Megan’s Law is the common name for federal and state laws that require people convicted of sex offenses to register with law enforcement and that make information from those registries available to the public. At the federal level, the current framework is the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), and every state, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and tribal jurisdictions run registries that feed a national public search site.
Where the Name Comes From
The law is named for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old New Jersey girl killed in 1994 by a neighbor with prior sex offense convictions. Her death drove a national campaign to give the public access to information about sex offenders living nearby.
Congress had already passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The Wetterling Act required states to create sex offender registries, but it did not require those registries to be shared with the public.1Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Legislative History of Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification In 1996, Congress amended it with what became known as Megan’s Law, making community notification mandatory.2Clinton White House Archives. Memorandum on Sex Offender Registration
Ten years later, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 rewrote the whole system. Its Title I, SORNA, replaced the Wetterling framework with a more detailed set of national standards, now codified at 34 U.S.C. § 20901.3Office of Justice Programs. SORNA When people talk about Megan’s Law today, this is the federal statute doing the work.
Who Has to Register
SORNA requires any person convicted of a qualifying sex offense to register with the appropriate authorities. Qualifying offenses generally involve sexual violence, exploitation, or crimes against minors. Registration begins immediately after release from incarceration or at the start of probation or supervised release, and it is not optional.
The requirement can also reach juveniles. A person who was 14 or older at the time of the offense and was adjudicated delinquent of conduct equivalent to aggravated sexual abuse can be required to register.4SMART.gov. Juvenile Sex Offender Registration Under SORNA Jurisdictions decide for themselves whether to display juvenile registrants on public websites, and many do not.
At registration, law enforcement collects identifying details, residential and work addresses, vehicle information, biometric data such as fingerprints and DNA, and a current photograph. Registrants also have to report planned international travel.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 U.S. Code 20914 – Information Required in Registration
How Long Registration Lasts
SORNA sorts offenders into three tiers based on the severity of the offense. The tier controls two things: how long the person stays on the registry, and how often they have to appear in person to verify their information.6Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. SORNA In Person Registration Requirements
- Tier I covers sex offenses that don’t meet the criteria for the higher tiers. Registration lasts 15 years, with in-person verification once a year.
- Tier II covers more serious offenses punishable by more than a year of imprisonment, including sex trafficking of a minor, using a minor in a sexual performance, and production or distribution of child pornography. Registration lasts 25 years, with in-person verification every six months.
- Tier III covers the most serious offenses, including aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and kidnapping of a minor by someone other than a parent. Registration lasts for life, with in-person verification every 90 days.
A Tier I registrant who commits another qualifying offense moves up to Tier II. A Tier II registrant who reoffends moves to Tier III.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 U.S. Code 20911 – Relevant Definitions
What the Public Can See
The main public-facing tool is the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), a partnership between the Department of Justice and state, territorial, and tribal governments. It pulls data from registries across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and Indian Country, and users can search by name or within a one-, two-, or three-mile radius of an address.8U.S. Department of Justice. Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
Public entries typically show a registrant’s photograph, name, and residential address. Sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, victim identities, and internet identifiers stays with law enforcement. Some local agencies add direct outreach when a high-risk offender moves into a neighborhood, such as mailed flyers or community meetings; the specifics of that notification vary by jurisdiction.
What Megan’s Law Does Not Do
SORNA is often confused with the rules that tell registrants where they can live and work. The federal law does neither. Its requirements are informational: register, report changes, and verify in person on the schedule set by the tier.9Office of Justice Programs. Case Law Summary
Residency restrictions come from state and local law. Many jurisdictions bar registrants from living within a set distance of schools, daycare centers, parks, and other places where children gather, with buffer zones typically ranging from 500 to 2,500 feet.10National Institute of Justice. Sex Offender Residency Restrictions – How Mapping Can Inform Policy Employment limits vary the same way, with some states barring registrants from jobs involving children and others handling it through individual court orders. The day-to-day restrictions a registrant lives with almost always come from state or local rules, not from SORNA.
Travel and Passports
The International Megan’s Law to Prevent Child Exploitation, signed in 2016, extended the framework across borders. All registered sex offenders have to notify their local registry of planned international travel at least 21 days in advance, and emergency travel has to be reported as soon as it is scheduled.11U.S. Marshals Service. International Megan’s Law Complaint Form for Traveling Sex Offenders
Covered sex offenders convicted of offenses against minors also carry a unique passport identifier. The State Department prints a statement inside the passport book reading: “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to 22 USC 212b(c)(1).” Passport cards are not issued to covered sex offenders at all.12U.S. Department of State. Passports and International Megan’s Law
Getting Off the Registry Early
Under 34 U.S.C. § 20915, some registrants can shorten their registration period by keeping what the statute calls a “clean record.” That means no felony convictions, no sex offense convictions, successful completion of all supervised release or probation, and completion of a certified sex offender treatment program.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 U.S. Code 20915 – Duration of Registration Requirement
Only two groups qualify for federal reductions. A Tier I registrant who keeps a clean record for 10 years can cut the 15-year period down to 10. A Tier III registrant whose registration was based on a juvenile adjudication can, after 25 years of a clean record, have lifetime registration reduced to that 25 years. Tier II registrants and adult Tier III registrants have no federal off-ramp, though some states run their own petition processes.
Penalties for Not Complying
Failing to register or keep the information current is a separate federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 2250. The baseline penalty is a fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both. There is no mandatory minimum for a standard failure-to-register charge, but the penalty escalates sharply if a registrant who fails to register or update also commits a federal crime of violence: a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 30 years, served consecutively with the sentence for the underlying failure.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 2250 – Failure to Register
Federal charges sit on top of state penalties, and most states have their own criminal statutes for registration violations. Because address, employment, and school changes have to be reported within three business days, even a short delay after a move can trigger a prosecution, sometimes from genuine confusion about obligations that follow a registrant across state lines.