{"id":375277,"date":"2025-03-14T13:08:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T18:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/new-york-law\/new-york-indecent-exposure-laws.html"},"modified":"2025-03-14T13:08:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T18:08:00","slug":"new-york-indecent-exposure-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/new-york-law\/new-york-indecent-exposure-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"New York Indecent Exposure Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New York Indecent Exposure Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

If you live in New York City, the last thing you want to do is expose yourself in public. New York law criminalizes "exposure of a person" as one of several offenses "against public sensibilities." This category of offenses includes cases where a person appears in a public place and exposes<\/a> the intimate parts of their body.<\/p>\r\n

The State of New York also prohibits the separate crime of promoting exposure of a person. This crime occurs when someone maintains a property where people expose their naked bodies.<\/p>\r\n

What Qualifies as Intimate Body Parts?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

For purposes of the above offenses, the intimate parts of a female person include that portion of the breast, which is below the top of the areola. Of course, law enforcement wouldn’t arrest a woman breastfeeding in a public park. However, they may arrest a dancer working at a topless bar.<\/p>\r\n

In New York, indecent exposure doesn’t require the person to engage in a lewd act while naked. Nudity is sufficient for indecent exposure charges. The New York Code (NY Penal Law) doesn’t even require that the person be nude in public.<\/p>\r\n

How is the Crime of Public Lewdness Different from Indecent Exposure?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

The crime of public lewdness is another offense against public sensibilities. You may be guilty of this crime if you expose your private parts while behaving in a lewd manner. In a public lewdness case, the prosecutor must show the defendant intended for the public to see them.<\/p>\r\n

Under New York state law, a police officer can arrest you and file lewdness charges against you if you expose your intimate body parts in any of the following settings:<\/p>\r\n