California legal term
Sexual contact in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “Sexual contact” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.
What does “Sexual contact” mean in California criminal law?
“Sexual contact” means any act, committed for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification, abuse, or financial gain, between a person and an animal involving contact between the sex organs or anus of one and the mouth, sex organs, or anus of the other, or, without a bona fide veterinary or animal husbandry purpose, the insertion, however slight, of any part of the body of a person or any object into the vaginal or anal opening of an animal, or the insertion of any part of the body of an animal into the vaginal or anal opening of a person. (Cal. Penal Code § 286.5)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.