Missouri age verification law

Missouri requires age checks on adult sites twice over: an Attorney General rule, effective 30 November 2025, and a statute from HB 1839, effective 28 August 2026.^{1, 3} Both set the line at about a third of the content.

Checked 4 November 2026 against the sources.

The rule and the statute, side by side

They overlap but are not the same. The rule reaches apps and adult sections of larger sites; the statute requires a third party to do the check.^{2, 3}

As of 4 November 2026. This page describes the law. It is not legal advice.
	Attorney General rule, 15 CSR 60-18	Statute, section 407.3405 RSMo (HB 1839)
In force since	30 November 2025³	28 August 2026, signed 9 July 2026¹
Who is covered	A website, app or self-contained sexual content section where 33% or more of the content is pornographic for minors. Social media platforms are included; search engines are not.³	A commercial entity that knowingly publishes or distributes material on a website, social media included, more than one-third of which is sexual material harmful to minors.²
Who checks	The site or a third party.³	A third party.²
Methods	Digital ID, or a commercial system using government ID or transactional data. A site can use another method if it shows it is equally effective.³	Digital ID, or a commercial system using government ID or public or private transactional data.²
What may be kept	No identifying information, unless another law or a court order requires it. Data collected must be secured.³	The third party may not keep any identifying information.²
Penalties	Each access to a site that does not comply counts as a violation under the state's consumer protection law, capped at $10,000 a day.³	$10,000 a day of operating without checks, $10,000 for each time data is kept, and up to $250,000 more if minors got in.²
Who enforces	The Attorney General, under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.³	The Attorney General, in court, where the action is in the public interest.²

What else to know

Why a rule came first

The Attorney General made the rule under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, which bans unfair practices in trade. The rule says that running a covered site in Missouri without reasonable age checks is one of those practices.³ The legislature then passed HB 1839, combined with HB 2921 and HB 3015, which adds section 407.3405 to the same chapter.^{1, 2}

Who is left out

Both exclude bona fide news and public interest broadcasts and reports, and internet providers, search engines and cloud providers that only carry content they did not create.^{2, 3} The Attorney General reported that Pornhub shut off access in Missouri within hours of the rule taking effect.⁴ What other states let sites keep

Questions people ask

Does Missouri have an age verification law?

Yes. Section 407.3405 RSMo, from HB 1839, took effect on 28 August 2026, and the Attorney General's rule has applied since 30 November 2025.^{1, 3}

When did Missouri's age verification law take effect?

The rule took effect on 30 November 2025; the Attorney General announced it was fully in force on 1 December 2025.^{3, 4} The statute's effective date is 28 August 2026.¹

Does it apply to apps?

The rule names apps on phones and tablets as well as websites. The statute speaks of websites, including social media platforms.^{2, 3}

Can I be fined for not verifying?

No. Both put the duty and the penalties on the business and its age check provider, not on the person visiting.^{2, 3}

Sources 4

HB 1839 (2026), bill status: effective 28 August 2026, approved by the governor 9 July 2026, Missouri House of Representatives. Read 4 November 2026.
HCS HBs 1839, 2921 and 3015, truly agreed and finally passed (section 407.3405), Missouri House of Representatives. Read 4 November 2026.
15 CSR 60-18, Age Verification, Code of State Regulations (as of 31 October 2025), Missouri Secretary of State. Read 4 November 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 31 July 2026 (the live site refused our request).
Age-verification rule now in force, 1 December 2025, Missouri Attorney General. Read 4 November 2026.

Every fact here comes from the law or the rule, checked again and dated. How we check