AgeOfConsent
Maine Age of Consent Laws 2024
What is the Maine Age of Consent?
The Maine Age of Consent is 16 years old. In the United States, the age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 15 or younger in Maine are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape.
Maine statutory rape law is violated when a person has consensual sexual intercourse with an individual under age 16 who is not their spouse. Close in age exemption allow those aged 14 and 15 to consent to partners less than 5 years older.
Maine has a close-in-age exemption. A close in age exemption, also known as "Romeo and Juliet law", is designed to prevent the prosecution of underage couples who engage in consensual sex when both participants are significantly close in age to each other, and one or both are below the age of consent.
Depending on the situation, the Maine close-in-age exemption may completely exempt qualifying close-in-age couples from the age of consent law, or merely provide a legal defence that can be used in the event of prosecution.
Age of Consent across the United States
The Age of Consent ranges state-by-state from 16 to 18 years old across the United States. Click the map to view any state's age of consent laws.
Age Of Consent:
16 years old17 years old
18 years old
The age of consent in Maine is based on the following statutes from the Maine criminal code:
Maine Age Of Consent Law: ยง254. Sexual abuse of minors 1. A person is guilty of sexual abuse of a minor if: A. The person engages in a sexual act with another person, not the actor's spouse, who is either 14 or 15 years of age and the actor is at least 5 years older than the other person.
Punishments for Violating the Age Of Consent in Maine
Maine has three statutory sexual abuse charges on the books which are used to prosecute age of consent and child abuse related crimes within the state. One or more of these charges may be used to prosecute violations of the Maine Age of Consent, as statutory rape or the Maine equivalent of that charge.
The severity of the criminal charge (felony, misdemeanor, etc) depends on the specifics of the acts committed and the relative ages of the perpetrator and victim. Click any charge for more detailed information.
| Criminal Charge | Severity | Punishment |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual Abuse of minors | Class B; Class C; Class D | Up to 10 years; Up to 5 Years; Up to 1 year |
| Sexual Misconduct | Class D Crime | Up to 1 year |
| Unlawful sexual contact | Class B Crime; Class C Crime; Class D Crime; Class E crime | Up to 10 years; Up to 5 years; Up to 1 year; Up to 6 months |
Back to list of state ages of consent View international ages of consent