Field Manual Books
Practical field manuals by a former CIA officer · calm, sourced, no gadget hype

Hidden camera laws by state

Hidden camera laws in Missouri

The actual statute, in plain English — not a paraphrase of a paraphrase.

The statute

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 565.252 (Invasion of Privacy)

What it prohibits

Missouri prohibits knowingly photographing, filming, videotaping, or otherwise creating an image of another person, without that person’s consent, while they are fully or partially nude in a place where they had a reasonable expectation of privacy. It also bans creating an image of a person underneath or through their clothing to view their body or undergarments without consent. The offense escalates when images are distributed or when more than one person is recorded in the same course of conduct.

Penalty

Class A misdemeanor — up to 1 year in jail — for the base offense. Class E felony — up to 4 years — if the images are distributed, transmitted online, involve more than one victim in the same scheme, or the offender has a prior conviction under this section.

This is general public information, not legal advice, verified against the statute text linked below as of this writing — legislatures amend these laws periodically (Florida renamed its own statute in 2024). If this matters for a real situation, read the current text yourself or talk to a lawyer: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=565.252. Separately, recording audio of a conversation is governed by a different law (wiretap/eavesdropping statutes, which vary by state on whether one party or all parties must consent) — this page covers image/video capture only.

If you've actually found something, the statute matters less than what you do next: read the six steps here.

Cover: The Traveler's Counter-Surveillance Field Manual
The Field Manual — PDF edition

Want the full room-by-room method, not just the legal side? The complete system — every check on this site plus the ten-minute walkthrough, audio devices, your legal rights, and what to do if you find something. 47 printable pages, instant download, keep it on any device.

Get the Field Manual — $27

Prefer Kindle? $7.99 on Amazon.

Other states

Oklahoma21 Okla. Stat. § 1171(B) (Peeping Tom — Use of Photographic, Electronic or Video Equipment) WisconsinWis. Stat. § 942.09 (Representations Depicting Nudity) 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)