HIV Criminalization Laws
HIV criminalization laws criminalize the transmission of, or perceived exposure to, HIV and other infectious diseases. The laws create a strong disincentive for being tested for HIV, and result in adverse public health outcomes. Some laws also criminalize behaviors, such as spitting, that have no risk of HIV transmission.
MAP relies on the research conducted by the Center for HIV Law and Policy for this map and the statutes found below.
The extent to which states or individual prosecutors actively prosecute cases under these statutes varies greatly, as do the penalties if convicted. A number of criminal laws on sexually transmitted infections explicitly include HIV, whereas others contain broad definitions that could encompass HIV. It is important to note that while several states have no known HIV-specific or communicable disease statutes, there are also no legal frameworks in place to prevent prosecutions under general criminal codes in these states.
For more information, contact The Center for HIV Law and Policy.
If you or someone you know is currently being charged with an HIV-related offense, please contact the Legal Help Desk at Lambda Legal by calling (866) 542-8336 or through this form.
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. “Equality Maps: HIV Criminalization Laws.” https://mapresearch.org/equality-map/hiv-criminalization-laws/. Accessed June 12, 2026.
Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws
*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.
key
State has HIV criminalization law or policy
| State | HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both) | HIV criminalization law only | No HIV criminalization law but does have HIV-specific sentencing enhancements | No HIV-specific law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation | ||||
| Alabama |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Alaska |
|
|
|
|
| American Samoa |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Arizona |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Arkansas |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| California |
|
|
|
|
| Colorado |
|
|
|
|
| Connecticut |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Delaware |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| District of Columbia |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Florida |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Georgia |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Guam |
|
|
|
|
| Hawaii |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Idaho |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Illinois |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Indiana |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
|
|
|
| Iowa |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Kansas |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Kentucky |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Louisiana |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Maine |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Maryland |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Massachusetts |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Michigan |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Minnesota |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Mississippi |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Missouri |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Montana |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Nebraska |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Nevada |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| New Hampshire |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| New Jersey |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| New Mexico |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| New York |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| North Carolina |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| North Dakota |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Northern Mariana Islands |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Ohio |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Oklahoma |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Oregon |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Pennsylvania |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Puerto Rico |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Rhode Island |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| South Carolina |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| South Dakota |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Tennessee |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
|
|
|
| Texas |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| U.S. Virgin Islands |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| Utah |
HIV criminalization law and sentencing enhancements or sex offender registration (or both)
|
|
|
|
| Vermont |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Virginia |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Washington |
|
HIV criminalization law only
|
|
|
| West Virginia |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
| Wisconsin |
|
|
|
|
| Wyoming |
|
|
|
No HIV-specific law
|
