Is Public Nudity Illegal In The State Of Washington?

My wife I think could handle being naked in public but I've always been a little shy about nudity. I'm the guy with the eternal "farmers" tan because I won't take off my shirt in public. My wife though is much more of a "When In Rome" kind of thinker.

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What's The Law For Being Naked In Public In Washington State?

For others, it's a natural state of being. We know you can always get naked anytime you want in your backyard but is it against Washington State Law?

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It might surprise you to learn that public nudity in the State of Washington isn't illegal.

There are a few factors that however would make it illegal and those reasons are the reason you could find yourself on an episode of "Cops"

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Here's what one lawyer said on the law advice website AVVO.com

In WA, under state law, it is not a criminal law violation to merely be naked. Someone must object to the nakedness, and the naked person must be doing something bad.

RCW 9A.88.010 (Indecent exposure) provides: "(1) A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she intentionally makes any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm. The act of breastfeeding or expressing breast milk is not indecent exposure."

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Essentially the lawyer is saying that walking around naked in your backyard is perfectly legal even if a neighbor complains, the odds are you won't get arrested or get a ticket.

What Reasons Can You Get Arrested For Public Nudity In Washington State?

You would get a ticket or arrested if you got caught flaunting yourself to the neighbors but simply being naked isn't enough in the State of Washington.

You can read more details about the nudity laws in Washington here. 

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