Hidden camera laws in New York

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

The statute

Penal Law § 250.45 (Unlawful Surveillance, Second Degree)

What it prohibits

Intentionally using or installing an imaging device to secretly view, broadcast, or record another person dressing, undressing, or their intimate body parts, at a place and time they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, without knowledge or consent. Installing a device in a bedroom, bathroom, or hotel room creates a rebuttable presumption of unlawful purpose. Audio recording of conversations is a separate statute (Penal Law Art. 250).

Penalty

Class E felony; can carry sex-offender registration requirements.

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://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/pen/part-3/title-n/article-250/250-45/. 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

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Other states

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)