Missouri Chapter 573: Pornography Offenses

Chapter 573 of the Missouri Revised Statutes covers a wide range of crimes related to obscene materials, child pornography, and exploitation. These offenses carry extremely serious penalties—including mandatory prison time, sex offender registration, and long-term restrictions on freedom and employment. Whether the charge involves possession, distribution, or failure to report, every statute in this chapter has life-altering consequences.

What Chapter 573 Covers

Possession, promotion, or creation of child pornography
Sexual performance involving minors
Obscenity laws and public display of explicit material
Nonconsensual image sharing and revenge porn
Failure to report child exploitation and related activity

Click any statute below to read a simplified explanation of the law, what the prosecution must prove, and what penalties may apply.

Chapter 573 Statutes Explained

Accused of a Pornography or Exploitation Offense?

Sex offense allegations involving pornography or exploitation can ruin your life before you even get to court. If you’ve been accused of a crime under Chapter 573, you need immediate legal help from a team who understands what’s at stake. Contact Combs Waterkotte online or call (314) 900-HELP today for a confidential, judgment-free consultation with an experienced Missouri criminal defense and sex crimes lawyer.

573.010. Definitions.

This section explains important words used in Missouri’s laws about sexual materials and offenses.

These definitions help make clear what the law means when talking about child pornography, nudity, obscene material, sexually oriented businesses, and other sex crimes.

(1) Adult cabaret: A business like a nightclub, bar, or restaurant that regularly shows people who are partly nude, whether or not alcohol is served.

(2) Characterized by: Describes the main feature or theme of something.

(3) Child: Anyone under the age of 14.

(4) Child pornography:

Obscene material or performances showing sexual acts or contact that involve a minor, or show a minor watching.
Images (photo, video, or computer-made) of sexual acts where:
- The image was made using a real minor;
- The image is a computer or digital image that looks like a real minor is in it;
- The image was edited to show a real, identifiable minor involved in sexual acts — meaning someone who can be recognized by face or unique features, even if their name isn’t known.

(5) Employ, employee, or employment: Anyone working at a sexually oriented business, full-time, part-time, or on contract. This doesn’t include people there just to make repairs or deliver goods.

(6) Explicit sexual material: Pictures or sculptures showing masturbation, sex, sexual touching, naked genitals, or sadomasochism. Art or anthropology materials are not included.

(7) Furnish: To give, sell, mail, deliver, or otherwise provide something.

(8) Material: Anything used to communicate — like books, photos, videos, recordings, computer files, or anything similar, even if undeveloped or stored.

(9) Minor: Anyone under the age of 18.

(10) Nudity or state of nudity: Showing private parts — including genitals, anus, or female breasts with see-through or no covering over the nipple or areola.

(11) Obscene: Something is obscene if:

It mostly appeals to sexual interest (prurient interest), based on today’s community standards;
It shows sexual activity in an obviously offensive way;
It has no serious value in literature, art, politics, or science.

(12) Operator: A person in charge of running a sexually oriented business, even if they’re not the owner or license holder.

(13) Performance: A show, movie, dance, or other display done in front of one or more people.

(14) Pornographic for minors: Material or performances that:

Are made to appeal to a minor’s sexual interest;
Show nudity, sexual acts, sexual body parts, or sadomasochism in a way that’s clearly offensive for minors, based on adult standards;
Have no serious value in literature, art, politics, or science for minors.

(15) Premises: The property where a sexually oriented business is located. This includes the building, grounds, private walkways, and parking areas.

(16) Promote: To share, sell, give, send, post, or advertise something — including through a computer — or to agree to do so.

(17) Regularly: Doing something consistently and repeatedly.

(18) Sadomasochistic abuse: Hurting or beating someone or being hurt or beaten as a form of sexual excitement.

(19) Semi-nude or state of semi-nudity: Showing the lower part of a woman’s breast or the buttocks of a man or woman. This does not include regular clothing like bikinis or shirts that cover the nipple or areola.

(20) Sexual conduct: Real or fake acts involving:

Masturbation;
Oral, anal, or vaginal sex (regular or unusual);
Touching private parts for sexual pleasure — even through clothing;
Acts involving animals or objects done for sexual excitement;
Sadomasochistic abuse.

(21) Sexually explicit conduct: Real or fake acts of:

Sexual intercourse (oral, anal, or vaginal);
Bestiality (sex with animals);
Masturbation;
Sadomasochistic abuse;
Showing genitals or the pubic area in a sexual way.

(22) Sexually oriented business: Includes all of the following:

(a) Adult bookstore or adult video store: A business that mainly sells or rents materials focused on sexual content (like books, videos, or pictures). It qualifies if:
- a. A large amount of its products are sexual;
- b. A large portion of what it buys to sell is sexual;
- c. A large portion of what it sells is sexual;
- d. It makes a lot of money from sexual products;
- e. It has a large area dedicated to sexual products;
- f. It runs an adult arcade — a place with coin or electronic machines that show sexual images to small groups.
(b) Adult cabaret: A place where people perform partly nude.
(c) Adult motion picture theater: A business that regularly shows sexual films to more than five people for money.
(d) Semi-nude model studio: A place where people pose partly nude for pay to be drawn, photographed, or modeled. This does not include:
- a. Classes at public colleges or universities;
- b. Private colleges that offer transferable credits;
- c. Studios without signs and where students must enroll at least 3 days before the class.
(e) Sexual encounter center: A business that offers physical contact like wrestling or tumbling between partly nude people for pay.

(23) Sexual performance: Any performance that includes sexual conduct by someone under 18 years old.

(24) Specified anatomical areas:

(a) Parts of the body that are not fully and opaquely covered, including:
- Genitals,
- Pubic area,
- Buttocks,
- The part of the female breast below the top of the nipple (areola).
(b) Male genitals that are clearly aroused, even if fully covered.

(25) Specified sexual activity:

(a) Intercourse, oral sex, masturbation, or sodomy;
(b) Acts of going to the bathroom when done as part of or in connection with the sexual activities listed above.

(26) Substantial: At least 30% of something has been changed or affected.

(27) Visual depiction: Any image, including undeveloped film, videotape, or computer files that can be turned into a picture.

View the full statute here