. See the full state table, litigation status, and FSC v. Paxton explained.

Alabama requires age verification for adult content under HB 164, effective October 2024, plus a separate 10% adult-content tax. Requirements and penalties.

Utah, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama require app stores to verify age. See each state's status, the Texas SCOTUS order explained, and Apple/Google's response.

Arizona requires age verification for adult content under HB 2112, enacted after FSC v. Paxton and unchallenged so far. Requirements, penalties, enforcement.

Arkansas requires age verification for adult content under Act 612, unchallenged and distinct from the state's struck-down social media law.

Alaska has not enacted an age-verification law for adult websites. What HB 254 and HB 239 proposed, why both failed, and what applies today.

California has not enacted an age-verification law for adult content. AB 3080 failed; AB 1043 is a different, device-level law taking effect in 2027.

Colorado has not enacted an age-verification law for adult websites. Two bills failed in 2025-2026; a device-signal law, SB26-051, takes a different path.

Connecticut has no age-verification law for adult content. Its 2025-2026 bills target social media, and a 2023 privacy law is a separate statute.

Delaware has not enacted an age-verification law for adult websites. House Bill 265 passed the House in 2024 but died in the Senate without a vote.

Hawaii has not enacted an age-verification law for adult websites. House Bill 1212 was carried over to a second session but never got a floor vote.

Illinois has no age-verification law for adult content. Its enacted law, Public Act 104-0664, governs social media and device age signals instead.

Maine has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. LD 1873 died in committee in June 2025, days before the Supreme Court's Paxton ruling.

Maryland has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. HB 394 died in committee in 2025 without a vote, and a separate privacy-law question remains open.

Massachusetts has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. H.1626 was sent to a study order in March 2026, and a separate social-media bill also stalled.

Michigan has no enacted adult-content age-verification law, but two competing bills, SB 191 and HB 4429, remain active in the Legislature as of August 2026.

Minnesota has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. HF 1434 remains stuck in committee after a recall motion failed on a 67-67 tie vote.

Nevada has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. A 2025 bill reportedly stalled, and Nevada's Legislature does not meet again until 2027.

New Hampshire has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. SB 648 passed the Senate in 2026 but died in the House on an Inexpedient to Legislate vote.

New Jersey has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. S 1826 remains in committee, with amendments reportedly still being negotiated as of mid-2026.

New Mexico has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. Two 2025 bills, HB 44 and HB 313, both died in committee. What that means for New Mexico.

New York has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. S.3591 has now been defeated in committee twice. What New York's SAFE for Kids Act does instead.

Oregon has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. HB 2032 died in committee in 2025. What that means for Oregon residents and adult sites.

Pennsylvania has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. Three bills, SB 603, HB 1513, and HB 2215, remain in committee. Current status explained.

Rhode Island has no enacted adult-content age-verification law, and no bill targeting adult content specifically has even been introduced. What exists instead.

The District of Columbia has not enacted an age-verification law. No bill on adult-content age verification was found in DC Council records.

Vermont has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. H.301 targets social media, not adult sites. Vermont's Age-Appropriate Design Code explained.

Washington has no enacted adult-content age-verification law. HB 2112 died before a key committee cutoff in 2026 after heavy public opposition. Details.

Wisconsin passed AB 105, an adult-content age-verification bill, through both chambers, but Governor Evers vetoed it and a veto-override attempt failed.

Florida's HB 3 created separate social-media and adult-content verification rules with different court outcomes, plus active AG enforcement.

Georgia's SB 351 created two age-verification regimes: an enforced adult-content rule and a social-media rule blocked in court. Here's how to tell them apart.

Idaho requires age verification for adult content under HB 498, enforced through a private right of action with $10,000+ statutory damages per violation.

Indiana's SB 17 age-verification law survived a First Amendment challenge, but a new AG enforcement suit against Pornhub's parent company is ongoing.

Iowa's HF 864 requires age verification for adult content starting July 1, 2026, enforced exclusively by the Attorney General. Requirements explained.

Kansas's SB 394 age-verification law survives heavy litigation over jurisdiction, not constitutionality. Correct citation, penalties, and enforcement explained.

Kentucky requires age verification for adult content under KRS 436.001 to 436.009 (HB 278, 2024). Enforcement is private-lawsuit only; the state cannot sue.

Neither KOSA nor COPPA 2.0 is law. Four separate federal bills are pending as of August 2026. See each bill's status, what it would require, and the FTC's role.

Louisiana's Act 440, the nation's first adult-content age-verification law, is enforced and unchallenged. Requirements, the LA Wallet exception, penalties.

Mississippi has two age-verification laws: SB 2346 (adult content, unchallenged) and HB 1126 (social media), enforced pending appeal, never enjoined.

Missouri has enforced age verification for adult sites by AG rule since December 2025. HB 1839 codifies it, effective August 28, 2026.

Montana's age-verification law (Mont. Code Ann. §30-14-159) is now enforceable only by private damages suits after a 2025 amendment stripped AG authority.

Nebraska's LB 1092 requires age verification for adult sites, enforced only through private lawsuits. It is separate from LB 383, Nebraska's social media law.

North Carolina's PAVE Act (HB 8) requires age verification for adult content and took effect January 1, 2024, not July 1, 2024 as some sources report.

North Dakota's age-verification law, NDCC 51-07-32, took effect August 1, 2025 and is enforced only by private lawsuits. A separate app-store bill also exists.

Ohio has required age verification for adult sites since September 2025, but a drafting gap has reportedly let most major platforms keep operating without it.

Oklahoma's SB 1959 (15 Okla. Stat. §§791-791.4) requires age verification for adult sites, effective November 1, 2024, with both AG and private enforcement.

South Carolina's Child Online Safety Act requires age verification for adult content, enforced by the Attorney General only. Requirements, dates, and penalties.

South Dakota requires age verification for adult content under SDCL 22-24-69 to 22-24-72, with dual criminal and AG-only civil penalties. Details here.

Tennessee's Protect Tennessee Minors Act requires age verification for adult content. The 6th Circuit stayed an injunction against it in January 2025, not 2026.

Texas requires age verification for adult sites under Ch. 129B, upheld by the Supreme Court in FSC v. Paxton. Requirements, penalties, and the App Store Act.

Utah's age-verification and App Store Accountability laws survived court challenges on jurisdictional grounds, not First Amendment merits. Rules explained.

Virginia has two age-verification laws: an enforced 2023 adult-content statute and a blocked 2026 social-media rule, plus a push to repeal the older one.

West Virginia's HB 4412 requires age verification for adult content, effective June 12, 2026. One of the newest state age-verification laws. Details here.

Wyoming's House Bill 43 requires age verification for adult content, with $5,000-per-instance private damages. Requirements, dates, and enforcement here.