State by state

Hidden camera laws, state by state

A hidden camera in a bedroom or bathroom is a crime almost everywhere in the U.S. — here’s the actual statute for each state below, not a generic summary.

Every citation here was checked against the state’s own statute text or Justia’s copy of it, not a marketing page. Where a source didn’t clearly state a penalty class, we say so instead of guessing — a wrong citation is worse than no citation. This covers 20 states so far; more are added only after the same verification pass, so a state missing from this list isn’t a comment on its law, just where our research is.

CaliforniaPenal Code § 647(j) TexasPenal Code § 21.15 (Invasive Visual Recording) New YorkPenal Law § 250.45 (Unlawful Surveillance, Second Degree) FloridaFla. Stat. § 810.145 — renamed “Digital Voyeurism” in a 2024 amendment Illinois720 ILCS 5/26-4 (Unauthorized Video Recording and Live Video Transmission) Pennsylvania18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 7507.1 (Invasion of Privacy) OhioOhio Revised Code § 2907.08 (Voyeurism) GeorgiaO.C.G.A. § 16-11-62 (Eavesdropping, Surveillance, or Intercepting Communication Which Invades Privacy) North CarolinaG.S. § 14-202 (Secretly Peeping Into Room Occupied by Another Person) MichiganMCL § 750.539j New JerseyN.J.S.A. § 2C:14-9 (Invasion of Privacy) VirginiaCode of Virginia § 18.2-386.1 (Unlawful Filming, Videotaping or Photographing of Another) WashingtonRCW § 9A.44.115 (Voyeurism) ArizonaA.R.S. § 13-1424 (Voyeurism) MassachusettsM.G.L. c. 272, § 105 (Photographing, Videotaping or Electronically Surveilling Partially Nude or Nude Person) TennesseeTenn. Code § 39-13-605 (Unlawful Photographing in Violation of Privacy) ColoradoC.R.S. § 18-3-405.6 (Invasion of Privacy for Sexual Gratification) NevadaNRS § 200.604 (Capturing Image of Private Area of Another Person) HawaiiHRS § 711-1110.9 (Violation of Privacy in the First Degree) South CarolinaS.C. Code § 16-17-470 (Eavesdropping, Peeping, Voyeurism)

General information, not legal advice. If you’ve found something, the statute matters less than what you do next — read the six steps here.

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The 90-second room sweepFour steps, no gear — the check to run when you arrive. Find hidden cameras in an AirbnbWhere devices actually hide, and the rules hosts must follow. The flashlight trickThe one free method that catches a camera even when it is off. The two-way mirror testWhy the fingernail trick doesn't work — and what does. Do detector apps work?What a controlled lab study found when 11 apps met real hidden cameras. Find a GPS tracker on a carThe 60-second check, plus the data your rental car keeps. Unknown AirTag alert?What the tracker warnings can and cannot do, and the manual check. Found something? Do thisThe order matters: don't touch it, cover your sightlines, document.

Hidden camera laws, state by state

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