163.315 Incapacity to consent; effect of lack of resistance. (1) A person is considered incapable of consenting to a sexual act if the person is:
(a) Under 18 years of age;
(b) Incapable of appraising the nature of the person’s conduct;
(c) Mentally incapacitated; or
(d) Physically helpless.
(2) A lack of verbal or physical resistance does not, by itself, constitute consent but may be considered by the trier of fact along with all other relevant evidence.
(3) A person is incapable of appraising the nature of the person’s conduct if:
(a) The person is unable to understand the nature of the conduct;
(b) The person is unable to understand the right to choose whether and how to engage in conduct, including the right to revoke a prior decision to engage in conduct; or
(c) The person is unable to communicate a decision to engage in conduct. [1971 c.743 §105; 1999 c.949 §2; 2001 c.104 §52; 2021 c.82 §2]
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
File SHA-256: 81109a43a5631ebec4ebfde641092a6c60ecd13ec77452c9939b53ff86a4d40c. The original may include catalog metadata, neighboring provisions, or embedded records outside this collection's scope. This page displays the selected Oregon section record with its printed versions and adjoining notes. Historical editions and unverified snapshots are not a statement of current law.
Authority boundary: official snapshot extraction not current law verified.
Stable record: oregon_criminal_law:legal_authorities:163.315 Source file: ors163.html Pages: Not recorded – Not recorded Passage SHA-256: b83f96e21fd89e825fc3d839839e5b66e8df96ca4f7a47d975ed2efcd8d35e2c Retained source evidence SHA-256: 81109a43a5631ebec4ebfde641092a6c60ecd13ec77452c9939b53ff86a4d40c
Source location: ORS 163.315 (all printed versions and notes)
Stored source content
163.315 Incapacity to consent; effect of lack of resistance. (1) A person is considered incapable of consenting to a sexual act if the person is:
(a) Under 18 years of age;
(b) Incapable of appraising the nature of the person’s conduct;
(c) Mentally incapacitated; or
(d) Physically helpless.
(2) A lack of verbal or physical resistance does not, by itself, constitute consent but may be considered by the trier of fact along with all other relevant evidence.
(3) A person is incapable of appraising the nature of the person’s conduct if:
(a) The person is unable to understand the nature of the conduct;
(b) The person is unable to understand the right to choose whether and how to engage in conduct, including the right to revoke a prior decision to engage in conduct; or
(c) The person is unable to communicate a decision to engage in conduct. [1971 c.743 §105; 1999 c.949 §2; 2001 c.104 §52; 2021 c.82 §2]
Cross-references
Connections may be documented source relationships, shared citations or nearby passages. Each explains its basis; a connection alone does not establish applicability to your situation.
Oregon criminal law — ORS Title 16 (2025 snapshot) · legal_authorities
163.760 Definitions for ORS 163.760 to 163.777. As used in ORS 163.760 to 163.777:
(1) “Declaration under penalty of perjury,” “family or household members,” “interfere,” “intimidate,” “menace” and “molest” have the meanings given those terms in ORS 107.705.
(2) “Sexual abuse” means sexual contact with:
(a) A person who does not consent to the sexual contact; or
(b) A person who is considered incapable of consenting to a sexual act under ORS 163.315, unless the sexual contact would be lawful under ORS 163.325 or 163.345.
(3) “Sexual contact” has the meaning given that term in ORS 163.305. [2013 c.687 §1; 2015 c.121 §21]
Note: 163.760 to 163.777 were enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly but were not added to or made a part of ORS chapter 163 or any series therein by legislative action. See Preface to Oregon Revised Statutes for further explanation.