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 Louisiana (LA), indecent exposure is governed by the state's criminal statutes, specifically under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 14: Section 106 - Obscenity. According to this law, a person commits the crime of indecent exposure when they intentionally expose their genitals in any public place or place visible from a public place, in a manner that is offensive to public decency. This includes exposure of the male or female genitals, pubic area, or buttocks, or the female breast below a horizontal line across the top of the areola, with less than a fully opaque covering. The law also covers lewd acts that may not involve exposure but are considered obscene and offensive to public decency. The intent to arouse sexual desire or to offend others is often a component of the crime. Penalties for indecent exposure in Louisiana can include fines and imprisonment, and the severity of the punishment can vary based on the circumstances of the offense and the offender's criminal history.