State rankings
Profanity Laws by State
Profanity Laws by State: compare 51 US states on 2 metrics.
CultureLaw51 states · 2 metricsUpdated Apr 27, 2025Original page
15 sources
- May You Legally Tell A Police Officer "F**k You!" In Arkansas?! - Arkansas Law King
- Disorderly Conduct - Can I Be Arrested for Cursing in Public? - GBS Law Firm
- Alabama - Stop Street Harassment
- Obscenity - U.S. Department of Justice
- Gov. Snyder signs bills eliminating outdated laws on dueling, cursing and trampling blackberry bushes - Michigan.gov
- Profanity - Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University
- It's Illegal to Swear in Public in This One U.S. State—Seriously - Reader's Digest
- 2013 North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 14, Criminal Law - Justia Lax
- Is Cursing In Public Illegal? - Hager & Schwartz
- Cohen v. California (1971) - Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University
- Is It Illegal to Curse in Public? - Find Law
- People v. Boomer (Mich. Ct. App.)(2002) - Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University
- Mississippi Code Title 97. Crimes § 97-29-47 - Find Law
- Chapter 17 - Offenses Against Public Policy Section 16-17-530. - Justia U.S. Law
- It’s Finally Legal to Curse in Virginia - Garden & Gun
Legality of Public Profanity
2 values across 51 entries
Data
Click a column to sort.
51 states
 Alabama | Illegal | Alabama Code Title 13A, Chapter 11, Section 7, Alabama Code Title 13A, Chapter. 11 §8a |
 Alaska | Not Illegal | — |
 Arizona | Not Illegal | — |
 Arkansas | Not Illegal | — |
 California | Not Illegal | — |
 Colorado | Not Illegal | — |
 Connecticut | Not Illegal | — |
 Delaware | Not Illegal | — |
 District of Columbia | Not Illegal | — |
 Florida | Not Illegal | — |
 Georgia | Not Illegal | — |
 Hawaii | Not Illegal | — |
 Idaho | Not Illegal | — |
 Illinois | Not Illegal | — |
 Indiana | Not Illegal | — |
 Iowa | Not Illegal | — |
 Kansas | Not Illegal | — |
 Kentucky | Not Illegal | — |
 Louisiana | Not Illegal | — |
 Maine | Not Illegal | — |
 Maryland | Not Illegal | — |
 Massachusetts | Not Illegal | — |
 Michigan | Not Illegal | — |
 Minnesota | Not Illegal | — |
 Mississippi | Illegal | Mississippi Code Title 97. Crimes § 97-29-47 |
 Missouri | Not Illegal | — |
 Montana | Not Illegal | — |
 Nebraska | Not Illegal | — |
 Nevada | Not Illegal | — |
 New Hampshire | Not Illegal | — |
 New Jersey | Not Illegal | — |
 New Mexico | Not Illegal | — |
 New York | Not Illegal | — |
 North Carolina | Not Illegal | North Carolina General Statute § 14-197, which criminalized the use of profane or indecent language on public streets or highways, was repealed by Session Laws 2015-286, Section 1.1(1), effective October 22, 2015, following court rulings that the statute was an unconstitutiona… |
 North Dakota | Not Illegal | — |
 Ohio | Not Illegal | — |
 Oklahoma | Not Illegal | — |
 Oregon | Not Illegal | — |
 Pennsylvania | Not Illegal | — |
 Rhode Island | Not Illegal | — |
 South Carolina | Illegal | South Carolina Code Section 16-17-530 |
 South Dakota | Not Illegal | — |
 Tennessee | Not Illegal | — |
 Texas | Not Illegal | — |
 Utah | Not Illegal | — |
 Vermont | Not Illegal | — |
 Virginia | Not Illegal | — |
 Washington | Not Illegal | — |
 West Virginia | Not Illegal | — |
 Wisconsin | Not Illegal | — |
 Wyoming | Not Illegal | — |
Quick answers
- Where does this profanity laws by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: May You Legally Tell A Police Officer "F**k You!" In Arkansas?! - Arkansas Law King; Disorderly Conduct - Can I Be Arrested for Cursing in Public? - GBS Law Firm; Alabama - Stop Street Harassment; Obscenity - U.S. Department of Justice.