Hidden camera laws in Ohio

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

The statute

Ohio Revised Code § 2907.08 (Voyeurism)

What it prohibits

For sexual arousal or gratification: trespassing or otherwise surreptitiously invading someone’s privacy to spy or eavesdrop, or doing the same to videotape, film, photograph, or record a person in a state of nudity. An enhanced version applies when the victim is a minor.

Penalty

Third-degree misdemeanor for the base spying/eavesdropping conduct; second-degree misdemeanor for recording nudity; fifth-degree felony if the victim is a minor.

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://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2907.08. 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.

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Other states

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)