What is the 2013 Age of Consent in New Jersey?

The New Jersey legal Age of Consent for sexual contact is 16 years old. A total of thirty one states have set their age of consent at 16, the lowest age of consent in any state.

An actor is guilty of sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual penetration with another person who is netween 13 and 16 years old and the actor is at least four years older than the victim. There is a close-in-age exception to the NJ legal Age of Consent - minors aged 13, 14 and 15 may legally engage in sexual activities with persons up to 4 years older than them (For example, it is lawful for a 14-year-old male or female to engage in sex with a person up to 18 years of age).

New Jersey Close-In-Age Exemption

What is the Age of Consent?

The Age of Consent is the age at which a person is deemed by New Jersey law to be capable of consenting to, and engaging in, sexual acts. Anyone who engages in sexual activity of any type with a partner under the applicable Age of Consent is breaking the law and can be charged with crimes ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony (statutory rape) depending on the jurisdiction in which they are prosecuted. New Jersey's specific laws on the Age of Consent can be found above.

Need more information? Find data on the age of consent in other states.