The Age of Consent
Penal Law § 130.25 — seventeen, and a felony for an adult of twenty one or more
A person twenty one years old or more who engages in vaginal, oral or anal sexual contact with another person less than seventeen years old is guilty of rape in the third degree, a class E felony.
Who handles this in New York: New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the New York directory.
Other degrees and ages, registration and the consequences of a conviction are in other sections not covered here. A charge, or the worry of one, is a question for a licensed New York attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Penal Law § 130.25 — Rape in the third degree
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New York attorney.