Illinois Age of Consent Laws: Statutes, Penalties and Reporting

Illinois's general age-based criminal protections cover any person under 17 under 720 ILCS 5/11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50 and 11-1.60, graded by the age of the victim and the other person, while position-of-trust and family-member provisions in 11-1.20 and 11-1.60 extend to victims under 18.

To report a concern: if a child is in immediate danger, call 911. For Illinois, the Department of Children and Family Services lists its Child Abuse Hotline as 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-422-4453, call or text) can help you figure out where and how to report. Online exploitation can be reported to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.

Information last verified on 2026-09-29. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer. It is legal-reference information, not legal advice.

This page covers Illinois's criminal statutes on sexual offenses involving minors. Federal law is summarized on the age of consent laws by state hub.

This page describes the main age-based sexual offense statutes. Other Illinois statutes also protect minors, and one of them can apply even where none of the offenses described here does.

How Illinois law protects minors by age

Illinois builds its main protections on two age lines, 17 and 18, and on the age of the other person. Under 720 ILCS 5/11-1.50 and 11-1.60, together with 11-1.40 and 11-1.30(b) for penetration of younger victims, acts of sexual penetration or sexual conduct with a victim under 17 are offenses whatever the other person's age, and the grade depends on the age of the victim and the age gap. Position-of-trust and family-member provisions extend to victims under 18.

Victims under 13

Section 11-1.40(a) provides that a person commits predatory criminal sexual assault of a child "if that person is 17 years of age or older" and commits an act of contact, however slight, between the sex organ or anus of one person and a part of the body of another, or an act of sexual penetration, where "the victim is under 13 years of age." Where the act is sexual conduct, section 11-1.60(c)(1)(i) applies the same age lines to aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Where the other person is under 17 and the victim is under 9, section 11-1.60(c)(2)(i) covers sexual conduct and section 11-1.30(b) covers penetration.

Victims 13 to 16 and the five-year line

For victims aged 13 to 16, Illinois uses the age gap as the element that separates two graded offenses, and both are offenses. Under section 11-1.50(c), a person commits criminal sexual abuse by an act of sexual penetration or sexual conduct with a victim "at least 13 years of age but under 17 years of age" when "the person is less than 5 years older than the victim." Under section 11-1.60(d), the same acts with the person "at least 5 years older than the victim" are aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The gap changes which offense is charged and its grade; it does not remove the conduct from the criminal law.

Separately, section 11-1.50(b) covers a person under 17 who commits an act of sexual penetration or sexual conduct with a victim at least 9 but under 17.

Positions of trust and family members

Section 11-1.20(a)(4) makes it criminal sexual assault for a person "17 years of age or over" who "holds a position of trust, authority, or supervision in relation to the victim" to commit an act of sexual penetration with a victim "at least 13 years of age but under 18 years of age." Section 11-1.60(f) applies the same relationship and the under-18 age line to acts of sexual conduct, as aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The statutes do not list the roles that count as a position of trust, authority or supervision.

Family-member provisions also reach victims under 18: section 11-1.20(a)(3) for sexual penetration and section 11-1.60(b) for sexual conduct. Section 11-0.1 defines "family member" as a parent, grandparent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, great-aunt or great-uncle, whether by whole blood, half-blood or adoption, including a step-grandparent, step-parent or step-child, and, where the victim is under 18, an accused who has resided in the household with the child continuously for at least 3 months. Public Act 104-245, effective January 1, 2026, added siblings and shortened that household period from 6 months. Illinois also has a separate offense of sexual relations within families under section 11-11, which lists siblings without an age condition and, for parent, step-parent, aunt or uncle, great-aunt or great-uncle, and grandparent or step-grandparent relationships, applies when the other person was 18 or over when the act was committed.

Other Illinois offenses that protect minors

Several other offenses in Article 11 of the Criminal Code of 2012 have their own age elements. This page summarizes them briefly, and the text of each section controls.

• Solicitation and online contact. Section 11-6 (indecent solicitation of a child) applies to a person 17 or older and defines "child" as a person under 17. Section 11-6.6 (solicitation to meet a child) applies to a person 18 or older and defines "child" as under 17. Section 11-26 (traveling to meet a child) also defines "child" as under 17. Section 11-6.5 (indecent solicitation of an adult) covers arranging for a person 17 or older to commit sexual penetration or sexual conduct with a person under 17, and section 11-9.1A (permitting sexual abuse of a child) covers a person responsible for a child under 17 who has actual knowledge of and permits sexual abuse of the child.
• Grooming. Section 11-25 applies to a person "being 5 years or more older than a child, or holding a position of trust, authority, or supervision in relation to the child," and defines "child" as under 17. It is a Class 4 felony. The section's source line shows an amendment by Public Act 104-245, effective January 1, 2026.
• Sexual exploitation of a child. Section 11-9.1 defines "child" as under 17 and covers sexual acts or exposure in the presence or virtual presence of a child, and enticing a child to remove clothing for sexual arousal or gratification.
• Child sexual abuse material. Section 11-20.1 covers filming, photographing or otherwise depicting a child the person knows or reasonably should know to be under 18 engaged in sexual penetration or sexual conduct, and related conduct. Public Act 104-245 renamed the offense from child pornography to child sexual abuse material.
• Commercial sexual exploitation. Section 11-18.1 (patronizing a sexually exploited child) covers sexual penetration, or touching or fondling of the sex organs, with a person under 18 engaged in prostitution, and is a Class 3 felony (Class 2 within 1,000 feet of a school). Section 11-14.4 covers promoting commercial sexual exploitation of a child under 18. Under section 11-14.1, solicitation of a sexual act from a person under 18 is a Class 4 felony.

Penalties

The offense sections state the grade, and the Unified Code of Corrections sets the sentencing range for each felony class.

The offense sections contain further provisions, including additional years for firearm-related aggravators and natural-life terms for certain repeat convictions of offenders 18 or older, and they direct that offenders under 18 at the time of the offense be sentenced under 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-105 in the cases the sections name. Because the sentencing tables and those provisions interact, the statutes should be read in full for any specific offense.

Sex offender registration

The Sex Offender Registration Act defines "sex offense" to include violations of sections 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50 and 11-1.60, and attempts to commit them (730 ILCS 150/2). For a person required to register who has no longer-period designation, 730 ILCS 150/7 provides for registration "for a period of 10 years after conviction or adjudication if not confined to a penal institution, hospital or any other institution or facility," and, if confined, for 10 years after parole, discharge or release. The Act sets longer periods for other designations. Section 2(E) defines "sexual predator" to include a person convicted of section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40 or 11-1.60, and section 7 requires a sexual predator to register for the period of his or her natural life. Criminal sexual abuse under 11-1.50 is not in that sexual predator list. The section 2 definitions do not contain a close-in-age exclusion. For a minor adjudicated delinquent, 730 ILCS 150/3-5 allows a petition to terminate registration no less than 5 years after registration for an offense that would be a felony if charged as an adult, or 2 years for a misdemeanor, and the court may grant it only on the findings that section requires. Section 2's latest source line is Public Act 104-245, effective January 1, 2026.

Recent changes

The trailing source lines of the official pages show the following most recent amendments: sections 11-1.20 and 11-1.40, Public Act 99-69 (effective January 1, 2016); section 11-1.50, Public Act 96-1551 (effective July 1, 2011); sections 11-1.60 and 11-1.70, Public Act 102-567 (effective January 1, 2022). Sections 11-0.1 (definitions, including the "family member" definition used by 11-1.20(a)(3) and 11-1.60(b)), 11-9.1 and 11-25 show Public Act 104-245 (effective January 1, 2026), and sections 11-14.4 and 11-18.1 show Public Act 103-1071 (effective July 1, 2025).

A bill introduced in the 104th General Assembly, SB 131, states that it "increases the age of consensual acts of sexual penetration or sexual conduct from 17 years of age to 18 years of age." Its status page, checked on 2026-09-28, showed only filing, first reading and referral to the Assignments committee, so it is not law.

Where to report

If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services lists its Child Abuse Hotline as 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). The national Childhelp hotline and the NCMEC CyberTipline are listed in the box near the top of this page.

Disclaimer

This page is general legal information about Illinois criminal statutes as verified on 2026-09-29. It is not legal advice. Statutes change, summaries simplify, and the statute text controls. Anyone with a specific situation should consult a lawyer licensed in Illinois.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Illinois law use a single age line?

No. Sections 11-1.50 and 11-1.60 use age 17 for the general offenses, graded by the age of the victim and the other person. Sections 11-1.20(a)(3) and (a)(4) and 11-1.60(b) and (f) use age 18 for family-member and position-of-trust provisions.

What does the five-year figure in section 11-1.50(c) do?

It is an element that separates two offenses for victims aged 13 to 16. A gap of less than 5 years falls under criminal sexual abuse in 11-1.50(c), a Class A misdemeanor. A gap of at least 5 years falls under aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 11-1.60(d), a Class 2 felony. It does not exempt the conduct from the criminal law.

Which roles count as a position of trust, authority or supervision?

Sections 11-1.20(a)(4) and 11-1.60(f) use the phrase "position of trust, authority, or supervision in relation to the victim" without listing roles, so the statute text and its application control.