What is the age of consent in North Carolina?
16–17
The age of consent in North Carolina is 16.
North Carolina is classified “16–17” for the age of consent, as are 37 of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia.
Source
- Note
- A close-in-age exemption applies from 13.
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read from the source’s state-by-state coverage; the topic is published only once hand-verified reference states match it.
Across the United States
- 16–17 37 states and the District of Columbia, including North Carolina.
- 18+ 13 states.
Nearby states
- South Carolina
- 16–17 The age of consent in South Carolina is 16.
- Virginia
- 18+ The age of consent in Virginia is 18.
- West Virginia
- 16–17 The age of consent in West Virginia is 16.
- District of Columbia
- 16–17 The age of consent in the District of Columbia is 16.
- Maryland
- 16–17 The age of consent in Maryland is 16.
- Georgia
- 16–17 The age of consent in Georgia is 16.
Other laws in North Carolina
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Euthanasia
- Illegal
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Death Penalty
- Not used in practice
- Gun Laws
- Permissive
- Cannabis
- Decriminalized
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.