What is Romeo and Juliet's law in Missouri?

Missouri’s “Romeo and Juliet” Law

Missouri does not have a single statute formally called a “Romeo and Juliet law.” Instead, several provisions provide limited protections or reduced consequences for consensual sexual activity between people close in age.

Generally:

• Missouri’s age of consent is 17.
• Sexual intercourse with a person under 14 may constitute first-degree statutory rape, regardless of the parties’ proximity in age.[1]
• A person 21 or older who has sexual intercourse with someone under 17 may commit second-degree statutory rape, a class D felony.[2]
• Missouri’s sex-offender-registration statute contains a close-in-age exemption for certain consensual sexual conduct where:
  • the victim was at least 14;
  • no force or threat was used; and
  • the offender was no more than four years older.[3]

These provisions generally do not create a blanket defense for sexual activity involving a minor. They may instead affect the offense charged, its classification, or registration obligations, depending on the parties’ ages, the conduct, and the applicable statute.

Accordingly, Missouri’s law is better described as a limited close-in-age framework, not a broad Romeo-and-Juliet safe harbor. The exact analysis requires the ages of both individuals, the type of sexual conduct, the age difference, and whether force, coercion, or an authority relationship was involved.