pornblocked

Is Pornhub blocked in Utah?

Yes. Pornhub has blocked Utah since May 1, 2023 (it shows only non-explicit content there). Utah law (SB 287) took effect May 3, 2023.

Pornhub blockedit shows only non-explicit content there Law in effect
Last verified Sources (16)

Since May 3, 2023, websites with more than a third adult content must verify that Utah users are 18 or older. Since May 6, 2026 the state Division of Consumer Protection can fine them, and since October 1, 2026 they owe a 2% tax on content sales; a 2026 provision treating people physically in Utah as Utah users even behind a VPN is preliminarily enjoined. Pornhub has blocked adult content in Utah since May 2023 and now shows Utah visitors only non-explicit content.

The law

Key facts
StatusLaw in effect
LawSB 287: SB 287 (2023), amended by SB 73 (2026) (text)
CitationUtah Code §§ 78B-3-1001 to 78B-3-1003 (Laws 2023, ch. 262); §§ 78B-3-1004 to -1008 and §§ 59-35-101 to -105 added by SB 73 (2026)
SignedMarch 14, 2023
In effectMay 3, 2023
Who it coversCommercial entities that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material harmful to minors from a website where more than one-third of total material is harmful to minors. SB 73 (2026) added a rebuttable presumption for sites marketed, named or promoted as primarily adult; lets the Division of Consumer Protection set rules for measuring that share and for verification standards; and provides that a person physically in Utah counts as accessing a site from Utah even if a VPN or proxy makes them appear elsewhere (that provision is preliminarily enjoined).
Accepted ID methodsdigitized identification card; independent third-party age verification service that checks the user's information against a database regularly used for age and identity verification; any commercially reasonable method to verify age; methods established by Division of Consumer Protection rule (SB 73)
Data rulesSites and third-party verifiers may not retain any identifying information after access has been granted (§ 78B-3-1002(2)); knowing retention makes the site liable to the individual for damages, costs and attorney fees (§ 78B-3-1003(2)). SB 73 lets the Division set data-security, retention and disposal standards by rule.
EnforcementBoth: private suits for damages (since 2023) and, since May 6, 2026, the Utah Division of Consumer Protection (SB 73), which can impose administrative fines and sue. Sites using a verification method that meets the Division's rule standards are deemed compliant (safe harbor).
PenaltiesPrivate damages from a minor's access (or from retained data) plus court costs and attorney fees. Under SB 73, administrative fines or court civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation, injunctions and disgorgement, and up to $5,000 per violation of an administrative or court order.

Why is Pornhub blocked in Utah?

Pornhub went dark for Utah visitors on Monday, May 1, 2023, two days before the law took effect, rather than verify ages. According to the federal court's September 2026 ruling, Aylo later reopened its free sites to Utah IP addresses but limited them to content outside the law's scope, so adult content stays geoblocked. Utah's August 2026 agreement not to enforce the VPN provision against Aylo was conditioned on Aylo keeping its geofencing in place.

When did Pornhub block Utah?

Pornhub stopped serving Utah on May 1, 2023. Utah law (SB 287) took effect May 3, 2023.

Is porn banned in Utah?

No. Utah doesn't ban porn. Utah law (SB 287) sets age-verification rules for adult sites, and Pornhub chose to block Utah rather than follow them.

What does SB 287 require?

Commercial entities that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material harmful to minors from a website where more than one-third of total material is harmful to minors. SB 73 (2026) added a rebuttable presumption for sites marketed, named or promoted as primarily adult; lets the Division of Consumer Protection set rules for measuring that share and for verification standards; and provides that a person physically in Utah counts as accessing a site from Utah even if a VPN or proxy makes them appear elsewhere (that provision is preliminarily enjoined).

Enforcement: Both: private suits for damages (since 2023) and, since May 6, 2026, the Utah Division of Consumer Protection (SB 73), which can impose administrative fines and sue. Sites using a verification method that meets the Division's rule standards are deemed compliant (safe harbor).

Is it illegal to watch porn in Utah?

No. Utah law (SB 287) puts its duties on websites, not on the people who visit them. Watching legal adult content is not a crime under it.

Separate state and federal laws on obscenity and child sexual abuse material apply everywhere, whatever a state's age-verification rules.

How do I verify my age for adult sites in Utah?

Utah law (SB 287) accepts these methods: digitized identification card; independent third-party age verification service that checks the user's information against a database regularly used for age and identity verification; any commercially reasonable method to verify age; methods established by Division of Consumer Protection rule (SB 73). Each site chooses which ones to offer.

Can porn sites keep my ID in Utah?

Sites and third-party verifiers may not retain any identifying information after access has been granted (§ 78B-3-1002(2)); knowing retention makes the site liable to the individual for damages, costs and attorney fees (§ 78B-3-1003(2)). SB 73 lets the Division set data-security, retention and disposal standards by rule.

Is it illegal to use a VPN in Utah?

Utah law (SB 287) sets duties for websites. It does not create a penalty for people who use a VPN.

SB 73 (2026), Utah Code § 78B-3-1002(3)-(4): Counts a person physically in Utah as accessing a site from Utah even if a VPN or proxy makes them appear to be elsewhere, and bars covered sites from facilitating or encouraging the use of VPNs, proxies or other means to circumvent age verification. Status: actual-location provision, § 78B-3-1002(3), preliminarily enjoined 2026-09-24 (Utah had agreed not to enforce it against Aylo while the motion was pending); the separate bar on facilitating circumvention, § 78B-3-1002(4), is not covered by the injunction.

Why does Pornhub think I'm in Utah?

Websites estimate where you are from your IP address, not your street address. Mobile carriers and some internet providers route traffic through regional hubs that can sit across a state line, so a phone in Colorado can appear to be in Utah.

When a site shows another state's notice, the cause is usually where your network's IP address is registered, not the law where you are.

Timeline

  1. The governor signs SB 287, Online Pornography Viewing Age Requirements (Laws 2023, ch. 262). [1]
  2. Pornhub blocks visitors in Utah. [8]
  3. SB 287 takes effect. [1]
  4. 10th Circuit affirms dismissal of Free Speech Coalition v. Anderson (no proper state defendant for a privately enforced law; constitutionality not reached). [10]
  5. Aylo Freesites and Aylo Group sue Utah's Division of Consumer Protection and Department of Commerce in federal court over SB 73's actual-location provision. [3]
  6. SB 73 takes effect: Division of Consumer Protection enforcement and rulemaking, a safe harbor for approved methods, the actual-location (VPN) provision and a bar on sites facilitating circumvention of age checks. [2]
  7. Federal judge preliminarily enjoins SB 73's actual-location provision, Utah Code § 78B-3-1002(3), on dormant Commerce Clause grounds; the age-verification requirement itself is unaffected. [3]
  8. SB 73's 2% excise tax on covered sites' sales of digital content takes effect. [2]
  9. On a joint motion from Aylo and the state, the court stays Aylo's case until the end of the Legislature's 2027 General Session; the parties said lawmakers may consider amending the actual-location provision. A joint status report is due March 19, 2027. [4]

Courts and enforcement

  • Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Anderson (U.S. District Court, D. Utah). Dismissed August 2023: the state officials sued do not enforce a privately enforced law. Source
  • Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Anderson (U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Cir., Oct 1, 2024). Dismissal affirmed 2-1 (no proper state defendant; constitutionality not reached). Source
  • Aylo Freesites Ltd v. Utah Division of Consumer Protection, No. 2:26-cv-00340-DBB-JCB (U.S. District Court, D. Utah (Judge David Barlow), Sep 24, 2026). Filed 2026-04-22 by Aylo Freesites Ltd and Aylo Group Ltd against the Division of Consumer Protection, the Department of Commerce and their directors, challenging SB 73's actual-location provision (§ 78B-3-1002(3)); Aylo disclaimed any challenge to the core age-verification requirement. Preliminary injunction granted 2026-09-24 on dormant Commerce Clause grounds; the court rejected the extraterritoriality claim, did not reach the foreign Commerce Clause claim, and declined to limit the age-verification requirement itself. On 2026-10-07 the parties jointly asked the court to pause the case, saying the Legislature may consider amending the provision; on 2026-10-08 the court stayed proceedings until the end of the Legislature's next General Session and ordered a joint status report by 2027-03-19. Source

Related laws

  • SB 73 (2026), Utah Code § 78B-3-1002(3)-(4) (effective May 6, 2026). Counts a person physically in Utah as accessing a site from Utah even if a VPN or proxy makes them appear to be elsewhere, and bars covered sites from facilitating or encouraging the use of VPNs, proxies or other means to circumvent age verification. actual-location provision, § 78B-3-1002(3), preliminarily enjoined 2026-09-24 (Utah had agreed not to enforce it against Aylo while the motion was pending); the separate bar on facilitating circumvention, § 78B-3-1002(4), is not covered by the injunction
  • SB 73 (2026), Utah Code §§ 59-35-101 to -105 (effective Oct 1, 2026). 2% excise tax on covered sites' sales of digital images, video, audio, books or gaming services, including subscriptions; 90% to a Minor Mental Health Restricted Account and 10% to a Minor Online Safety Restricted Account. in effect; the September 2026 injunction does not address it
  • SB 142 (2025), App Store Accountability Act; amended by HB 498 (2026) (effective May 6, 2027). App stores must verify user age categories, link minors' accounts to parents and get parental consent for downloads and purchases. Private right of action only (up to $1,000 per violation). enacted, not yet in effect: HB 498 (2026-03-18) delayed the compliance date by a year, covered pre-installed apps and removed AG enforcement; CCIA's challenge voluntarily dismissed 2026-04-21
  • HB 72 (2021), Device Filter Amendments (Laws 2021, ch. 416). New phones and tablets activated in Utah would need adult-content filters switched on; manufacturers could be sued by the Attorney General or a private individual, with a civil penalty of up to $10 per violation, if a minor accesses harmful content. enacted (signed 2021-03-23) but contingent: takes effect the January 1 after at least five other states pass substantially similar laws that are in effect; repealed January 1, 2031 if not in effect by then. The Legislature's bill page lists no effective date.
  • SB 194 / HB 464 (2024), Minor Protection in Social Media Act. Age assurance, default protections for minors and parental tools on social media. preliminarily enjoined 2024-09-10 (NetChoice v. Reyes); 10th Cir. appeal argued Nov. 2025, pending

Sources

  1. S.B. 287 Online Pornography Viewing Age Requirements (2023), Utah Legislature (le.utah.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
  2. S.B. 73 Online Age Verification Amendments (2026), enrolled text, Utah Legislature (le.utah.gov) Legislature · 2026
  3. Aylo Freesites Ltd v. Utah Division of Consumer Protection, No. 2:26-cv-00340-DBB-JCB, Memorandum Decision and Order Granting Preliminary Injunction (D. Utah Sept. 24, 2026), via Courthouse News (courthousenews.com) Court · Sep 24, 2026
  4. Aylo Freesites Ltd v. Utah Division of Consumer Protection, No. 2:26-cv-00340 (D. Utah), docket (CourtListener); ECF No. 71, docket-text order granting the joint motion to stay (Oct. 8, 2026) (courtlistener.com) Court · accessed Oct 26, 2026
  5. Aylo Freesites Ltd v. Utah Division of Consumer Protection, Joint Status Report, ECF No. 70 (D. Utah Oct. 7, 2026), via CourtListener RECAP (storage.courtlistener.com) Court · Oct 7, 2026
  6. H.B. 72 Device Filter Amendments (2021), Utah Legislature (le.utah.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
  7. H.B. 72 Device Filter Amendments (2021), enrolled text, Utah Legislature (le.utah.gov) Legislature · 2021
  8. Pornhub blocks Utah in protest of new age verification law (Scripps News) (scrippsnews.com) News · May 2023
  9. Judge dismisses Pornhub lawsuit over Utah age verification law (Deseret News) (deseret.com) News · Aug 2, 2023
  10. Porn Industry Group Loses Appeal in Bid to Block Utah Age Checks (Bloomberg Law) (news.bloomberglaw.com) News · Oct 1, 2024
  11. Utah VPN law faces federal lawsuit from Pornhub's parent company (Utah Public Radio) (upr.org) News · Jun 4, 2026
  12. Utah pauses age verification rule enforcement with Pornhub owner pending court ruling (KSL, via Deseret News) (deseret.com) News · Sep 4, 2026
  13. Federal judge blocks Utah's VPN update to its online porn age verification law (KUER) (kuer.org) News · Sep 24, 2026
  14. Pornhub Beats Back Utah's Controversial VPN-Age Verification Law (For Now) (PCMag, via Yahoo News) (yahoo.com) News · Oct 2, 2026
  15. Challenge to Utah's App Store Accountability Act Voluntarily Dismissed Following Statutory Amendments (JD Supra) (jdsupra.com) News · accessed Oct 26, 2026
  16. Utah governor signs divisive measure to require porn filters (OPB/AP) (opb.org) News · Mar 24, 2021

This page is general information, not legal advice. Last verified October 26, 2026 by the Editorial Team. See something wrong or out of date? Report a correction. How we work: methodology.