Pen. Code, § 647.6 · Chapter 2. Of Other and Miscellaneous Offenses
Pen. Code, § 647.6
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) (1) Every person who annoys or molests any child under 18 years of age shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(2) Every person who, motivated by an unnatural or abnormal sexual interest in children, engages in conduct with an adult whom he or she believes to be a child under 18 years of age, which conduct, if directed toward a child under 18 years of age, would be a violation of this section, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) Every person who violates this section after having entered, without consent, an inhabited dwelling house, or trailer coach as defined in Section 635 of the Vehicle Code, or the inhabited portion of any other building, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, and by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(c) (1) Every person who violates this section shall be punished upon the second and each subsequent conviction by imprisonment in the state prison.
(2) Every person who violates this section after a previous felony conviction under Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289, or former Section 288a, any of which involved a minor under 16 years of age, or a previous felony conviction under this section, a conviction under Section 288, or a felony conviction under Section 311.4 involving a minor under 14 years of age shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four, or six years.
(d) (1) In any case in which a person is convicted of violating this section and probation is granted, the court shall require counseling as a condition of probation, unless the court makes a written statement in the court record, that counseling would be inappropriate or ineffective.
(2) In any case in which a person is convicted of violating this section, and as a condition of probation, the court prohibits the defendant from having contact with the victim, the court order prohibiting contact shall not be modified except upon the request of the victim and a finding by the court that the modification is in the best interest of the victim. As used in this paragraph, “contact with the victim” includes all physical contact, being in the presence of the victim, communication by any means, any communication by a third party acting on behalf of the defendant, and any gifts.
(e) Nothing in this section prohibits prosecution under any other provision of law.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 423, Sec. 63. (SB 1494) Effective January 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=647.6.
- Text hash
- sha256 f6df1444cdd25607d55ef394275b05f7f66e470b61cf7ec7131ceb64c602029f
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 261Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 264.1Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 269Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 285Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 286Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 287Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 288Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 288.5Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 289Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288.5, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 311.4Printed as Section 311.4
Cited by 21 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Pen. Code, § 647.6. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Code of Civil Procedure
Military and Veterans Code
Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 290Printed as Section 311.3, 311.4, 311.10, 311.11, or 647.6 | Section 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 290.008Printed as Section 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 290.46Printed as Section 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 294Printed as Section 273a, 273d, 288.5, 311.2, 311.3, or 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 311.4Printed as Section 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 802Printed as Section 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 868.5Printed as Section 211, 215, 220, 236.1, 240, 242, 243.4, 245, 261, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266d, 266e, 266f, 266g, 266h, 266i, 266j, 266k, 267, 269, 273a, 273d, 273.5, 273.6, 278, 278.5, 285, 286, 287, 288, 288.
- Pen. Code, § 868.8Printed as Section 422, 646.9, 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 939.21Printed as Section 368, 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 1346Printed as Section 220, 243.4, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 269, 273a, 273d, 285, 286, 287, 288, 288.5, 288.7, 289, or 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 1347.5Printed as Section 368, 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 1377Printed as Section 647.6 or 11165.6
- Pen. Code, § 11165.1Printed as Section 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 13750Printed as Section 220, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 266c, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288, 288.5, 289, or 647.6
- Pen. Code, § 13837Printed as Section 220, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 266c, 285, 286, 287, 288, or 647.6
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.