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Utah Code § 76-5c-202

Distributing pornographic material

Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 173, 2025 General Session

(1) Terms defined in Sections 76-1-101.5, 76-5c-101, and 76-5c-201 apply to this section.

(2) An actor commits distributing pornographic material if the actor knowingly:

(a) sends or brings pornographic material into the state with intent to distribute or exhibit the pornographic material to another individual;

(b) prepares, publishes, prints, or possesses pornographic material with intent to distribute or exhibit the pornographic material to another individual;

(c) distributes or offers to distribute, or exhibits or offers to exhibit, pornographic material to another individual;

(d) writes, creates, or solicits the publication or advertising of pornographic material;

(e) promotes the distribution or exhibition of material the actor represents to be pornographic; or

(f) presents or directs a pornographic performance in a public place or a place exposed to public view or participates in that portion of the performance which makes the performance pornographic.

(3)

(a) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(b) or (c), a violation of Subsection (2) is a third degree felony if the actor is 18 years old or older and is subject to:

(i) a minimum mandatory fine of not less than $1,000, plus $10 for each article exhibited up to the maximum allowed by law; and

(ii) incarceration, without suspension of sentence in any way, for a term of not less than 30 days.

(b) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(c), a violation of Subsection (2) is a class A misdemeanor if the actor is 16 or 17 years old.

(c) A violation of Subsection (2) is a class B misdemeanor if the actor is younger than 16 years old.

(4) It is a separate offense under this section for:

(a) each day's exhibition of a pornographic motion picture film;

(b) each day in which a pornographic publication is displayed or exhibited in a public place with intent to distribute or exhibit the publication to another individual; or

(c) each act of distributing of pornographic material described in Subsection (2).

(5)

(a) This section does not apply to an Internet service provider if:

(i) the distribution of pornographic material by the Internet service provider occurs only incidentally through the Internet service provider's function of:

(A) transmitting or routing data from one person to another person; or

(B) providing a connection between one person and another person;

(ii) the Internet service provider does not intentionally aid or abet in the distribution of the pornographic material; and

(iii) the Internet service provider does not knowingly receive funds from or through a person who distributes the pornographic material in exchange for permitting the person to distribute the pornographic material.

(b) This section does not apply to a hosting company if:

(i) the distribution of pornographic material by the hosting company occurs only incidentally through the hosting company's function of providing data storage space or data caching to a person;

(ii) the hosting company does not intentionally engage, aid, or abet in the distribution of the pornographic material; and

(iii) the hosting company does not knowingly receive funds from or through a person who distributes the pornographic material in exchange for permitting the person to distribute, store, or cache the pornographic material.

(6) Subsection (3)(a) supersedes Section 77-18-105.

Official source: Utah State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Utah statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.