Law / United States / 
North Carolina
HB 8, Pornography Age Verification Enforcement (PAVE) Act
N.C. Gen. Stat. ch. 66, art. 51, sections 66-500 to 66-501 (Session Law 2023-132)
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What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
In force since 1 January 2024.
An adult content age verification (AV) rule binding private bodies.
As of 2 September 2026.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Commercial entities that knowingly publish or distribute material harmful to minors from a website where more than one third of the content meets that definition must verify that visitors are 18 or older using a commercial database or another commercially reasonable method. Providers may not retain identifying information after access is granted, and enforcement is solely through private civil suits by parents, guardians, or affected individuals.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureNo
Private right of actionYes
Penalties
Civil injunctions, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, sought by private plaintiffs.
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
None (private civil action only); no designated state enforcement agency
What it reaches
Age threshold
18
Covered services
Commercial websites where more than one third of total material is harmful to minors
Obligation class
Age verification, Retention
Verification methods
Third party service, Transactional data
When LexLint raises it
publishes_adult_content
Read the law
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.