State Laws that Enable a Minor to Provide Informed Consent to Receive HIV and STD Services

A minor is a person who is under the legal age of full legal rights and responsibilities. CDC assessed the statutes and regulations (laws) addressing a minor’s legal right to provide informed consent to receive  STD and/or HIV services  without the consent, knowledge, or involvement of a parent  or guardian, in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia (jurisdictions). Jurisdictions have different types of laws, and the age at which the minor has the legal right to provide informed consent to receive STD or HIV services varies by jurisdiction. State laws can:

• Explicitly allow a minor to give informed consent to receive STD diagnosis and treatment, and/or prevention
• Explicitly allow a minor to give informed consent to HIV testing, treatment, and/or prophylaxis, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), or
• Allow a minor to give informed consent to general health care, services, or procedures

As of 2022, all jurisdictions have laws that explicitly allow a minor of a particular age (as defined by each state) to give informed consent to receive STD diagnosis and treatment services. In some jurisdictions, a minor might be legally allowed to give informed consent to receive specific STD or HIV services, including PrEP, even if the law is silent on those disease-related services.  For example, HIV services might be interpreted as being included under STD services, and prevention might be interpreted as being included under a broad definition of treatment or services.

The table below provides reference information (not legal advice or interpretations of the laws) for use by practitioners in providing clinical care to minors in each state.