What Is the Legal Age of Consent in Arizona?
In Arizona, the legal age of consent is 18. That is because Arizona’s sexual conduct with a minor statute applies when a person intentionally or knowingly engages in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with someone who is under eighteen years of age.
That also means a minor’s agreement does not automatically make the conduct lawful. In many cases, the real question is not whether both people agreed. The question is whether Arizona law treats the conduct as a crime based on age, age gap, and the relationship between the people involved.
Suzuki Law Offices tells clients that age-based sex crime allegations often look simple at first, but the details matter. The firm highlights its former prosecutor background and its focus on studying how charges are built and where the weak points may be.
What Arizona Calls the Charge
People often search for the age of consent in Arizona, though prosecutors usually file these cases under the charge of sexual conduct with a minor. Under A.R.S. § 13-1405, that charge covers sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with a person under the Arizona age of consent, which is 18.
That wording matters because Arizona does not treat every age-based case the same. The charge level can change based on the younger person’s age, the age gap, and whether the accused was in a position of trust.
Arizona Age of Consent at a Glance
| Situation | What Arizona law says |
| Person is under 18 | Arizona’s age of consent is 18, and sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with a person under 18 can lead to a sexual conduct with a minor charge. |
| Minor is under 15 | Sexual conduct with a minor under 15 is a class 2 felony and is punished under Arizona’s dangerous crimes against children statute. |
| Minor is 15, 16, or 17 | Sexual conduct with a minor who is at least 15 is generally a class 6 felony. |
| Minor is 15, 16, or 17, and the accused is over 21 and more than 60 months older | The charge rises to a class 4 felony. |
| Minor is 15, 16, or 17, and the accused was in a position of trust | The charge can become a class 2 felony. |
| Consensual conduct with a 15, 16, or 17-year-old, accused under 19 or attending high school, and no more than 24 months older | Arizona provides a narrow defense in this situation. |
| Accused did not know and could not reasonably have known the person was 15, 16, or 17 | Arizona provides a separate narrow defense in some cases. |
The Age Gap Defense
Arizona law gives a limited close-in-age defense in some consensual cases involving a 15, 16, or 17-year-old. The defense may apply if the defendant is under 19 or attending high school, is no more than 24 months older than the other person, and the conduct was consensual.
That defense is narrow. If the facts fall outside those limits, the case may still be charged as a felony. Suzuki Law Offices can help review whether a close-in-age defense is actually available under the statute, not just assumed because both people were young.
What Is a Position of Trust?
Arizona gives position of trust a broad meaning. It can include a parent, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian, teacher, school employee, coach, instructor, clergy member, employer, foster parent, or certain relatives and adults tied closely to the minor’s family.
That matters because the relationship itself can raise the charge. Suzuki Law Offices notes that criminal cases often turn on details that are easy to miss early, and trust-based allegations are a good example of that.
Caution: Not All Under-18 Cases Are Alike
Many readers just want a fast answer: the age of consent in Arizona is 18. But a helpful page should also explain the next question, which is what happens when one person is under 18. Arizona law does not treat all under-18 cases alike. Age, age gap, school status, and the relationship between the people can all change the result.
That is one reason Suzuki Law Offices emphasizes early case review. The firm says its attorneys use their former prosecutor experience to study how evidence is gathered and how the state is likely to frame the charge.
Legal Age of Consent FAQs
Is 17 above the age of consent in Arizona?
No. In Arizona, the age of consent is 18. A 17-year-old is still below that age under the statute.
Does Arizona have a Romeo and Juliet law?
Arizona has a limited close-in-age defense. It may apply when the younger person is 15, 16, or 17, the conduct was consensual, and the defendant is under 19 or attending high school and no more than 24 months older.
Can mistake about age be a defense?
Sometimes. Arizona law provides a defense in some cases involving a 15, 16, or 17-year-old if the defendant did not know and could not reasonably have known the person’s age.
Why talk to Suzuki Law Offices early?
Suzuki Law Offices says its former prosecutor background helps the firm evaluate how charges are filed, how evidence is built, and where the defense may have room to push back. In age-based sex crime cases, that early review can matter.
Talk to Suzuki Law Offices About an Arizona Age of Consent Case
An accusation tied to Arizona’s age of consent laws can carry felony exposure and long-term consequences. Suzuki Law Offices presents itself as a team of former prosecutors who know how criminal cases are evaluated and how to begin building a legal defense from the earliest stages of the criminal case.
Call or text (602) 682-5270 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form