Recent Changes to Michigan Sex-Offense Law: A Timeline

Michigan sex-offense law has changed repeatedly since 2018, so a description written even two years ago may no longer match the statutes. The largest changes: the registry act was rewritten in 2021 and then cut back by a series of Michigan Supreme Court rulings through September 2026; the definition of "mentally incapacitated" was broadened in 2023; the limitations period for second- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct was lengthened in 2025; and sexual extortion and intimate deep fakes became separate crimes in 2025.^{[7][1][2][3][4][5]}

The tables below list each change by its effective date or decision date, with a link to the guide that explains the current rule. Every row rests on a statute's history line, a public act, a court opinion or order, or an official publication, checked as of October 4, 2026. Where a source confirms that a statute was amended but not what the amendment changed, the row says so. Bills that have not become law are listed separately near the end.

2018 to 2020

Date	What changed	Current rule explained in
June 12, 2018	2018 PA 183 set a 10-year period of limitations for a civil action to recover damages sustained because of criminal sexual conduct. A person who was a minor at the time may sue until age 28, or within 3 years after discovering the injury and its cause, whichever is later.[8][9]	Civil lawsuits for sexual assault
September 10, 2018	2018 PA 182 amended the criminal limitations statute. As it wrote the statute, the period for second- and third-degree CSC was 15 years or the alleged victim's 28th birthday, whichever is later, where the victim was under 18, and 10 years or the 21st birthday, whichever is later, otherwise. Those figures, and the 2018 versions of the periods that run after an unidentified DNA source is identified, still govern offenses committed before April 2, 2025.[10][11][12]	Statute of limitations for sex crimes
July 19, 2018	In People v Arnold, the Michigan Supreme Court concluded that a 1-day-to-life sentence for indecent exposure by a sexually delinquent person has never been required by the statutory scheme; it is an optional alternative, and if the judge chooses it, it cannot be modified. The Court left the effect of the sentencing guidelines to the Court of Appeals on remand; see July 28, 2021 below.[13]	Indecent exposure
March 17, 2019	MCL 750.145g took effect: a second or subsequent offense under the child sexually abusive material statute carries a mandatory minimum of not less than 5 years. The material statute itself was last amended on the same date, by 2018 PA 373.[14][15]	Child sexually abusive material laws
March 17, 2019	MCL 768.27b, on evidence of a defendant's other acts, was amended by 2018 PA 372. The Sexual Assault Benchbook notes that the amendment expanded, under specific circumstances, the admissibility of prior sexual assaults to include assaults more than 10 years before the charged offense.[16][17]	Prior sexual assault evidence
March 28, 2019	The HIV disclosure statute, MCL 333.5210, was amended by 2018 PA 537. The benchbook describes the amendment as replacing "sexual penetration" with anal and vaginal intercourse, adding acts of specific intent and reckless disregard, and modifying the penalties.[18][19]	HIV and STI disclosure law
2020	In People v Hughes, the Michigan Supreme Court held that a search of seized cell-phone data must be reasonably directed at evidence of the crime alleged in the warrant, and that searching for evidence of a different crime requires a second warrant.[20]	Phone and computer searches

2021 to 2023

Date	What changed	Current rule explained in
March 24, 2021	The Sex Offenders Registration Act was rewritten by 2020 PA 295. Court opinions refer to the result as "the 2021 SORA."[7][21]	The registry explained
March 24, 2021	The same act repealed the registry's "student safety zone" sections, former MCL 28.733 to 28.736. A 1,000-foot condition still applies to a person on probation for a listed offense under MCL 771.2a.[22][23]	Residency and school zone rules
July 27, 2021	In People v Betts, the Michigan Supreme Court held that the 2011 version of the registry act, applied to people whose offenses predated the 2011 amendments, violates the constitutional ban on ex post facto laws.[24]	SORA court rulings
July 28, 2021	In a second People v Arnold decision, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals and held that the sentencing guidelines do not create an alternative sentence for indecent exposure by a sexually delinquent person. The court may impose the penalty in MCL 750.335a(2)(a) or (b), with any applicable enhancements, or the 1-day-to-life sentence. The Sexual Assault Benchbook text used for this guide still quotes the reversed 2019 decision.[25]	Indecent exposure
October 1, 2021	The Holmes Youthful Trainee Act now covers offenses committed on or after the 18th birthday and before the 26th, with the prosecutor's consent needed from age 21. First- through fourth-degree CSC remain excluded, except the age-based forms in MCL 750.520d(1)(a) and 750.520e(1)(a).[26][27]	HYTA and sex offenses
March 3, 2022	Federal law: for disputes or claims arising or accruing on or after this date, a person alleging sexual harassment or sexual assault can elect to void a predispute arbitration agreement.[28][29]	NDAs and arbitration
December 7, 2022	Federal law: for claims filed on or after this date, the Speak Out Act bars judicial enforcement of a nondisclosure or nondisparagement clause agreed to before a sexual assault or sexual harassment dispute arose.[30][31]	NDAs and arbitration
July 12, 2023	2023 PA 78 removed from MCL 750.335 the prohibition on an unmarried man and woman "lewdly and lasciviously" cohabiting. The section now covers only open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.[32][33]	Indecent exposure
July 12, 2023 and September 27, 2023	The spouse provision of the CSC chapter, MCL 750.520l, was amended twice. After 2023 PA 77 it barred a charge based solely on a spouse being "under the age of 16 or mentally incapable"; 2023 PA 126 removed the under-16 wording, leaving only "mentally incapable."[34]	Consent under the CSC law
September 27, 2023	2023 PA 126 removed the marriage exception from the teacher and student provisions for 16- and 17-year-olds; only the emancipation exception remains. For special-education students aged 16 to 25, the exception now requires that both persons were at least 18 and lawfully married.[35][36]	Teacher and student sexual conduct laws
September 27, 2023	MCL 750.478b took effect (2023 PA 50): it is a misdemeanor of up to 1 year to use a professional position of authority to prevent a report of child abuse or CSC to a college Title IX coordinator.[37]	The Title IX process
October 10, 2023	2023 PA 65 changed the definition of "mentally incapacitated." The old text required a substance "administered to that person without his or her consent"; the new text removed that condition and added the word "alcohol."[2][38]	Incapacitation, intoxication and consent
October 10, 2023	2023 PA 58 rewrote MCL 750.90. The old section covered only a female patient induced to have intercourse, with a 10-year maximum; the new one is gender-neutral: a person undertaking medical treatment who induces sexual contact by misrepresenting that it is necessary or beneficial to the patient's health commits a 20-year felony, and a 25-year felony where the misrepresentation concerns sexual penetration.[39][40]	Sexual conduct by health professionals
October 10, 2023	2023 PA 60 added MCL 333.16279: a health licensee may not perform a procedure involving vaginal or anal penetration of a minor unless it is within the scope of practice, another licensee or a medical assistant is in the room (a requirement the person giving consent may waive), and written consent of a parent, guardian or other authorized person is obtained first; the section lists exceptions. 2023 PA 62 is not limited to minors: a licensee's record of a medical service involving vaginal or anal penetration of a patient must say so expressly and be kept at least 15 years, outside listed exceptions.[41][42]	Licensing board investigations
October 10, 2023	MCL 380.1508 took effect (2023 PA 57): school districts must give pupils in grades 6 to 12 state-developed material on sexual assault and sexual harassment, with the Title IX coordinator's contact information.[43]	K-12 school discipline

2024 and 2025

Date	What changed	Current rule explained in
January 1, 2024	The restyled Michigan Rules of Evidence took effect. The rape-shield exceptions in the rules now appear in MRE 404(a)(2)(C), and the former MRE 803(24) is now MRE 807. Michigan has no Rule 412.[44][45]	The rape-shield law
March 7, 2024	MCL 750.145h took effect (2023 PA 275): coercing a vulnerable adult into providing sexually explicit visual material is a misdemeanor of up to 1 year, or a 2-year felony with a prior conviction.[46]	Nonconsensual intimate images
July 29, 2024	In People v Lymon, the Michigan Supreme Court held that applying the 2021 registry act to people whose offense had no sexual component is cruel or unusual punishment under the Michigan Constitution.[47]	SORA court rulings
July 29, 2024	In Doe v Alpena Public School District, the Michigan Supreme Court held that the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act does not provide a vicarious-liability claim against a school for a hostile educational environment caused by student-on-student sexual harassment.[48]	K-12 school discipline
October 6, 2024	2024 PA 79 made sexual contact with a dead human body a 2-year misdemeanor and sexual penetration a 15-year felony. 2024 PA 66 added those offenses to Tier I and Tier III of the registry and renumbered the tier lists.[49][50]	SORA tiers
January 9 and February 19, 2025	Two federal district courts entered final judgments vacating the 2024 Title IX rule in full. The Department of Education announced on January 31, 2025 that it would enforce the regulations that existed before the 2024 rule.[51][52]	The Title IX process
April 2, 2025	2024 PA 268 amended the criminal limitations statute. For second- or third-degree CSC committed on or after this date, charges may be filed within 15 years or by the alleged victim's 42nd birthday, whichever is later. The change is not retroactive, and the period for fourth-degree CSC and assault with intent was not lengthened.[10][3][53] The act's 15-year or 42nd-birthday period that runs after an unidentified DNA source is identified has the same limit: it applies only to offenses committed on or after April 2, 2025.[12]	Statute of limitations for sex crimes
April 2, 2025	Sexual extortion became a separate felony, MCL 750.213b, added by 2024 PA 261. A first offense carries up to 5 years.[4][54]	Sextortion law
April 2, 2025	Two evidence statutes were amended: MCL 768.27b by 2024 PA 184 and MCL 768.27c by 2024 PA 183. The current text of MCL 768.27b reaches cases charging domestic violence, sexual assault, or a prostitution or human trafficking offense. The sources reviewed confirm the amendment to MCL 768.27c but not what it changed.[16][55][56]	Prior sexual assault evidence
April 2, 2025	2024 PA 185 amended MCL 750.462g in the human trafficking chapter. As amended, the section provides that a victim or complainant must not be excused from testifying on the ground that the testimony may be self-incriminating, and that truthful testimony may not be used against the victim or complainant in a criminal case except for impeachment or in a prosecution for perjury or for failing to testify as required. The sources reviewed do not show which words the amendment added.[57]	Sex trafficking laws
April 22, 2025	In Does v Whitmer, the federal district court entered an amended judgment holding the 2021 registry act unconstitutional in several respects, including the reporting of email addresses and internet identifiers. That part was not appealed and is in effect. Both sides appealed other parts, and the relief for people with non-Michigan convictions is stayed while the appeal is pending.[58][59][60]	SORA court rulings
May 19, 2025	Federal law: the TAKE IT DOWN Act, Public Law 119-12, was approved. It makes it unlawful to knowingly publish certain intimate visual depictions of an identifiable adult through an interactive computer service, and it gave covered platforms 1 year to set up a removal process that acts within 48 hours of a valid request.[61][62]	Removing intimate images from the internet
August 26, 2025	The Protection from Intimate Deep Fakes Act, 2025 PA 11, took immediate effect, creating a civil action and criminal penalties. A companion act added the felony version to the sentencing guidelines the same day.[5][63]	Deepfake intimate images
2025	In In re Harder, the Court of Appeals declined to adopt the "categorical approach" for comparing out-of-state offenses and kept an Iowa conviction registrable in Michigan after Iowa ended the person's registration.[64]	Moving to or from Michigan on a registry
December 19, 2025	In People v Kardasz, the Michigan Supreme Court held that the 2021 registry act is punishment, but that it is not cruel or unusual, on its face or as applied to a Tier III registrant convicted of first-degree CSC against a child. The Court denied leave on the challenges to lifetime electronic monitoring and did not decide them.[21]	Lifetime electronic monitoring

2026

Date	What changed	Current rule explained in
2026	In People v Leonard, the Court of Appeals held that the prosecution must disclose discoverable material in a complainant's phone data but need not surrender the entire phone; the trial court reviews the data privately and turns over only what is reasonably necessary to the defense.[65]	Digital evidence
May 27, 2026	In People v Shannon, the Court of Appeals rejected cruel-or-unusual and ex post facto challenges to registration by a defendant whose fourth-degree CSC offenses were committed while the 2011 act was in effect.[66]	How long registration lasts
May 29, 2026	In People v Shaver, a unanimous Michigan Supreme Court held that Betts applies retroactively to defendants on collateral review, meaning to cases that were already final.[67]	Failure-to-register penalties
July 22, 2026	In People v Ellis, a unanimous Michigan Supreme Court held the "recapture" provision unconstitutional: registration imposed under MCL 28.723(1)(e) as a penalty for a nonsexual offense, on a person with an older sexual offense conviction, is cruel or unusual punishment.[68]	SORA court rulings
July 31, 2026	In People v Jade, a case arising from an online sting, the Michigan Supreme Court restated the two-prong objective entrapment test, directed the trial court to consider whether police escalated the offense, vacated the Court of Appeals opinion and remanded. It did not decide that the defendant was entrapped.[69][70] The Court also clarified that a court must consider the defendant's readiness and willingness to commit the charged crime, which is part of the inducement inquiry and not a separate element.[71]	The entrapment defense
July 31, 2026	In People v Madison, the Michigan Supreme Court overruled People v Carpenter (2001), which had abolished the defense of diminished capacity. The benchbook quotes the Court as holding that the legal-insanity statute does not foreclose diminished-capacity evidence offered to contest the intent element of a specific-intent crime.[72][73] The benchbook lists first- through fourth-degree CSC as general-intent crimes and the two assault-with-intent-to-commit-CSC offenses as specific-intent crimes.[74]	Defenses to sex crime charges
July 31, 2026	The criminal discovery rule, MCR 6.201, was relettered. The prosecutor's disclosure list moved from subrule (B) to (C), and the test for privileged records such as counseling files moved from (C) to (D). Subrule (B) now requires 30 days' written notice of expert evidence of mental illness or intellectual disability bearing on specific intent.[75][76][77]	Counseling and medical records
September 9, 2026	In People v Smith, the Michigan Supreme Court held by order that the 2021 registry act may not be applied retroactively to registrants whose offenses occurred before the 2011 amendments, and that earlier versions of the act cannot be revived to fill the gap.[1]	SORA court rulings
September 11, 2026	The Michigan State Police announced that, of about 43,000 people registered or required to register, more than 20,000 had been removed to comply with Smith. Its legal update says people registered solely for a Michigan offense committed before July 1, 2011 have no further duty to register, report or verify in Michigan.[78] The same update states the agency's position that a person registered solely because of another state's requirement, for conduct there before July 1, 2011, is similarly to be removed; that is an agency statement to officers, not a court holding.[79]	The registry explained
September 29, 2026	The U.S. Department of Education published a final rule, effective the same day, repealing its 2024 Title IX rule and restoring the regulatory text that existed before it. One sentence of the 2020 text, on statements not subject to cross-examination, was not reinstated.[6][80]	The Title IX process

Not law as of October 4, 2026

The following are bills only. Each was checked on the Legislature's website on October 4, 2026, and each should be rechecked before anyone relies on its status.

• Senate Bills 257 to 261 of 2025. All five passed the Senate on May 20, 2025 and were referred the same day to the House Committee on Government Operations, with no later action. None has been enacted.^[81]
• What Senate Bill 257 would do. As passed by the Senate, it would let a victim of criminal sexual conduct sue within 10 years of the crime, by age 42, or within 7 years of discovering the injury and its connection to the misconduct, whichever is later.^[82] Until a bill of that kind is enacted, the 2018 periods remain the law.^[83]
• Senate Bill 260 of 2025. It would remove governmental immunity for public universities, colleges and school districts in certain cases of employee criminal sexual conduct. It is a pending bill; the immunity statute's history shows no amendment since 2013 PA 173, effective April 1, 2014.^[84]
• House Bill 5508 of 2026. It would add a section to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act on confidentiality provisions in settlement agreements. It was introduced on February 5, 2026 and referred to committee, with no committee report or floor vote.^[85]

Questions still open

• The federal appeal. Both sides appealed the judgment in Does v Whitmer to the Sixth Circuit, and the relief for people with non-Michigan convictions is stayed while the appeal is pending.^[60] The State Police reported that oral arguments were held on July 21, 2026.^[86]
• Pre-2011 convictions from other states. The defendant in Smith had Michigan convictions.^[87] The State Police position on people registered because of another state's requirement is the agency's own, and the federal ruling on non-Michigan convictions is stayed on appeal.^[79][60]
• Lifetime electronic monitoring. The Michigan Supreme Court denied leave on the constitutional challenges to monitoring in Kardasz and did not decide them, so it has not ruled on whether monitoring is constitutional.^[21]
• Set-aside and registration. The Setting Aside Convictions Act says a person whose listed-offense conviction is set aside is still considered convicted for registry purposes, while the registry act says registration must be discontinued on presentation of the set-aside order. No decision reconciling the two was found.^[88]
• A date ahead. Under the current text, the $50 annual registration fee is not owed by anyone first required to register after January 1, 2027.^[89]

What has not changed, despite what you may read

• The rape-shield statute. MCL 750.520j has not been amended since it took effect on April 1, 1975.^[90]
• The repeat-offender minimum and assault with intent. MCL 750.520f and 750.520g also stand as enacted in 1975.^[91]
• The age line. The benchbook states that a person under 16 is legally incapable of consenting to a sexual act, and the CSC statutes contain no close-in-age defense to a charge.^[92][93]
• The sodomy statute. The text of MCL 750.158 has not been amended since 1952.^[94]
• Other acts against minors. MCL 768.27a has not been amended since it took effect on January 1, 2006.^[95]
• The penalty for a mandated reporter. A knowing failure to report suspected child abuse remains a misdemeanor of up to 93 days, a fine of up to $500, or both.^[96]
• The civil deadlines. MCL 600.5805 and 600.5851b have not been amended since 2018.^[83]

These and other common errors are collected in Fifteen myths about Michigan sex-crime cases.

How to tell whether a page is out of date

A few details date a web page quickly. Each of the following suggests a description that does not reflect the law as of October 4, 2026:

• "Mentally incapacitated" described as requiring a substance given without the person's consent: written before October 10, 2023.^[2]
• A limitations period of 10 years or age 21, or 15 years or age 28, stated for every second- or third-degree CSC case: does not account for offenses on or after April 2, 2025.^[3][11]
• A marriage exception described for teachers and 16- or 17-year-old students: written before September 27, 2023.^[35]
• Registrants described as barred from living within 1,000 feet of a school under the registry act: written before March 24, 2021.^[22]
• Email addresses and internet identifiers listed as something registrants must report: does not reflect the federal judgment.^[59]
• A person whose only registrable Michigan offense was committed before July 1, 2011 described as still required to register under the Michigan act: written before September 9, 2026.^[1][78]
• "MRE 412" cited as Michigan's rape-shield rule: Michigan has no such rule.^[45]
• "MCR 6.201(C)(2)" cited for access to counseling records: uses the lettering in force before July 31, 2026.^[75]
• Sexual extortion cited to MCL 750.145g: that section is the repeat-offense minimum for child sexually abusive material; sexual extortion is MCL 750.213b.^[14][4]
• A college Title IX process described without a live hearing and cross-examination by each party's advisor: does not match the regulation restored on September 29, 2026.^[6][97]
• Diminished-capacity evidence described as barred in Michigan under People v Carpenter: written before July 31, 2026.^[72]
• A sexually delinquent person described as facing 1 day to life "or a term under the sentencing guidelines": relies on a 2019 Court of Appeals decision that the Michigan Supreme Court reversed on July 28, 2021.^[25]
• Entrapment in a sting case described from the Court of Appeals opinion in People v Jade: the Michigan Supreme Court vacated that opinion on July 31, 2026.^[70]

Terms used in this timeline are defined in the glossary. For current maximum terms and fines, see the penalties chart.