A person generally commits the criminal offense of public lewdness or lewd conduct in public if the person knowingly engages in any of the following acts in a public place—or, if not in a public place, the person is reckless about whether another is present who will be offended or alarmed by the person’s (1) act of sexual intercourse; (2) act of deviate sexual intercourse; (3) act of sexual contact with a person’s own private parts or those of another.

Public lewdness laws vary from state to state, and some states define and charge such criminal offenses under indecent exposure laws. Public lewdness is usually a misdemeanor offense, but may be a felony offense under some circumstances. And in some states a conviction for public lewdness may require the defendant to register as a sex offender.

In Alaska, public lewdness is addressed under the state's indecent exposure laws. According to Alaska Statute § 11.41.460, a person commits the crime of indecent exposure 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. This includes acts of sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse, or sexual contact in public places, or in private where there is a risk of being observed by others who may be offended or alarmed. Indecent exposure in the first degree is a class A misdemeanor, but it can be elevated to a class C felony if the offender has previous convictions for the same or similar offenses. Additionally, certain indecent exposure offenses in Alaska may require the defendant to register as a sex offender under the state's sex offender registration laws.