A person commits the crime of indecent exposure by exposing the person’s body or private parts (usually genitals, anus, buttocks, or female breasts) in a public place and in the presence of another person who might be offended, alarmed, or annoyed. Laws vary from state to state—including definitions of exposed body parts—and some states require the exposure to have been made with the intent to attract attention or to sexually gratify the person making the indecent exposure, or to sexually gratify another person, or to offend another person.

Indecent exposure laws are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Alaska, indecent exposure is addressed under Alaska Statutes Section 11.41.460. A person commits the crime of indecent exposure in the first degree if they knowingly expose their genitals in the presence of another person with reckless disregard for the offensive, insulting, or frightening effect it may have, or while in the presence of a person under 16 years of age with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person. Indecent exposure in the first degree is a class A misdemeanor. Indecent exposure in the second degree involves the exposure of the buttocks with reckless disregard for the offensive effect it may have, and it is a violation. Alaska law requires that the exposure be intentional and that it either be likely to cause affront or alarm or be for the purpose of sexual gratification. The specific circumstances and the presence of aggravating factors, such as the age of the witness, can elevate the severity of the offense.