163.479 Unlawful contact with a child. (1) A person commits the crime of unlawful contact with a child if the person:
(a)(A) Has been designated a sexually violent dangerous offender under ORS 137.765;
(B) Has been classified as a level three sex offender under ORS 163A.100 (3);
(C) Has been sentenced as a dangerous offender under ORS 161.725 upon conviction of a sex crime; or
(D) Has been given a similar designation or been sentenced under a similar law of another jurisdiction; and
(b) Knowingly contacts a child with the intent to commit a crime or for the purpose of arousing or satisfying the sexual desires of the person or another person.
(2) As used in this section:
(a) “Child” means a person under 18 years of age.
(b) “Contact” means to communicate in any manner.
(c) “Sex crime” has the meaning given that term in ORS 163A.005.
(3) Unlawful contact with a child is a Class C felony. [2005 c.811 §2; 2013 c.708 §13; 2015 c.820 §§18,25; 2017 c.442 §35; 2019 c.430 §§6,10]
Note: See note under 163.476.
Stored review status: 2025_edition_later_amendments_unresolved. A text match is a research starting point; applicability is not established.
Official chapter context and edition notices
Chapter 163 — Offenses Against Persons
2025 EDITION
OFFENSES AGAINST PERSONS
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
HOMICIDE
ASSAULT AND RELATED OFFENSES
KIDNAPPING AND RELATED OFFENSES
COERCION
SEXUAL OFFENSES
OFFENSES AGAINST FAMILY
VISUAL RECORDING OF SEXUAL CONDUCT OF CHILDREN
INVASION OF PRIVACY
MISCELLANEOUS
STALKING
SEXUAL ABUSE RESTRAINING ORDERS
HOMICIDE
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Authority boundary: official snapshot extraction not current law verified.
Stable record: oregon_criminal_law:legal_authorities:163.479 Source file: ors163.html Pages: Not recorded – Not recorded Passage SHA-256: afbecc19ae3f1fa21d30a932fa1efeb45688516918f5f18db295ab66a667b66d Retained source evidence SHA-256: 81109a43a5631ebec4ebfde641092a6c60ecd13ec77452c9939b53ff86a4d40c
Source location: ORS 163.479 (all printed versions and notes)
Stored source content
163.479 Unlawful contact with a child. (1) A person commits the crime of unlawful contact with a child if the person:
(a)(A) Has been designated a sexually violent dangerous offender under ORS 137.765;
(B) Has been classified as a level three sex offender under ORS 163A.100 (3);
(C) Has been sentenced as a dangerous offender under ORS 161.725 upon conviction of a sex crime; or
(D) Has been given a similar designation or been sentenced under a similar law of another jurisdiction; and
(b) Knowingly contacts a child with the intent to commit a crime or for the purpose of arousing or satisfying the sexual desires of the person or another person.
(2) As used in this section:
(a) “Child” means a person under 18 years of age.
(b) “Contact” means to communicate in any manner.
(c) “Sex crime” has the meaning given that term in ORS 163A.005.
(3) Unlawful contact with a child is a Class C felony. [2005 c.811 §2; 2013 c.708 §13; 2015 c.820 §§18,25; 2017 c.442 §35; 2019 c.430 §§6,10]
Note: See note under 163.476.
Cross-references
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Oregon criminal law — ORS Title 16 (2025 snapshot) · legal_authorities
161.725 Standards for sentencing of dangerous offenders. (1) Subject to the provisions of ORS 161.737, the maximum term of an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for a dangerous offender is 30 years, if because of the dangerousness of the defendant an extended period of confined correctional treatment or custody is required for the protection of the public and one or more of the following grounds exist:
(a) The defendant is being sentenced for a Class A felony and the defendant is suffering from a severe personality disorder indicating a propensity toward crimes that seriously endanger the life or safety of another.
(b) The defendant is being sentenced for a felony that seriously endangered the life or safety of another, the defendant has been previously convicted of a felony not related to the instant crime as a single criminal episode and the defendant is suffering from a severe personality disorder indicating a propensity toward crimes that seriously endanger the life or safety of another.
(c) The defendant is being sentenced for a felony that seriously endangered the life or safety of another, the defendant has previously engaged in unlawful conduct not related to the instant crime as a single criminal episode that seriously endangered the life or safety of another and the defendant is suffering from a severe personality disorder indicating a propensity toward crimes that seriously endanger the life or safety of another.
(2) As used in this section, “previously convicted of a felony” means:
(a) Previous conviction of a felony in a court of this state;
(b) Previous conviction in a court of the United States, other than a court-martial, of an offense which at the time of conviction of the offense was and at the time of conviction of the instant crime is punis
163A.005 Definitions for ORS 163A.005 to 163A.235. As used in ORS 163A.005 to 163A.235:
(1) “Another United States court” means a federal court, a military court, the tribal court of a federally recognized Indian tribe or a court of:
(a) A state other than Oregon;
(b) The District of Columbia;
(c) The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
(d) Guam;
(e) American Samoa;
(f) The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or
(g) The United States Virgin Islands.
(2) “Attends” means is enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis.
(3)(a) “Correctional facility” means any place used for the confinement of persons:
(A) Charged with or convicted of a crime or otherwise confined under a court order.
(B) Found to be within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court for having committed an act that if committed by an adult would constitute a crime.
(b) “Correctional facility” applies to a state hospital or a secure intensive community inpatient facility only as to persons detained therein charged with or convicted of a crime, or detained therein after being found guilty except for insanity under ORS 161.290 to 161.373 or responsible except for insanity under ORS 419C.411.
(4) “Institution of higher education” means a public or private educational institution that provides a program of post-secondary education.
(5) “Sex crime” means:
(a) Rape in any degree;
(b) Sodomy in any degree;
(c) Unlawful sexual penetration in any degree;
(d) Sexual abuse in any degree;
(e) Incest with a child victim;
(f) Using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct;
(g) Encouraging child sexual abuse in any degree;
(h) Transporting child pornography into the state;
(i) Paying for viewing a child’s sexually explicit conduct;
(j) Compelling prostitution;
(k) Promoting prostitution;
(
163A.100 Risk assessment methodology; rules. The State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision shall, in consultation with community corrections agencies, adopt by rule a sex offender risk assessment methodology for use in classifying sex offenders. The methodology may consider exclusively the risk the sex offender presented at the time the sex offender was released from custody, sentenced or otherwise discharged from the jurisdiction of a court of this state, or another United States court, for the crime or act for which the sex offender is required to report. Application of the risk assessment methodology to a sex offender must result in placing the sex offender in one of the following levels:
(1) A level one sex offender who presents, or presented at the time of release, sentencing or discharge, the lowest risk of reoffending and requires a limited range of notification.
(2) A level two sex offender who presents, or presented at the time of release, sentencing or discharge, a moderate risk of reoffending and requires a moderate range of notification.
(3) A level three sex offender who presents, or presented at the time of release, sentencing or discharge, the highest risk of reoffending and requires the widest range of notification. [Formerly 181.800; 2025 c.187 §1]
Note: Sections 3 and 4, chapter 187, Oregon Laws 2025, provide:
Sec. 3. The amendments to ORS 163A.100 by section 1 of this 2025 Act apply to sex offenders released from custody, sentenced or otherwise discharged from the jurisdiction of a court of this state, or another United States court, for the crime or act for which the sex offender is required to report, before, on or after the effective date of this 2025 Act [May 27, 2025]. [2025 c.187 §3]
Sec. 4. The State Board of Parole and Post-Priso