Ohio Code § 2907.38

Ohio Code § 2907.38. Reproduced from the official Ohio Revised Code, with a citation summary, verification link, and related provisions.

§ 2907.38.

(A) As used in this section: (1) “ Commercial establishment ” means an entity that is open to the public and to which either of the following

applies: (a) It has a substantial or significant portion of its stock in trade of the sale, rental,

or viewing of visual materials or performances depicting sexual conduct. (b) It has as a principal business purpose the sale, rental, or viewing of visual materials

or performances depicting sexual conduct. (2) “ Visual materials or performances ” means films, videos, CD-ROM discs, streaming video, or other motion pictures. (B) No person who has custody, control, or supervision of a commercial establishment,

with knowledge of the character of the visual material or performance involved, shall

knowingly permit the use of, or offer the use of, viewing booths, stalls, or partitioned

portions of a room located in the commercial establishment for the purpose of viewing

visual materials or performances depicting sexual conduct unless both of the following

apply: (1) The inside of each booth, stall, or partitioned room is visible from, and at least

one side of each booth, stall, or partitioned room is open to, a continuous and contiguous

main aisle or hallway that is open to the public areas of the commercial establishment

and is not obscured by any curtain, door, or other covering or enclosure. (2) No booth, stall, or partitioned room is designed, constructed, pandered, or allowed

to be used for the purpose of encouraging or facilitating nudity or sexual activity

on the part of or between patrons or members of the public, and no booth, stall, or

partitioned room has any aperture, hole, or opening for the purpose of encouraging

or facilitating nudity or sexual activity. (C) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under this section that either of the following

applies to the involved visual materials or performances: (1) The visual materials or performances depicting sexual conduct are disseminated or

presented for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, religious, governmental,

judicial, or other proper purpose and by or to a physician, psychologist, sociologist,

scientist, teacher, person pursuing bona fide studies or research, librarian, member

of the clergy, prosecutor, judge, or other person having a proper interest in the

visual materials or performances. (2) The visual materials or performances depicting sexual conduct, taken as a whole,

would be found by a reasonable person to have serious literary, artistic, political,

or scientific value or are presented or disseminated in good faith for a serious literary,

artistic, political, or scientific purpose and are not pandered for their prurient

appeal. (D) Whoever violates this section is guilty of permitting unlawful operation of viewing

booths depicting sexual conduct, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Source: official Ohio text · Last verified 2026-08-27

At a glance

  • Citation: Ohio Revised Code § 2907.38
  • Jurisdiction: Ohio
  • Code: Ohio Revised Code
  • Text: transcribed from the official source (verify below)

Verify the text

Statute text is transcribed from the official Ohio Revised Code. Confirm it against the primary source before relying on it:

Not legal advice. Verify against the official source and consult a licensed Ohio attorney.

Common questions

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What subject does Ohio Revised Code § 2907.38 address?

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