Megan’s Law is the common name for the federal and state framework that requires people convicted of sex offenses to register with law enforcement and gives the public access to information about where those individuals live, work, and go to school. The name comes from the 1994 murder of seven-year-old Megan Nicole Kanka in New Jersey, which pushed Congress to require community notification nationwide. When people use the phrase today, they usually mean the whole registration-and-notification system now built on the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), enacted as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 USC 20901 – Declaration of Purpose
Where the Name Comes From
The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act was the first federal law to require states to create sex offender registries, but it left community notification to each state. In 1996, Congress passed the federal Megan’s Law, amending Wetterling to require states to publicly disclose registry information when necessary to protect the public.2Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Legislative History of Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification A decade later, SORNA replaced the Wetterling framework entirely. It created the three-tier classification system in use today, standardized what registrants must report, and set up the national public registry. So “Megan’s Law” is best understood as a label for the whole system, not one statute.
Who Has to Register
Anyone convicted of a qualifying sex offense in federal, military, tribal, or state court has to register in every jurisdiction where they live, work, or attend school. SORNA sorts qualifying offenses into three tiers, and the tier controls how long registration lasts and how often the person must check in.
Tier I is the catchall for any sex offense that doesn’t meet the higher tiers. Tier II covers offenses punishable by more than a year in prison that involve trafficking or coercing a minor, using a minor in a sexual performance, soliciting a minor for prostitution, producing or distributing child pornography, or abusive sexual contact against a minor. It also picks up any offense committed after someone already qualifies as a Tier I offender. Tier III is the most serious: sexual acts by force or threat, sexual abuse of an unconscious or drugged victim, sexual contact with a child under 13, non-parental kidnapping of a minor, or any offense committed after someone already qualifies as a Tier II offender.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 US Code 20911 – Relevant Definitions, Including Amie Zyla Expansion of Sex Offender Definition and Child Abuse Definition
States don’t all use SORNA’s tiers directly. Some adopt them; others classify by risk assessment. The same conviction can land a person in different tiers in different states.
Juveniles are not fully exempt. A person 14 or older at the time of the offense who is adjudicated delinquent of a crime equivalent to aggravated sexual abuse involving forcible penetration must register as a Tier III offender, though juveniles in this category can end the obligation after 25 years of a clean record.4Office of Justice Programs. Juvenile Registration and Notification Requirements Under SORNA
How Long Registration Lasts
Federal minimums run by tier:
- Tier I: 15 years, which can drop to 10 if the person keeps a clean record for a decade (no new conviction carrying more than a year of possible imprisonment, no new sex offense), successfully completes supervised release or parole, and finishes a certified treatment program.
- Tier II: 25 years, with no federal reduction available.
- Tier III: Lifetime, with no federal reduction except for juvenile adjudications that clear the 25-year clean-record threshold.
These are floors, not ceilings. States can impose longer periods, and time spent in custody or civil commitment doesn’t count toward the total.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 USC 20915 – Duration of Registration Requirement
What Registrants Must Report
Federal law requires a registrant to provide their legal name and aliases, Social Security number, every current and anticipated residential address, the name and address of any employer, the name and address of any school they attend, and the license plate number and description of any vehicle they own or drive.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 US Code 20914 – Information Required in Registration Registrants also have to disclose internet identifiers, including email addresses and other online handles used for communication or posting.7GovInfo. 34 USC 20916 – Direction to the Attorney General
Not all of this is public. Social Security numbers and internet identifiers are collected by law enforcement but typically don’t appear on public registry websites. What the public usually sees is name, photograph, physical description, residential address, conviction details, and in many states, employment and vehicle information.
How the Public Looks It Up
The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov is the federal search tool. It pulls data from every state, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and more than 150 tribal jurisdictions into a single searchable database.8Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sex Offender Registry Websites Each of those jurisdictions also runs its own registry site, often with more detail than NSOPW shows.9Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website. All Registries
Online lookup isn’t the only channel. Depending on the jurisdiction and the offender’s risk level, notification can include direct mailings to nearby residents, door-to-door alerts by law enforcement, or community meetings. Higher-risk registrants tend to trigger broader notification.
Check-Ins, Moves, and Travel
Registration is ongoing, not one-and-done. Registrants have to appear in person on a set schedule to verify their information and have a current photograph taken. The federal minimum is once a year for Tier I, every six months for Tier II, and every three months for Tier III.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 USC 20918 – Periodic In Person Verification
Between scheduled check-ins, any change to address, employment, or school enrollment must be reported in person within three business days. Stays away from home lasting seven or more days also have to be reported. Registrants without a fixed address must describe where they’re staying with as much specificity as possible and update that information on the same three-business-day clock whenever it changes.11Federal Register. Registration Requirements Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act
Moving to a new state transfers the obligation rather than ending it. A registrant entering a new jurisdiction to live, work, or attend school must appear in person and register there within three business days. Because states classify offenses differently, the move can change the tier, and with it the check-in frequency and total duration.
International travel adds another layer. A registrant has to notify registry officials at least 21 days before leaving the country, and that information goes to the U.S. Marshals Service.12Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. SORNA – Information Required for Notice of International Travel Under the 2016 International Megan’s Law, the State Department places a visible identifier on the passport of any covered registrant and can revoke a previously issued passport that lacks one, making the person’s status apparent to foreign border authorities.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 212b – Unique Passport Identifiers for Covered Sex Offenders
Where a Registrant Can Live and Work
SORNA itself does not restrict where a registrant can live. Residency limits come from state and local law. Many jurisdictions bar registered offenders on probation or parole from living within a set distance of schools, parks, playgrounds, or childcare centers. The distance is often 1,000 feet, but some local ordinances push it to 2,000 or 2,500 feet, which in dense areas can leave very little legal housing.
Federal law bars people with sex offense convictions from working at federally operated or federally contracted childcare facilities. Programs receiving federal funding, such as Head Start, must run criminal background checks before hiring and cannot permanently employ anyone until those checks clear.14United States Government Accountability Office. Child Care – Overview of Relevant Employment Laws and Cases of Sex Offenders at Child Care Facilities Most states add their own employment restrictions, particularly for work involving children.
What Happens If You Don’t Register
Knowingly failing to register or update a registration under federal law carries up to 10 years in federal prison.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 2250 – Failure to Register The federal statute reaches anyone required to register who was convicted of a federal or military sex offense, or who has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce. A registrant who crosses state lines and fails to register in the new state can face federal prosecution on top of state charges. States almost always treat failure-to-register as a felony, and a conviction generally adds prison time and extends the registration period itself.
Getting Off the Registry
Removal is possible for some registrants, but the path is narrow. Under federal standards, a Tier I registrant can shorten the period from 15 to 10 years by maintaining a clean record, completing supervised release, and finishing an approved treatment program. Tier II has no federal reduction. Tier III has no federal reduction except for the juvenile-adjudication track described above.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 USC 20915 – Duration of Registration Requirement
State removal processes vary. Some states let eligible registrants petition the sentencing court after the minimum period, typically with proof of compliance, treatment completion, and a current risk assessment. Others offer no petition process for certain offense categories. Either way, removal requires affirmative action; the obligation does not quietly expire without some form of official confirmation or court order.
Is Any of This Constitutional?
The U.S. Supreme Court settled the biggest question in 2003. In Smith v. Doe, the Court held that Alaska’s sex offender registration act was a civil regulatory scheme, not a criminal punishment, and could be applied retroactively to people convicted before the law’s passage without violating the Ex Post Facto Clause.16Justia. Smith v Doe, 538 US 84 (2003) That ruling effectively cleared the way for states to apply registration requirements to people whose offenses predated the laws. Challenges continue at the margins, particularly against residency restrictions so tight that registrants have nowhere legal to live, but the core registration-and-notification framework remains intact.